“Well you’re a CEO… you shouldn’t be that busy.”

“Well you’re a CEO… you shouldn’t be that busy.”

-my barber

I just laughed.

Then I thought about it for the rest of the haircut.

There’s a version of CEO that people picture.

Corner office. Big team. Lots of people handling lots of things.

That’s not my version.

We run a small business. 18 people counting on us to keep the work coming in.

At that size you are never not working.

You’re selling. You’re leading. You’re putting out fires.

You’re the one who loses sleep when the pipeline gets thin.

You’re the one responsible for making sure 18 people can pay their bills.

Nobody talks about that part.

The perception of leadership looks like freedom from the outside.

From the inside it looks a lot more like accountability.

Every single day.

I wouldn’t trade it. But I also won’t pretend it’s what people think it is. 🙏

To every small business leader carrying this weight quietly… You’re not alone.