Food Entrepreneur - August 17, 2021 - 4

FOOD ENTREPRENEUR®
Leading from
the start
Entrepreneurs need to be intentional
about stepping into a leadership role
from the beginning
©ALEX_CARDO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM
BY NATALIE SHMULIK
A
s the creative force behind their brands, entrepreneurs
rarely see themselves as traditional leaders. However,
failing to own their leadership roles from the start can
create structural challenges in the future. Today's consumers
equate both new and established brands with the values -
and founders - behind them. As the face of their brands,
entrepreneurs need to be intentional about stepping into a
leadership role from the beginning.
Doing so allows startups to
set themselves up for success at all
stages of development.
The fast-paced launch
much other people know and rely too much on outside opinions.
" They struggle to ask questions early on (and) fail to set
guardrails " for development, she added.
Even as a one-person operation, a founder should invest
time in defining his or her role and the company's core objectives.
Rather
than fearing getting too personal, founders should
phase leaves little room for startups
to create a structured foundation.
Founders are often solely
responsible for everything from
research and development to production
as well as sales and marketing.
This unstructured development means they adopt a jack-of-alltrades
mentality - but may fail to master any one segment of
their business. Being spread so thin at the beginning may also
leave founders doubting their strengths and preferences. This
lack of confidence puts their brands at risk of being overtaken by
external influences at a critical stage of their development.
Laura Sanchez-Greenberg, managing partner at Verde
Associates, a growth
consultancy firm,
specializes in working
with business
leaders such as startup
founders. Taking
ownership of their
brand is critical, she
explained, and leading
the brand starts
with having trust
in oneself and one's
skills. Ms. Sanchez-Greenberg
noted
that founders often
overestimate how
28
Food Business News
Today's consumers
equate both new and
established brands with
the values - and founders
- behind them.
lean in to their why - their origin story and values - and how
they want the brand to embody these
roots in the future. Conscious consumers
appreciate honesty and expect
brands to have clearly stated ethics
and goals. In fact, a founders' values
alone can act as the brand's main
differentiator in today's competitive
market. Clarifying these foundational
values will ultimately help startups
find their target markets and avoid
having others define the company and
its culture. This also will set the stage for hiring a team that
fits the brand's culture.
The next challenge for founders is transitioning from
leading a brand to leading a team. The collaborative startup
environment does not evolve into clear roles and responsibilities
on its own. While horizontal interactions encourage creativity
among team members, having everyone involved in every task
creates confusion around responsibilities, areas of expertise
and decision-making power. To avoid getting bogged down by
a lack of boundaries, founders first should clarify their own job
description and tasks before hiring anyone else for their team.
Long before headshots are taken and creative titles assigned,
each projected team member's role should also be defined.
Throughout the business building process, startup leaders
Natalie Shmulik is the chief executive officer
of The Hatchery Chicago, a food and beverage
incubator. Email editor@sosland.com.
move between the role of founder, entrepreneur and chief
executive officer. Although these terms often are used interchangeably,
they are not synonymous - and they lead to a crisis
of too many labels, unclear identities and insufficient structure.
In the pressure cooker startup world, founders can't be expected
to lay out their brand's future precisely from the beginning. But
owning their roles as leaders and their brands as a true reflection
of themselves will set the groundwork for faster growth and
long-term success. ▪
August 17, 2021
Food Entrepreneur - August 17, 2021

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