People ask how it’s possible to work on several companies at once. The honest answer is that it isn’t, not in the way they imagine. What’s possible is building teams that don’t need you in every decision.
One company gets the founder’s full attention
At any given time, one venture is in the stage where it needs me most: finding its first customers, hiring its first leaders, or getting through a hard transition. The others get my time on a schedule. Pretending otherwise is how all of them end up underserved.
Hire leaders, not helpers
A second venture only works when the first has someone running it who could do the job without me. That means hiring people who are better than I am at the role and giving them real authority, not just responsibility.
Share what can be shared
Legal, finance, recruiting and design practices can often be shared between companies. Strategy, culture and customer relationships can’t. Knowing the difference saves a great deal of money and avoids companies that feel like copies of each other.
Protect the calendar
I block whole days for each company rather than switching between them hour by hour. Context switching costs more than it looks, and a full day gives each team a version of me that’s actually paying attention.
Know when to stop
Starting something new is the easy part. The harder discipline is deciding not to, because the companies that already exist still need more than I’m giving them.
