Strategy
8 min read

Fixing, Finding, & Firing

Insights to our thinking about the core responsibilities of leadership
Written by
Published on
August 28, 2023

Them: "What have you been up to lately?"

Me: "Fixing, finding, and firing."

Fixing, finding, and firing basically sums up my role in the enterprise. It's what I wake up in the morning to do and personally couldn't imagine doing anything different.

Knowing this is my role as the founder and leader settles my mind because it helps clarify the types of problems/opportunities I work on. I find that so many founders struggle with time management - 'what should I be doing?'. I find that most founders asking this question don't have a team built out yet. If you have a team, there is almost always something to do. If solo, or just a few team mates, the time management thing is more of a problem because they are doing so much of the 'doing'.

Based on our current stage I should be spending roughly 40% of my time in each of the "fixing" and "finding" buckets, and 20% of my time "firing".

Where do you spend your time?

Fixing looks like:

  • Unblocking your team
  • Fixing the business model to operate more effectively
  • Determining who should be doing what role
  • Closing the prior month on Day 3 vs Day 8

Finding looks like:

  • Finding a new team member
  • Identifying new revenue opportunities
  • Discovering a feature that will attract customers away from a competitor
  • Researching a new bank that has expense management built in

Firing: When your fixing and finding efforts go awry, eventually you need to cut bait on something. This looks like:

  • Literally firing a team member
  • Stopping a revenue line because it's a net loss to the team
  • Ending a partnership with a vendor
  • Saying bye to a bad client
  • Killing a team meeting that isn't producing fruit anymore
Get insights to your inbox
No spam. Just the latest releases and tips, interesting articles, and exclusive interviews in your inbox every week.
Read about our privacy policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Strategy
5 minutes

Real Life Bootstrapping, Vol 2: Team PTO & No Slack in the System

As an employee, a teammate taking PTO is an inconvenience. As a founder, it’s far more existential… pointing out the fragility of the business you’re trying to build. In the early stages threats lie everywhere.
Read post
Strategy
2 minutes

Navigating the Idea Maze & Why Service Companies

The idea maze is so valuable and the only way you can navigate it is by hitting your head countless times and solving the problem...
Read post
We write great emails...
We won't sell your information. Read our
Privacy Policy
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
© 2023 Firm Studio. All rights reserved.