How to Grow Your Business Without Losing Yourself
- Brainz Magazine
- Jun 30
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 9
Lauren Lea Fenn-Ellis, founder and CEO of OBM Associates, leads a globally trusted business management agency. Named a Top 10 Disruptive Entrepreneur, she helps founders scale with clarity, strategy, and operational excellence.
You didn’t build just any business, you built one with heart! Rooted in purpose, led by values, and designed to make a real impact. And now, you’re hitting that next-level growth spurt (the kind that’s exciting and a little overwhelming).
Because the question isn’t, 'Can you grow?' It’s: How do you scale without losing the magic that made your business what it is?
That tension is real. As the demand increases, more clients, a growing team, and bigger goals, it can feel like you’re getting pulled further away from the work you love and the vision you started with.
I’ve been there.
Even now, running a six-figure OBM agency with a team of 11, I still have moments where I have to ask myself: Am I building the business I actually want?
I started this company while travelling through Latin America, hopping between hostel WiFi and a dream to help visionary founders grow with ease and integrity.
And the truth is, staying aligned while scaling? It’s not a one-time decision. It’s a constant recalibration. So if you’re feeling that push-pull between growth and groundedness, you’re not alone. Let’s talk about how to grow your business without losing yourself in the process.
The hidden cost of rapid growth
On paper, everything’s working. More clients. More revenue. A growing team.
But behind the scenes? It’s messier than it looks.
Systems that once held strong are now barely holding on. Communication slips, projects get clunky, your calendar’s overflowing, and you’re constantly putting out fires instead of leading.
The work that once lit you up starts feeling heavy.
And then there’s the culture shift.
What used to feel intimate and high-touch now feels scattered. New hires join, but ownership isn’t clear. Clients become checkboxes. And the mission that once felt magnetic? It’s harder to feel through the noise.
I’ve seen this in so many clients’ businesses, and I’ve lived it in mine. Letting go feels uncomfortable, even when you know it’s necessary.
This season of growth is full of contradictions:
You’re proud, but wiped out.
You want to trust your team, but keep jumping back in.
You crave space, but can’t seem to find it.
If that’s you, there’s nothing wrong. Growth brings complexity, but the answer isn’t to do more. It’s to lead differently.
The micromanagement trap
When things start slipping, your instinct is probably to grip tighter.
You start reviewing every deliverable, jumping into Slack threads you know you shouldn’t be in, and redoing work that’s already been done, just to keep the standard high. Not because you don’t trust your team. But because you care. Deeply.
This business holds your name, your values, and your reputation. You want to protect it.
But here’s the truth: micromanagement might feel productive, but it’s just a band-aid.
It slows your team down, drains your energy, and quietly sends the message that you don’t believe they can rise to the occasion.
I’ve been there. Even with airtight systems, I’ve caught myself hovering, rewriting, double-checking, jumping in to “fix” things. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to preserve the experience we’re known for.
But protecting your business doesn’t mean doing it all yourself. It means building the structure to support your vision, so it can thrive without you being in every detail.
Because the irony is, the more you try to control, the more disconnected you feel. From your vision. From your team. From the impact you actually want to make.
And that’s the real risk. Not just burnout, but losing touch with the purpose that started it all.
Reclaiming your role as visionary
If micromanaging isn’t it, and burning out definitely isn’t, then what is?
It’s leading like the visionary you actually are.
That means stepping out of the weeds and building a business that runs without your fingerprints on everything. One where your energy goes toward growth, not fire-fighting.
Yes, it means letting go of control. Yes, it means trusting your team to lead. And yes, it will feel uncomfortable at first.
I’ve been through it.
When I started pulling myself out of daily operations, I had to ask some hard questions:
What’s my role now?
What if the team drops the ball?
What if something doesn’t get done the way I would do it?
But deep down, I knew if I wanted to scale without losing the soul of what I’d built, I had to make space for real leadership, not just better management. And that meant building the systems, the team, and the rhythms that could carry the business forward without me holding it all together.
This is the shift so many founders struggle with. It’s not just about handing off tasks, it’s about changing the way you lead.
You don’t need to be in every decision. You need to hold the vision, set the tone, and create the space for your team to rise.
And when you do? Your team steps up. Your clients feel the difference. And you finally get back to your zone of genius, the part only you can do.
Building a business that supports your vision
Intentional growth doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens by design.
You don’t scale by hiring more or hustling harder. You scale by creating structure, clarity, and rhythm, so your business can run smoothly, without relying on you to hold it all together.
After supporting dozens of founders through this exact phase, I’ve found three core areas that make the biggest difference:
1. Strategic guidance
When you’re deep in the day-to-day, it’s hard to zoom out and see what’s really needed next. That’s why regular time to think like a CEO. Whether through a quarterly planning day or working with a strategic partner, it’s non-negotiable.
It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing the right things, in the right order, with intention.
2. Operational excellence
A values-aligned business still needs a rock-solid backbone. That means systems that actually support your team, not just sit in a pretty Notion doc. From onboarding to delivery to internal comms, your ops should reduce friction and make growth feel lighter, not heavier.
3. Collaborative leadership
You don’t scale by doing more; you scale by leading differently.
That means giving your team ownership, not just tasks. When your people have clarity, accountability, and your trust, they step up. And the more they lead in their roles, the more space you have to lead in yours.
This isn’t about perfect systems or overnight change. It’s about designing a business that grows with you, not away from you. One that protects your purpose and performs at a high level.
The outcome: Sustainable, values-driven growth
When the right support is in place, everything shifts.
You’re out of reaction mode. No more juggling Slack pings, approvals, or decisions that were never yours to hold.
Instead, you’re back in your zone of genius, leading with clarity, making bold decisions, nurturing key relationships, and steering the vision forward.
And your team? They feel it too.
With the right systems and clear ownership, they’re not just ticking boxes; they’re owning their roles, contributing to the mission, and building something with you, not just for you.
That ripple touches everything:
Client experience
Team culture
Energy in the business
Your own energy
What aligned growth really looks like
The biggest shifts at this stage aren’t just strategic, they’re personal.
You’re learning to let go. To lead with trust. To build something that’s bigger than you, but still rooted in your values.
Scaling isn’t just about revenue goals or team size. It’s about creating a business that feels right. One where your systems support you, your team thrives, and your mission stays at the centre, no matter how big things get.
If you’re in this season of expansion, here’s what I want you to remember:
You’re not behind, you’re evolving.
You’re not losing control, you’re gaining freedom.
You don’t have to choose between purpose and performance.
You get to build both.
If this post resonated with you, I share regular insights just like this with real talk on scaling, systemising, and leading with intention, straight to your inbox.
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Read more from Lauren Lea Fenn-Ellis
Lauren Lea Fenn-Ellis, Agency Founder and Fractional COO
Lauren Lea Fenn-Ellis is the founder and CEO of OBM Associates, a globally trusted business management agency supporting high-growth entrepreneurs. With nearly two decades of operational leadership experience, Lauren and her team partner with visionary founders to scale intentionally through strategic systems, high-performing teams, and operations designed for clarity, efficiency, and scale. Named one of the Top 10 Disruptive Entrepreneurs, her work turns operational friction into focused momentum. For founders who are ready to step out of the day-to-day and into confident, sustainable leadership, OBM Associates builds the structure that sets them free.
