Picture this: You start a business, you’re practically BFFs with every client. It’s all high-fives and personal texts.
Fast forward, and suddenly, you’re running a whole new show.
The vibe shifts; you’re not the chief emoji sender anymore. 
How do you keep that personal and relational feel while you scale?
Let’s take a look at how your business morphs, stage-by-stage:
Stage 1: Coffee Chats
Remember those days when you’d chat with customers over coffee or sneak in a quick Zoom call? Yeah, those were the times. It’s your business baby, after all. Your vibe, your flavor, and your personal touch.
Stage 2: Growing Pains
Fast forward, and your business hits a growth spurt. More clients, more teams, more virtual high-fives. You’re juggling more hats than a magician. But as the business expands, you realize there’s a bit of distance now. Clients might not get the direct hotline to you anymore.
Stage 3: Passing the (Relational) Baton
You decide it’s time to let someone else play messenger. A trusted teammate becomes the go-to for client interactions. You’re hoping they’ve got the charm, the wit, and the occasional GIF game that you had. It’s a shift, but a necessary one.
Stage 4: The Grand Return
Yet, amid all this growth, there’s a twist. Cue the founder’s reprise. Every now and then, you decide to pop back into the client chats. Not for everyone and not always, but you do for one what you wish you could do for all.
Stage 5: Strategic Wow Moments
These moments aren’t accidental. They’re orchestrated like a surprise birthday party. An unexpected email, a random call, or, like Taylor Swift, surprising a fan by showing up to his wedding and performing at the reception.
It’s your way of saying, “Hey, we might be bigger, but I still see you and you matter to me!”
Stage 6: Keeping it Real
Scaling up doesn’t have to mean losing the essence of your business. You can still find those sweet spots to bring back the founder’s touch. In a world of corporate emails, an occasional “Hey, how’s it going?” can be as impactful as a well-timed GIF.
So, in the grand dance of business growth, the founder’s comeback is like your favorite song on shuffle – unexpected, nostalgic, and a reminder that even as you grow, every relationship that has been added along the way is of the utmost importance.
“But, Micah, what does this have to do with maximizing my investment in my EA?”
Everything.
I find that most people come to me while they’re in the Growing Pains stage of their journey (which happens a few times, btw). While there, leaders know something must change in order to accommodate for further growth. You need to get out of some details and move to Passing the Relational Baton or maybe just get yourself out of the weeds that prevent you from handling more relationships!
Of course they can provide support at any step, but that’s when the pain is felt the most and an EA can help you move to the next level.
Cheering You On,
Micah