The “one to two” phase is the phase where you go from being a team to being a real company. It’s the phase where you go from being the head of product or whatever role you were filling in addition to CEO to actually having to be CEO. It is NOT my favorite phase because it’s fun and easy; it’s my favorite phase because it is one of the hardest phases of building a company. It is a moment when you can do a lot of things right that set you up well for the future and also a moment where you can screw a lot of stuff up that will haunt you for many years to come. It is my favorite phase because we don’t talk enough about how hard it is. It is a phase that always catches founders by surprise, and they are so relieved to hear that it feels like a shit show for everyone, not just them.
Thank you for sharing, Molly. It’s spot on.