From entrepreneur to boss: 5 ways to ease the transition

It’s an all too familiar situation: having so much work to do and not enough time to do it. For entrepreneurs and small business owners, this is a good thing. More work means your business is growing and you’ll need to start hiring more employees.

But as an entrepreneur, you’re used to working alone. You have big ideas and you know how to make them come to life. Once you reach capacity, however, your growth may come to a complete stop. This is when you need help.

When you hire employees to support your entrepreneurial efforts, you go from working alone to leading a team. You have people looking to you for direction, support and encouragement. Here are some ideas to help you transition from entrepreneur to successful boss more easily:

Focus on people

Remember, you’re leading a team of people — not just employees. Focus on being a leader who cares about your team instead of just being the boss of business. Greet your employees each day, ask about their personal and work lives, and get to know them as individuals. This is the best way to create a positive work environment. You should also strive to be a coach and mentor. Oftentimes a startup doesn’t have clearly defined roles, and many of your employees will look to you for advice on how to advance their careers.

Guide, don’t control

You started the company, so of course you know how to get the job done right. But being a boss isn’t about controlling your employees. Good leaders know that to accomplish great things, they need to give their employees both direction and support, rather than simply taking control. Empower your team to get the work done by guiding instead of micromanaging. True leaders delegate. They assign tasks and let them go, periodically following up to make sure the team is on track.

Adapt and be open to change

Small businesses are no strangers to change, but bosses tend to be rigid in their ways. As a leader, though, you must be open to feedback and ideas from your employees. Understand and respect each team member’s individuality and let them feel comfortable expressing their unique contributions. Adapt your leadership approach as necessary. After all, you can’t grow a business without change.

Be a source of motivation

Great leaders motivate by figuring out what sparks inspiration in their individual team members. Expect greatness from your employees even when they don’t see it in themselves. Cheer on your team and celebrate each and every success.

Bring in a coach

Sometimes you need a little outside help to become a better boss and leader. If you’re not sure how to transition from an entrepreneur to a team leader, working with an executive coach can help. A coach can help you develop both long and short-term plans for streamlining your business and hiring a team of hardworking, prosperous employees.

Making the transition from entrepreneur to boss can be a challenging personal-development experience. When you’re a successful leader, your team members will work hard, producing successful results to boost your business. Hire employees and become a leader for a less stressful, more fulfilling business life.