Successful Startup 101: September 2014 Successful Startup 101: September 2014 | Page 19

Entrepreneur, Fire Thyself
By Kerrie MacPherson
When entrepreneurs first start their businesses,
they are usually involved in everything: running
operations, keeping the books, and making sales
calls. But as a company grows, one of the smartest
things an owner can do is to fire herself from role
after role. Letting go of anything critical to business
outcomes is a challenge, but successful entrepreneurs
have all learned to replace themselves – and serial
entrepreneurs even develop it as a skill.
Why be in a hurry to hand off important work? By
building a team to handle operational responsibilities,
entrepreneurs can find more time to focus on strategic
priorities and even bigger goals.
In the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women
program I sponsor, which is designed to recognize

high-potential businesses and help their women
founders scale them, teaching this process is a
priority. “You can’t micromanage your way to
growth,” says Dr. Mary Jo Gorman, founder and
CEO of Advanced ICU Care, which provides highquality critical care to patients in intensive care
units. A member of the 2011 North American
class of Entrepreneurial Winning Women, Gorman
says, “This is more than delegating. This is about
building a team that allows you to not think so
much about the day-to-day, and a team that comes
to you with new ideas.”
Gorman’s comment connects well with three warning
signs we tell entrepreneurs to heed. You are probably
spending too much time working in your business,
and not enough on it, if you: