39 - The Founder Identity Crisis | 3 Signs You’re Trapped & How to Break Free

Are you building a business, or a prison? In this vulnerable, practical episode, Eddie unpacks the Founder Identity Crisis: how pouring yourself into your company creates an identity exchange that can warp decisions, stunt growth, and make healthy exits impossible. He shares the three warning signs your identity is tied to the business and a clear, repeatable framework to break free: create emotional separation by treating the business as an asset, journal wins & failures as data (not identity), clarify your calling vs. your company, and build systems so you’re not mission critical. With candid stories, Eddie shows how to lead as the architect, not the empire, and why your calling is bigger than any company you’ll ever build. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 – Welcome & topic: the Founder Identity Crisis 00:48 – The identity exchange: pour into the business, it gives you identity 01:51 – Why detaching identity leads to better decisions 02:17 – Becoming the business, then struggling to exit 03:16 – 2019 exits & post-exit depression: “life-changing money… but empty” 05:24 – Sign #1: Emotions track your P&L (your worth ≠ income) 06:51 – Sign #2: You can’t picture the business without you; delegation fear, sabotage 08:03 – Sign #3: You don’t know who you are outside the role 09:30 – Step 1: Create emotional separation—treat it as an asset 10:20 – “Asset leader” language & stewardship mindset 11:36 – Journal wins, and journal your failures as data, not identity 13:10 – Step 2: Clarify calling vs company 15:07 – Calling > brand: purpose bigger than logo, site, or P&L 16:48 – Step 3: Build systems so you’re not mission-critical 17:33 – “Grow by vision, not constant involvement” 18:20 – Howard Schultz/Starbucks: founder identity vs scaling well 21:29 – Eddie’s temptation to return & choosing “no” to protect calling 22:37 – You’re the architect, not the empire; your calling is higher 23:22 – Legacy > business: raising his sons, serving through Impact Others 24:33 – Final charge: find identity in who you are, not what you build Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.