Many founders experience a moment of disorientation:
Employees add to problems instead of solving them,
Revenue is up, but profit remains elusive,
Hiring someone to fix it all is tempting,
Day-to-day grind consumes all attention,
Passion and strategic projects take a backseat,
The founder feels the drift, and so on.
In those situations, I often share a metaphor with clients. Take jiu-jitsu, for example, with its empirical wisdom. Imagine you're tangled in the chaos of a match, feeling lost. What to do? Straighten up and look up. Immediately, a reliable axis emerges.
In business, customer orientation serves as that axis. Remember how it all began. It was just you and your first customer. You were hungry, energetic, ready to solve their problem – not the one they described, but the real one.
As you succeeded, the customer returned, praised you, and recommended you to others. Meanwhile, you sought tools to make your value skyrocket in their eyes. Thus came the team, contractors, procedures, and systems.
Everything seemed fine, but at some point, the company forgot why it existed. Every product, department, or employee acted like the center of the universe. The business stopped being for the customers; it started closing in on itself. A closed system collapses, and people lose their minds. No wonder the founder feels bad at that moment.
What's the way out?
Face the customers—your business will improve on its own.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
You can help Ukraine defend itself and the World from Russian aggression here.
”Who are you and what do you do?"
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
"I have an important business decision to make. Can you help me?
Reserve a time on my calendar that is convenient for you to meet with me. We'll clarify your request and discuss options for how you can help.