The Art of Letting Go and a Guide to Evolving as a Founder
- Brainz Magazine
- Jun 16
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 19
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’ve built something incredible. From the late nights perfecting your service suite to the mornings spent on customer calls, every detail has your fingerprints on it. It’s more than a business, it’s your baby.
And now, as it grows, everyone’s telling you the same thing: “You need to let go.” Easier said than done, right?
Letting go isn’t just a practical shift. It’s an emotional one. You’ve poured your heart into this business, and stepping back feels risky.
What if things go wrong?
What if the team doesn’t “get it”?
What if the magic that makes your business special gets lost?
But letting go doesn’t mean losing control. It means evolving. It’s about stepping into a new role. Not as the person who does it all, but as the leader who makes it all possible.
And trust me when I say… It’s not only necessary, it’s transformational.
Why letting go is hard
Let’s be real. Letting go as a founder is no walk in the park. It’s not just about handing off tasks or delegating projects, it’s about releasing control over the very thing you built from the ground up. And that’s personal.
For many founders, the business is more than just a job, it’s their identity. You’ve been there for every milestone, every customer win, and every late-night crisis. So, stepping back? It can feel like stepping away from a piece of yourself.
But the struggle goes deeper than emotional attachment. Here are a few reasons why letting go is particularly challenging:
No one knows your business like you do, so handing over responsibilities can feel risky. What if someone else doesn’t handle things the way you would? What if they miss the little details that make your business what it is?
In the early days, you were the marketing team, customer service, and operations manager rolled into one. Learning to trust others with tasks you’ve always owned can feel unnatural.
Being involved in everything is what got you this far, right? Letting go can make you question whether the business will continue to grow without you running the show.
Even with a talented group of people, it’s tough to trust that they’ll fully embody your vision. And let’s face it – it’s hard to let go when you’ve been in the driver’s seat since day one.
You’re probably not going to like this… but holding on too tightly isn’t the way forward.
If you stay in the weeds forever, you risk burnout, bottlenecking growth, and unintentionally stifling your team’s potential. Letting go isn’t about walking away, it’s about evolving into the kind of leader your growing business needs.
What letting go really means
Let’s flip the script for a second. Letting go doesn’t mean stepping away. It means stepping up.
When you’re in the thick of the day-to-day – answering emails, tweaking marketing copy, double-checking every detail, it’s easy to feel like you are the business. But as your SME grows, clinging to every decision isn’t sustainable. Letting go doesn’t mean abandoning your vision; it means making room for it to scale.
Here’s what letting go actually looks like in practice
1. Letting go of tasks that don’t need you
It’s time for a reality check: not every task needs your unique magic. Replying to routine emails or approving marketing content? That’s not the best use of your time anymore. Instead, focus on the high-impact areas that only you can own, like shaping the company’s strategy or innovating for the future.
Next time something pops up, ask yourself: Does this task require me? Or does it just require someone with clear instructions?
2. Empowering your team
Letting go doesn’t mean leaving your team to fend for themselves. It’s about giving them the tools, training, and trust they need to thrive. By empowering your team, you free yourself to focus on the bigger picture while they keep the wheels turning.
Start small:
Delegate one task or project and let them own it.
Be clear about the outcome you expect, but don’t micromanage how they get there.
Check in regularly, not to control, but to support and align.
3. Staying connected to what matters
Letting go doesn’t mean disappearing into an office tower and losing touch with your business. You’ll still show up but in a way that’s intentional.
Stay involved in key moments that reflect the heart of your business, like:
Major branding decisions
Quarterly strategy meetings
Customer experience initiatives
By focusing on key moments, you’ll maintain a strong connection without getting pulled into the nitty-gritty.
4. Evolving your leadership style
I’ve worked with many leaders over the years, and the hardest part for all of them is always “letting go”. Shifting their mindset from no longer being the ‘doer’, but the visionary.
Evolving your leadership style means becoming more strategic and less operational. Instead of solving every problem yourself, you’ll guide the team to find their own solutions.
I like to think about it this way: letting go isn’t about losing control, it’s about gaining freedom.
By redefining what “letting go” really means, you’ll create the space your business needs to grow, without sacrificing the soul of what you’ve built. In the next section, we’ll get into the practical how-to for making it happen.
