2023 Year in Review
As 2023 comes to a close, I thought I’d take a minute to reflect with you all about Founder to Leader’s second year. We are growing and scaling as a company just like our clients are, so I thought it might be interesting to share how we’re thinking about our own company these days.
MOMENTUM + TRACTION
I have always been driven by impact. When I decided to launch Founder to Leader, my goal was to help first-time technical founders succeed. I also wanted more control over my work and life.
When I posted that I was open for business, I never imagined we’d have this much traction in the ecosystem. I’ll be honest: I wanted to make just enough money from coaching so that I could cover the salary I left behind at my full-time job.
Within a month of operating, though, I realized that my vision for Founder to Leader wasn’t nearly big enough. I didn’t suddenly become greedy – my motivation has always been to help more founders build companies that will positively change the world.
BUILDING THE TEAM
I tried to scale early on and I failed. It was too soon, the wrong model - and not quite the right team. I tried to send clients to other coaches and every deal died. I knew I had to think differently about how to build a coaching company that is bigger than just me – but I felt stuck.
It was Cait Tolman who got me to realize that I needed to bring in experts who could compliment my skill set. Cait’s experience with fundraising was something I knew clients needed. I introduced a few clients to Cait and they all came back eager to work with her.
Dr. Shelby Doyle was the next to join the team. It was obvious to me that we needed a PhD in biological engineering on our team - especially someone who is an expert in scientific communication.
I was already sending Lori Lennon so many referrals, it was a no-brainer to have a more fluid mechanism to share clients by adding Lori to the Founder to Leader team.
That brings us to Jane Wilkinson. I’ve known her for several years and knew that Jane is 1000% aligned with Founder to Leader’s values and mission.
I should also tell you that we also have two more phenomenal coaches on the team that we'll introduce to you in the New Year - so stay tuned for that!
A SISTERHOOD OF COACHES
If it wasn’t obvious to you, all of these coaches are women. I decided that I am purposefully building an all-women's team. All of us on this team have chosen to take a step off of the figurative treadmill and redefine our lives. We all want to have meaningful impact - and we want to live according to our values. It is scary - especially as a woman - to carve your own path.
This team is full of extraordinary trailblazers. Together we are modeling for ourselves - and others - how to intentionally design work and life to achieve your goals.
GOALS FOR 2024
So, in 2024 there will be seven of us on the Founder to Leader team. 2023 was about exploring the model and finding the right people. This year is about becoming a team and optimizing our individual and collective impact.
Personally, I’m going to be shifting to doing deeper work with fewer clients - like the Climate and Culture Audit I recently did across a whole team and their board. I have a client who has invited me to facilitate and lead multiple retreats for their C-Suite to deeply align and transform as they scale. I love this work. I’m also going to be focusing on turning the Founder Toolbox into a product, improving our content and curriculum, and spending more time with funds and accelerators as a consultant.
The big reveal: our mission, vision, and values
As we wrap up year number two, I want to share with you our formalized mission, vision, and values. It was overdue. I hope they resonate for you.
LET’S DREAM BIG, TOGETHER
This year, Founder to Leader will be dreaming big about how we can help technical founders build and scale human-first organizations. If you have ideas on how we can support your team or the ecosystem at large, we’d love to hear from you.
In the meanwhile, I hope you dream big, too…and then you create OKRs to systematically achieve them. And if you don’t know how to do that – don’t worry! We can help :).
