This episode offers a candid look at a founder's struggle to transition from day-to-day tactical work to high-level strategic leadership. It emphasizes the critical need for founders to delegate and elevate their focus to unlock significant growth, even if it means stepping away from tasks they enjoy. This is essential for ecommerce operators aiming for aggressive scaling.
Key takeaways
Founders must recognize when they become a bottleneck and be willing to 'fire' themselves from operational roles to enable company growth.
Delegating enjoyable, lower-level tasks (like running ads) is crucial for CEOs to focus on less 'sexy' but necessary high-level business development.
Hiring competent leaders, like a Director of Ecommerce, can facilitate the transition by actively taking over responsibilities and prompting the founder's elevation.
Embrace the trade-off: giving up immediate 'dopamine hits' from tactical wins is necessary for achieving ambitious revenue growth goals.
Proactively setting ambitious growth goals can force necessary structural changes and delegation within a company.
If you're still enjoying day to day operations, you're likely not working on your business effectively.
"The reality is that one day you wake up and you realize that you're the bottleneck in your own business, and it's time to be fired." - Mike Jackness on handing over the reins of the company to someone else Have you ever had that feeling when you just know you're about to get fired from your job? In 41 years I have never been fired--I worked hard enough to not be in that situation--and it's certainly uncomfortable dealing with this issue with a company I started. You might remember me doing an episode about my goals for 2018, and surprisingly, those were the very goals that led me to feeling I might get fired from my own company. One of my goals is to double in revenue again this year, and at this point in our business, doubling will require a lot more effort than it did last year. That means I, as the CEO, will have to hand off tasks I enjoy and focus more on high-level (and sometimes less exciting) business development efforts. The thing is, I enjoy doing the lower-level stuff. I like the dopamine hit of a successful Facebook ad or PPC campaign. But when I hired Jacqueline, our Director of Ecommerce, she knew that I needed to give them up in favor of the high-level stuff, so in order to get me to do them, she is essentially firing me from the informal marketing position I always loved. Here are some points I talked about in this episode: A look back at my 2018 goals The moment Jacqueline began taking over my job How hard it is to hand off some responsibility to focus on higher-level stuff Plans of a "Day in the Life of Mike Jackness" podcast episode It feels weird, to say the least, to no longer be doing what I love in order to do the less sexy but necessary functions of a CEO. But in business there will always be trade-offs, and if giving up dopamine hits is what I need to do to achieve my goals, then I'd gladly do it. Resources mentioned: <p
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Founders must recognize when they become a bottleneck and be willing to 'fire' themselves from operational roles to enable company growth.
What does this episode say about dtc strategy?
Delegating enjoyable, lower-level tasks (like running ads) is crucial for CEOs to focus on less 'sexy' but necessary high-level business development.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Hiring competent leaders, like a Director of Ecommerce, can facilitate the transition by actively taking over responsibilities and prompting the founder's elevation.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Embrace the trade-off: giving up immediate 'dopamine hits' from tactical wins is necessary for achieving ambitious revenue growth goals.
What does this episode say about founder & leadership?
Proactively setting ambitious growth goals can force necessary structural changes and delegation within a company.
