The Life Cycle of a Business – And Your Role Within It: The Mirror
The Mirror – Work as a Reflection of the Self
Your Business Is Starting to Look Like You — For Better or Worse
The Business Isn’t You — But It Is a Mirror
As your business grows, something strange happens:
You start to see yourself in it.
Your strengths — magnified
Your weaknesses — exposed
Your values — embedded in decisions, even unintentionally
“A business is the extended shadow of the founder.” — Tom Peters
At this stage, the business becomes a reflection of the person (or people) leading it.
This is where self-awareness becomes strategy.
You Built It. Now It’s Showing You Who You Are.
The rhythms of your leadership shape the rhythms of the business.
If you:
Avoid conflict — so will your team
Overwork — so will your culture
Value speed over clarity — your systems will break
Communicate inconsistently — people will fill the gaps with fear
It doesn’t matter what’s written in your brand deck or SOPs (standard operating procedures).
Your behaviour is the message.
The Business Reveals the Inner Work You Haven’t Done
It’s not just your brand that reflects you — it’s your blind spots.
Your business may be:
Chaotic, because you resist structure
Underpricing, because you fear rejection
People-pleasing clients, because you haven’t defined boundaries
Overcomplicating, because simplicity feels too vulnerable
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” — Carl Jung
The Entrepreneurial Ego Trap
There comes a moment when founders blur the line between:
“This business reflects me”
And “This business is me”
That is dangerous.
Why?
You become reactive to every piece of criticism
You avoid delegation, because no one else is “good enough”
You resist change, because your identity is fused with how things were built
A business that can’t evolve becomes a prison.
A founder who won’t evolve becomes obsolete.
Turning the Mirror Into a Tool for Mastery
Instead of fearing what the business reveals, you can use it.
Questions to ask regularly:
What consistent problems reflect something unresolved in me?
What parts of the business energize me — and why?
Where do I avoid clarity or accountability — and what’s underneath that?
This isn’t therapy. It’s leadership.
Because your inner world shapes your outer impact.
Maturity Is Letting Go — Without Disappearing
The healthy founder doesn't disappear from the business.
But they no longer need to be at the center of everything.
They let the team shine.
They build succession into strategy.
They define their worth beyond performance.
The goal is to build a business that doesn’t just scale — but reflects the best of who you’re becoming.
Reflection Prompt
What aspects of your business are clearly shaped by your personality?
Which ones might be suffering from your current limitations?
References & Resources
Jung, C.G. The Undiscovered Self
Tjan, A., Harrington, R., & Hsieh, T. Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck
Sinek, S. Start With Why
Peters, T. (Founder shadow quote)
Next in Series:
Blog 6: The Market Speaks – Sales, Feedback, and Adaptation
Your product isn’t what you sell — it’s what people experience.