A Message to the Solo Founders, Candidates, and Leaders Figuring It Out Alone

Many of the leaders I work with are building something from the ground up. A new organization, a new role without a clear job description, or a new campaign.

Building something from scratch can be daunting and it's not for the faint of heart. When it is deeply tied to your values, your sense of self-worth, and is intertwined with your personal relationships it can feel extremely high stakes.

And you’re probably doing it mostly alone in the sense that you're your own strategist, your own cheerleader, your own accountability partner, and the only person to figure out how to do countless things you’ve never done before and can’t afford to get wrong. This is a specific type of isolation, stress, and pressure.

I know this experience well. I've founded two mission driven companies, run my own campaign, been part of fledgling organizing efforts, and coached many leaders navigating this specific set of challenges.

Here's a few tidbits of wisdom that I wish I had known years ago.

Figure out what is actually yours to carry. When you're building something new, you will end up responsible for a thousand functions. For example, fundraising, operations, accounting, service delivery, speech writing, social media and on and on. For those of us who are scrappy and figure things out there is a strong pull to learn how to do everything ourselves, and we probably could. But your time is your greatest resource, and you need to spend it wisely. Figure out what only you can do, and find a way to outsource the rest. It might take some time to build up the resources to pay for others to do some of the work. That’s ok. But developing the mindset that it isn’t actually helpful for you to do it all from the very beginning sets you up for success.

Don't go it alone. Find someone you don't have to perform certainty for. Maybe it's a coach, a mentor, or a friend outside of work. Someone who has been there, who can tell you what's typical and what's not, and who can check you when you're going off the rails. It is so easy to lose perspective when you're the one holding everything together and when you’ve got so much invested in getting it right. Set up the community before you need it, because a crisis will come and you will wish you had it. And if you're already in the crisis, looking around thinking you have no idea who to call, that's okay too. The best time was yesterday. The next best time is right now.

Your work isn't everything. This is true even when you are doing work tied to your values, even when it's with your community, and even when it's the culmination of everything you've built toward. It is still a job. This is the one that took me the longest to learn, and even now I can still lose the plot. Your organization, your campaign, your candidacy cannot hold all of your goals or align 100% with everything you believe. Be clear on the role you are playing and why, and its limitations. Even though you are busy, keep up your hobbies, stay in touch with people outside of work, and do activism outside of where you get your paycheck. It will take some of the pressure off of your job to fulfill all of those parts of you.

You are both the best and worst boss you’ve ever had. We are often hardest on ourselves and man oh man does this show up when we are starting an organization or campaign. You are a high achiever with big goals and you push yourself to the max. But at the same time you have a core value around “being the boss you never had.” You want to be a good manager who is kind, fair, and respected. I invite my clients to think about how they would treat an employee (even if they don't have any yet) and bring a little bit of that compassion and realism to themselves. You are building the culture of your team from the very start, even when it's just you.

If you are starting something new, cupping that little flame in your hands and protecting it so it can grow, figuring it out on the fly while also putting yourself out there for the world to judge, I see you. You don't have to do this alone. Send me a message and let’s talk.