As an entrepreneur, you’ve led your business through incredible growth, taking it from an idea to a thriving company with 15 to 25 employees and revenues pushing $15 million. You’ve done this through fast decisions, deep involvement in every area of the business, and a hands-on approach that’s been critical to your success. But now, you’re facing a new kind of challenge—one that calls for you to evolve your role and rethink how you lead.

The exciting part?

You already have many of the skills you need to navigate this shift. It’s about applying them in a way that empowers others and creates a structure that supports the next stage of growth. And as you’ve learned, every challenge holds an opportunity.

The Authority-Responsibility Alignment: Focus Shift to Empowerment

As the entrepreneur, you’ve held all the authority and been responsible for everything, you made the decisions, and you were responsible for the outcomes. But as your business grows, it’s impossible to hold on to both for every decision. But they go together, and when they aren’t in balance, you get frustrated. What you need is to distribute authority—to give your leadership team the power to make decisions—and make sure they also have the responsibility to follow through.

This alignment of authority and responsibility is essential for surfacing the leaders in your team and cultivating strategic thinking that drives the company forward. When authority and responsibility are misaligned—when leaders have responsibility without the authority to act, or authority without clear responsibility—it creates frustration and stalls growth. When aligned, your leadership team becomes empowered to make the right decisions, take ownership, take thoughtful risks, and push the business forward with confidence.

The beauty of this transition is that it doesn’t reduce your relevance. On the contrary, you become the strategic mentor, guiding your team to act with the same level of intuition and care that has driven your success. You’re still the captain of the ship, but now your crew has the capability to steer with you. This creates a culture where everyone is rowing in the same direction, reducing friction and increasing momentum. It’s also necessary for you to get out of the “hot seat” should you ever choose to change your role, explore another path, or retire.

The Right Amount of Structure: Taking the Next Step Toward “Optimal”

It’s easy to look at large, $200M companies and feel daunted by the processes and systems they have in place. But you don’t need that level of structure right now. What you need is simply the next step—the amount of process and structure that fits your company’s current size and growth trajectory. 

You already have a team that’s capable and driven, but they need the right tools and frameworks to operate effectively as the company scales. This doesn’t mean adding layers of bureaucracy or drowning them in rules. It’s about providing just enough structure to ensure that decision-making is efficient, communication is clear, and the right information gets to the right people at the right time.

Think of it as scaffolding for your business’s next level of growth. Structure that supports the team without constraining them, giving them the stability they need to take ownership and the flexibility to adapt. The right amount of process will give your leadership team the clarity they need to make informed decisions, while still allowing the company to maintain the agility and responsiveness that have always been your strengths.

The key is progress, not perfection. It’s not about jumping straight to “optimal” processes—it’s about taking manageable steps toward it. By focusing on the next step, you reduce the risk of overwhelming yourself or your team. You don’t need the processes of a $200M company. You just need the processes that will support your next level of growth, and that’s a far less daunting shift.

Evolving Your Role: From Hands-On Leader to Strategic Mentor

In the early days, you were hands-on in every area, making fast decisions and filling gaps wherever needed. That’s what built your success. But as your company grows, it’s no longer possible—or even desirable—for you to be everywhere at once. Your business doesn’t need you in every meeting or involved in every decision. What it needs now is your strategic guidance and mentorship.

This new role is about transferring the skills, instincts, and values that made your business thrive to your leadership team. You’ve already built a successful company, and now, you’re building successful leaders. This doesn’t mean stepping back; it means stepping forward into a higher level of leadership, one that multiplies your impact, even more so, through your team.

Think of yourself as a master craftsman, teaching your apprentices. Your leadership team will never fill your shoes exactly—they don’t need to. What they need is to be empowered to complement your strengths, carry forward your vision, and make decisions with the same level of care and insight that you would.

This evolution isn’t about giving up control; it’s about creating a structure where your control is scaled through others. The faster you empower your leadership team by aligning authority and responsibility, the more freedom you’ll have to focus on the big-picture strategy and vision that only you can provide.

Embrace the Challenge: You’re Ready for This Next Step

This transition isn’t about fixing something broken—it’s about building something new. The entrepreneurial journey has always been about growth, adaptation, and learning, and this next phase is no different. You’ve already mastered the art of solving problems, making quick decisions, and building something from nothing. Now, you’re applying those same skills in a new way.

You don’t need to do this overnight. You don’t need to implement massive changes all at once. You just need to focus on the next step. What processes will help your team move more smoothly? Where can you align authority and responsibility more effectively? How can you mentor your leaders to take on more ownership?

These are the kinds of questions that will lead you forward. The right structures will grow with you, just as your company has grown. You’ve already proven that you can build something extraordinary—now, you’re building a team and a structure that will take your business to its next level of success.

Moving Forward with Confidence

This is an exciting time for you and your business. You’ve reached a point where your leadership can have an even greater impact—not just on the business itself, but on the people you’ve brought into it. You’re creating something lasting, something that can grow beyond what you can achieve on your own.

Remember, you’re not stepping away from your role—you’re stepping into a new chapter of leadership. You’re moving from being the sole decision-maker to being the mentor and strategist your team needs to thrive. And as your team grows into their new responsibilities, you’ll have more time to focus on the bigger vision, and the strategic moves that will drive your company’s future.

You’ve always been up for a challenge, and this is no different. The skills, creativity, and intuition that built your business are the same ones that will guide you through this next stage. Embrace it—this is just another opportunity to grow, both for you and for your business. And with the right steps, the right alignment, and the right structures, the sky is truly the limit.

That Business Pulse cover is of me when one of my businesses was in this transition phase.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” Dr. Seuss