#7. What it means to be a startup CEO

When I started MadeComfy, I was coming off a successful corporate career. To be completely honest, and this is the kind of honesty this journal is for, my dream back then was to become the CEO of Colgate-Palmolive. I was ambitious and driven, and I saw myself steadily climbing that ladder to the top.

But something shifted when I became passionate about a business idea. Unlike previous times, where ideas came and went because I never quite made the leap, this time I moved fast. Within a month, I left my corporate job and jumped into the unknown. I became the founder and CEO of a startup.

What I didn’t know then, and what no corporate title could have prepared me for, was what that role would actually demand of me. It wasn’t boardrooms and strategy decks. It was folding linen. Listing properties. Driving to storage units with cleaning supplies. The first company storage room? My backyard.

There was a moment, early on, when I turned to my cofounder in total frustration and said, “Do you know what kind of CEO I am?!” He looked at me and replied, “You’re a startup CEO.”

That moment stayed with me.

Ten years later, I understand exactly what he meant. Being a startup CEO means doing whatever needs to be done. From strategy to scrubbing floors. From hiring a leadership team to packing kits for the cleaners. Today, I lead a team of 100, manage capital decisions, drive culture, and operate at an executive level. And yet, if the weekend calls for it, I’ll roll up my sleeves and jump in again.

Because I’ve learned that leadership isn’t about escaping the groundwork; it’s about being grounded in the work. I’ve also learned to delegate, to grow others, and to build systems that scale beyond me. But none of that came before I earned my stripes at the very base of the business.

Those early moments (the packing, the folding, the storing) didn’t just help us survive. They shaped the way I lead. Because I’ve done every role, taken every action, and lived through every layer of the business, I carry a deep empathy for the people doing that work today. I don’t just understand what needs to be done; I understand how it feels to do it. That changes the way I make decisions. It’s not just leadership from above; it’s leadership that remembers what it took to get here.

Looking back, the shift from aspiring corporate CEO to becoming a startup founder wasn’t just about roles. It was about identity. I had to unlearn polish, embrace the mess, and trust that leadership (real leadership) starts where the real work begins.

 What title have you chased that might be hiding the deeper role you're meant to play?

‍