I listened to an investor talk about an investment he made in an early-stage company. Smart founder, painful problem, growing market. Even so, the investor is concerned about the investment. The founder wants to grow the business but isn’t growing the team. He’s personally in the middle of everything, so nothing gets completed and growth isn’t what it should be.

It takes a team to build a big company. As a founder, it’s hard to let go. There’s always the feeling that no one can do it as well as you. I experienced this, as did several of my founder friends. In the end, we all had the same experience. When we found the right people and empowered them (i.e., got out of their way!), they did a better job than we could have ever done. We wish we had done it much earlier in our journey.

If you’re a founder aiming to build something big, remember: teamwork is dream work.