How to let go without losing control
If you’re feeling uneasy about stepping back, let’s clear this up:
Delegating doesn’t mean “I don’t care”
Stepping out of the day-to-day doesn’t mean “I’m irrelevant”
Trusting your team doesn’t mean “they’ll mess it up”
Instead, it means you’re giving your business room to grow. As founders, we tend to hold on too tightly, not because we don’t trust others, but because we don’t want to lose what we’ve built. But here’s the irony: holding on too tightly can choke progress.
How do you actually loosen your grip without feeling like you’re losing control?
1. Reframe what “control” really means
Let’s ditch the idea that control = being involved in everything.
Real control looks more like this:
Having a clear vision of where your business is going.
Putting the right people in the right roles.
Creating systems that allow things to run smoothly, without you having to approve every tiny detail.
Write down one thing you’ve been clinging to that doesn’t really need you. Then, ask yourself: What would it take to trust someone else to handle this? If you’re worried about losing quality, map out a process or checklist to ease the handover.
2. Ask yourself: What does my business really need from me?
Spoiler alert: it’s not your approval on every email or social media post. Your business needs your leadership, vision, and strategy - the kind of work only you can do.
Spend 10 minutes writing a “founder’s job description.” What are the three things only you can do for your business?
3. Find the right balance between systems and spontaneity
Systems are your safety net. They give you the freedom to step back, knowing everything’s running the way it should. But don’t forget to leave room for creativity and gut instinct, those moments of spontaneity that make your business feel alive.
Start by systemising repetitive tasks (think client onboarding, offboarding, invoicing) so you have more time for big-picture thinking. Tools like Asana or Clickup can help you organise processes in a way that your team can easily follow.
4. Keep showing up in key moments
Stepping back doesn’t mean disappearing. It’s about being intentional with where and how you show up. Think of it like this: you’re still the captain of the ship – you just don’t need to row the boat.
Here are a few high-impact ways to stay connected:
Host quarterly strategy meetings - share your vision and hear what’s happening on the ground.
Drop into team meetings occasionally - it keeps you visible and shows you care about the details without micromanaging.
Engage with customers directly - whether it’s reading feedback or sending a thank-you note, these personal touches go a long way in keeping your business authentic.
5. Build a team that feels like an extension of you
One of the biggest shifts I had to make in my own agency was realising that I couldn’t (and shouldn’t) be the one holding everything together. I had to build a team that didn’t just support the business but felt like an extension of me. And once I did, everything changed.
If you surround yourself with people who truly get your vision and values, you’ll feel far more confident stepping back. But it’s not just about hiring the right people; it’s about trusting them. That part? Way harder than I expected.
I had to learn to let go. I had to accept that my team would make mistakes, just like I did when I was learning. And instead of jumping in to fix things (which, let’s be honest, was my instinct), I started asking: What can I do to empower them to learn from this and get it right next time? That mindset shift made all the difference.
Now, I make space for constant feedback loops, weekly one-on-ones, project debriefs, and open conversations, so my team feels confident and clear on their roles. And because of that, I no longer have to be in the weeds every day. I can trust that my business is running exactly how I want it to, even when I’m not online.
What happens when you finally let go
When you let go and step into your next chapter as a founder, here’s what changes:
Your business scales faster. Without you as the bottleneck, your team can make decisions, tackle projects, and move forward without waiting for your approval at every step.
You finally focus on the big picture. Instead of being stuck in day-to-day tasks, you’ll have time to strategise, innovate, and explore new growth opportunities.
Your team steps up and thrives. When you trust them with real responsibilities, they’ll bring their best ideas to the table, feel more invested, and create a culture of ownership and creativity.
Your brand stays true to its roots. By focusing on your mission and values (instead of micromanaging), you ensure your business grows authentically and keeps its unique identity.
You get your life back. Letting go creates space for what matters. Whether it’s spending more time with loved ones, taking a proper holiday, or simply having a moment to breathe.
So, what’s next for you?
This is your moment. Your opportunity to step into the role your business needs you to be – the visionary, the leader, the founder who can think big because they’re not stuck in the small stuff.
Ask yourself:
What’s one thing I can let go of this week?
Where can I empower my team to take ownership?
What does my business need from me next?
Because when you let go of what’s holding you back, you create space for what’s possible.
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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.
