5 Ways to Lose Control of Your Business

Picture this: You’ve got a crystal-clear vision. You know it’s brilliant, investors are on board, and there’s a buzz of excitement and potential.?

There’s just one glaring issue: without even realising it, you’ve surrendered control of your business.?

Now, success feels more like a roll of the dice rather than a product of deliberate execution, and you find yourself reacting to events and other people’s goals instead of steering towards your own.

It’s a more common pitfall than you might think, but the good news is, there are ways to regain control and steer your startup back on track.

Let’s explore five ways founders lose control and, more importantly, how you can take back the reins.

1. Team Dynamics: Gratitude Vs. Accountability

In the early days, startup founders often feel incredibly grateful that anyone would join them on their journey.?

This mentality can subtly embed itself in your psyche, leading to a lack of accountability. Thoughts like, “People might leave. I need them. Who would replace them?” keep whispering in your ear like relentless Slack notifications.

This can shift your focus towards keeping the team happy instead of doing what’s right for the business out of fear of losing them.?

But the truth is, the best people will stay with a strong culture of mutual accountability. Without it, they’ll leave, as less competent team members get away with subpar performance — in fact, 92% of employees say a positive workplace culture impacts their decision to remain with their employer.?

2. Customers: Royalty, But Not Always Right

Customers are kings and queens, but they’re not always right. Scope creep, team exhaustion, and delayed payments from a single powerful customer are all ways clients can drag your company off course.?

Even without these red flags, it’s tempting to always be responsive to customer demands and shift from a positive “build-measure-learn” lean startup approach into a passive “we’ll do whatever our customer wants” mindset.?

This robs you of the valuable time needed for thinking and planning, and while kowtowing to customers might seem appealing under pressure, it ultimately means you’re no longer in control.

3. Investors: Partners or Puppeteers?

Investors provide essential funding, but this often comes with restrictive control clauses. Like wise elders in a fantasy novel, they’ve got the ancient scrolls — but you’re the hero of this story.

Often, investors have limited operational experience or may be out of touch with current market conditions, so listen to their advice but take it with a pinch of salt.?

There are other factors at play in investors’ advice, too. Chasing performance, fear of missing out, and focusing on the negatives are three of the most common investor mistakes, according to Blackrock.

Especially when things aren’t going well, don’t default to thinking “they know best” or “I can’t push back right now.”

4. LinkedIn Envy: The Highlight Reel Trap

LinkedIn and other social media are like a Hollywood movie — entertaining, but not a great guide for how to live your real life.?

If you get sucked into comparisonitis, it’s easy to think you should be further ahead or that others are doing better.?

The problem is, what you’re comparing yourself to isn’t real. It’s an idealised version of reality that can cause founders to rush, give up on strategies or products too quickly, or set unrealistic targets for themselves or their teams.?

Research shows that negatively comparing your reality to someone else’s highlights reel can impact your self-esteem . That’s bad for business, so ignore the noise!

5. Self: Mastering Your Week to Master Your Business

Controlling your week means controlling your business. If you feel like your time is no longer your own, it might be time to revisit your techniques for prioritisation, planning, and protecting your focus time.?

Think of your ideal week as the perfect playlist — sure, you can handle a request or two, but you’re the DJ here.

One exercise I do with my coaching clients is called your “Ideal Week.” This type of planning ensures that what you’re doing week-to-week are the important tasks that move you toward your medium and long-term goals.?

Without it, you risk spending all your time responding to urgent customer and team queries.?

If You Only Do One Thing…

Start with taking back control of your week. This ensures you have time to think, plan, deal with unexpected issues, and step back, pause, and reflect on what to tackle next.

Take back control of your business and your destiny. Your future self (and bank balance) will thank you! Don’t leave it up to others or chance.

Remember, you’re the visionary. Let’s keep it that way.