WHY EVERY FOUNDER NEEDS AN OPERATOR

And why every operator needs to own their brilliance.

SCENE: THIRD GRADE, MS. SULLIVAN’S CLASS

A head taller than everyone, glasses way too big, and not “cool.” Assignment: invent something to help at home.

My idea? A Windex-spraying machine you had to operate manually—a glorified sponge with extra steps. Terrible. Objectively terrible.

While my classmates showed genius ideas, I felt like a loser. Where was my “wow” moment?

The truth: I wasn’t built to invent wild ideas—I was built to filter, refine, and execute them. That’s my superpower. Identifying the nuggets worth pursuing and making them real.

Yet in business and life, we worship the visionary, the founder, the idea generator. Operators get overlooked. And that needs to change.

FOUNDERS: WHY YOU NEED AN OPERATOR

Founders, you’re the spark. You see possibilities where others see roadblocks. But your gift comes with a shadow: a million half-baked ideas, Slack channels littered with “what ifs,” and teams unsure of priorities.

Cost of this chaos? Burned-out teams, wasted money, months chasing shiny objects that never launch.

You don’t just need ops support—you need a partner. A filter.

A great operator does more than finish tasks:

• Focuses attention on what actually moves the needle

• Pushes back when ideas are distractions

• Gives honest feedback on team impact and resource allocation

The magic is dialogue, not delegation. That push–pull sharpens ideas into actionable strategies.

OPERATORS: OWN YOUR BRILLIANCE

Operators, this is for you.

Too often we shrink into executors. Head down, do the work, don’t rock the boat. But your role isn’t just execution—it’s discernment.

• Say no when necessary—even if uncomfortable

• Speak up when a train wreck is coming

• Trust your perspective, experience, and pulse on the team

Your magic isn’t obedience. It’s the deep knowing of how pieces fit, what the team can handle, and how to get results without burning the system down.

Stop waiting for permission. Own your work. Own your brilliance.

THE TAKEAWAY

Vision alone won’t get you there. Execution alone won’t either.

The best work happens in the tension between:

• The founder’s spark

• The operator’s filter

This push–pull:

• Turns half-baked ideas into actionable strategies

• Keeps teams focused, not exhausted

• Turns “someday” projects into launches with real revenue

Being called a “number 2”? Not an insult. Recognition of one of the rarest and most valuable skills in business: finishing.

• FOUNDERS: If you don’t have an operator, you’re leaving speed, focus, and cash on the table

• OPERATORS: If you downplay your brilliance, you’re selling yourself short

This is your seat at the table. Take it.

THE SCOPE HAS GONE OFF THE RAILS!

Q: I’ve been working with a client for 6 months, and our scope has gone off track. I’m busy but not progressing—what do I do?

A: Step 1: get a meeting on the calendar. Step 2: prep like hell.

• Compare scope vs. actual tasks

• Draw correlations: X task → Y result

• Identify if you’ve been doing work outside scope

Own where you slipped. Reset: scope, deliverables, and resource expectations.

If the client can’t provide resources or expects you to do both out-of-scope and original work? Walk away.

Without a reset, you’ll stay stuck: busy but not progressing. That helps no one.

💛 MA