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Telling the stories of startup founders and creators and their unique journey. Each episode features actionable tips, practical advice and inspirational insight.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:09:23
Welcome to the Founders Journey podcast. Inspiration education for Founders by Founders.
00:00:09:23 - 00:00:32:22
Hey, I'm Greg Moran from Evergreen Mountain Equity Partners, the Founders Collective in the Founders Journey podcast. And welcome to the third and final video in our Founders Fallacy series. Today, I'm sharing some practical steps that really help me break my anxiety and break free from the need to control everything. Let's dive into strategies for founders who want to build a sustainable life without being consumed by their business.
00:00:32:23 - 00:00:56:15
So one of the biggest steps to breaking free from the founders fallacy is learning to separate high impact decisions from everyday tasks. I call these meta decisions and micro decisions. Prior to this, my pattern was constant action, but by focusing on meta decisions, this helped me start micro managing. It was the first step in learning to trust the others and find a new balance.
00:00:56:18 - 00:01:23:17
What's a meta decision? Well, start to look for them by identifying the strategic choices that only you can make, and then delegate the smaller day to day decisions. Decision fatigue for a founder is very real. Trying to make every single decision, whether important or not important, is really the direct path to burnout. But your meta decisions, those big strategic decisions that you need to make, are ones that really only you can make.
00:01:23:17 - 00:01:47:23
But those micro decisions or meta decisions that somebody else in your organization trust your team with those micro decisions, and it creates a huge step forward in reducing your own personal stress and empowering your team. Managing anxiety as a founder really requires routines and support, therapy, medication, and a solid support network were crucial for me, but it doesn't have to get to that point for you.
00:01:48:02 - 00:02:14:20
Equally important were the daily routines that really grounded me, and that's become so much more important to me now that I've exited the business. So therapy, leaning on loved ones, they really helped me rebuild after I exited. When the anxiety of that have culminated for so many years of just building and building really started to cripple, and using therapy and leaning on loved ones helped me rebuild.
00:02:14:20 - 00:02:43:05
And having routines. So things like exercise, meditation, building boundaries became essential for me in managing anxiety after I've exited. But you don't have to wait if you're just starting your journey. Start with small daily habits like exercise, journaling to create consistency and don't be afraid to seek help. There's strength in reaching out for support, whether that's licensed support like a therapist or support of your founder's community.
00:02:43:06 - 00:03:04:19
Lean on those around you, share what you're feeling, and get their insight. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is the importance of building an identity outside of work. This was something I really struggled with in the years and years of long hours. As a founder, it's easy to fall into the habit of defining ourselves solely by our business.
00:03:04:19 - 00:03:24:17
But true fulfillment really comes from having a much more balanced life. I realized that my entire identity was wrapped up in being a founder, and that meant finding new passions and then really redefining what success looked like for me personally, when I moved past the business. I encourage you to set personal goals that have nothing to do with business.
00:03:24:17 - 00:03:45:19
It's not just a way to prevent burnout. It's a step toward building a whole life where your success isn't tied to this one role, which can seem so monumental, but in the scheme of things, it's a just a point in your life. Breaking free from the founder's fallacy of control is an ongoing journey. It's what I'm still on, and I'm still at the very early days of it.
00:03:45:19 - 00:04:11:15
But it starts with small steps. Take time to reflect, delegate, build routines that support your wellbeing. You do not have to sacrifice your mind and body and your spirit to your company. Most importantly, remember that your worth isn't defined by your role as a founder and that is a hard, hard thing to remember. So thanks for joining me in this little mini series.
00:04:11:15 - 00:04:33:03
If the content resonated, please share your thoughts below. Subscribe to the Founders Journey podcast. Remember, you're not alone in this journey as a whole community of founders learning to live beyond their business. So thanks for watching. Leave a comment below and share it with somebody you feel that can benefit from it.