Funded Founder Fridays: E17

did Founder Fridays. This is episode 17. Um, it's a Halloween special. Uh, today we'll be talking about the many hats of entrepreneurship. Uh, wearing every hat without losing your head. Uh, this is funded founder Fridays where we create space for founders and funders to ask honest questions about the startup journey. Every Friday, we explore a theme that impacts founders, investors, mentors, and builders in the innovation ecosystem. I'm Rosa Bayolo, CEO and co-founder of Creattopia, Inc., uh where we are centered on exploring the relationship between safety, creativity, and innovation. And my co-host, >> I'm Ben Gobadi. I'm the CEO and founder of Noble Founder Noble Innovative Solutions and managing director of Red Ruby Capital. And this is the spooky week. It's >> so spooky. There's so many hats. Yeah.

>> Yeah. Our theme today is that founders wear many hats throughout their entrepreneurial journey. from CEO and salesperson to accountant, marketer, HR manager fundraiser janitor therapists, uh all of the above. Um and how can we do that? How do we do that without losing our head? And how do we do that through the different stages, right? Like how what different hats do we have to wear through the different stages? Um and when do we need to learn to delegate those hats? >> Yeah. >> So that we don't lose our head. >> Yeah. Absolutely. So, what hat are you wearing now? >> I was going to ask you first. >> Um, which is the hat that I'm wearing? Um, I think the hat that I most wear right now would be I don't even know what hat it is, but of like analysis where I'm in deep like >> just an uh like analysis of where we are as a startup um what systems we need to integrate, where our numbers are, where um our traction is Um it's not even like accountant. It's more like >> you're the CFO, auditor,

CEO, the visionary chairman, right? >> But always definitely a janitor like jitor janitor ever goes away. >> Yeah. You know that just like he's not going to go away. >> Maybe when you increase you increase your team. >> Yeah. >> Um yeah. Yeah. If it was if entrepreneurship was a Halloween costume and I know that I mean I mean Noble Founder is it's a startup, right? >> Yeah. Yeah, >> we can say that it is. Um >> No, it is like >> Yeah. >> You know, and we're Yeah. >> So, what what costume? What would your costume look like? >> Oh my god. I'm going to be >> and Red Ruby, >> you know, Casper the the ghost, right? I'm the ghost that you know doesn't exist in this world but is still you know got to do a lot of different things right um uh startup and entrepreneurship makes you a ghost of living because you got to do what you got to do to build your company you know build traction get everything together but at the same time you're living in the world of the you know everyday life so I'm the Casper you know, the tiny ghost.

>> You're You're the spirit. >> Yeah, I'm the spirit. Yeah, >> it's the spirit. And it makes so much sense until like stuff starts formalizing. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> And you can actually put hats on. >> Yeah. >> Um that for a while it's it's like the ideation phase, right? It's the it's the it's the spirit of of whatever it is you're >> you're building. Um what different hats do founders are are founders expected to wear, especially in the early stages of building? So >> like definitely product developer, marketer. >> So people think startup founders are CEOs, but you don't believe that they're not CEOs at the beginning, >> right? >> They are marketers because they're selling the vision, they're selling the company, they're selling the idea to everybody around them, >> you know, first and foremost the customers. So startup founders should wear the the the marketer hat first so they can sell their idea, go capture uh customer feedback, go do the research.

Everything a marketer does, startup founders should do at the beginning, right? >> So they can understand the problems, they can understand the demand and they can understand if this is a viable uh viable idea, >> right? Shameless plug for Creattopia. >> Yeah. and approachable. Um, because that's I mean that is and it's so it's a it's such a messy period too. You know, >> it is >> where where you're really figuring out your voice. >> You're figuring out what what is how is your story put together? How do you >> how do you tell it to your audience in a way that makes sense to them. So, you're a storyteller. >> Yeah. >> Right. You're a storyteller for sure. And I mean that's what a lot of marketing is, but a lot of research is involved in that. Um, like definitely being able to I I I enjoy how messy of a process it is because because you have to keep trying things and I think that's what's hard about marketing, especially in the beginning when you're just defining your your voice and your brand and your colors and your fonts and things like that. Um, I I enjoy that messy process, but I get I like I see how people get impatient with it, right? because you have to like it like you have to continuously listen to your feedback from your market. Um research project I think where you keep iterating you're a subject matter expert and you wanted to live in your closet and you

know you don't want to talk to anybody and you built this amazing product that you're in love with and now someone says hey you got to go out and you got to talk to people. It's just scary. That's a really it's just like going uh uh out in Halloween and knocking every door, >> right? Yeah. Is is Yeah, exactly. So founders are going back to the basic like being a you know a kid and doing all of that. So >> uh just the basics, right? You're wearing the the the researcher, the marketer and the storyteller hat. Mhm. >> And this is where you know if Kitik want to tell you like you have like little Kendrick on your shoulder whispering you know in your ears that you got to do it in one breath. >> Mhm. >> Right. >> Mhm. >> The the attention span is so so small that you can't really go on and on and on. People don't really listen. Uh, so that's that's the first hat like >> right, >> you know, and then when when >> like getting out of being a ghost, you have to not be a ghost anymore >> anymore.

>> So that's kind of like you're getting out of your closet, you're wearing like, you know, you go to like, you know, you dress your hair, you know, you put your, you know, nice clothes, not just like most developers like in shorts and, you know uh >> right? Like you have to be presentable. >> Yeah. Yeah. People look at it. Oh my god. It just becomes like a real true Where did you come from? Right. >> Right. Yeah. Because like product development is such a what's it called? Introverted. Right. It's a very introverted process. >> Um but marketing and storytelling, you know, talk to people >> in your branding. It's very extroverted. And I've seen so many >> super geniuses, right? Like people building amazing things >> that it's very difficult for them to to talk. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. It's just it's just hard, right? And you need to have this sense of humor, you got to connect with people, you do all this stuff. Now you're out, you got this all the amazing feedback.

So you got to build your solution, right? You know, the next thing is you got to put your solution building hat and sometimes um it goes, you know, both ways. So if you're coming from marketing and business and um you know um storytelling, you need a co-founder to help you or a team to help you to build your product. But if you're coming from a product development background, if you're a developer, if you're a product developer, if you're a subject matter expert, then you need somebody to help you with with your branding and messaging. So this next hat is building that you know um product and and now the hardest part is you have um you just figured out your marketing and you're now figuring out your product. Now you need to execute. Now you need to go deep in numbers. >> So you got to become a CEO.

>> You got to lead. You got to execute. You got to get people together and say, "Hey, look, this is um this was the vision. Now, let's go go go. Let's execute. Let's just work, >> right?" >> And to my experience, writing like millions lines of code is is much easier than working with, you know, five, six people >> and trying to bring people into your vision, you know. >> Exactly. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> And and that's kind of like that's kind of like what happens when start uh startups and founders they put the CEO hat >> and now you're like oh my god >> right >> you know am I a leader am I a manager am I micromanager you know and people are just like oh my god you just gave me like 200 things to do just to slow down and you just kind of like um it's a convers conversation that like we have all these conversations like um hey guys I have like all these 200 things to do yes but let's just prioritize them and and put them out so you got the CEO hat CFO hat and then you got to go pitch to customers oh my gosh you know you have to be a saleserson you have to be a sponsorship uh a sponsored what what's it called >> uh department I don't know the the person that brings in sponsorships too, which is different than like the fundraiser right?

>> Yeah, the fundraiser, right? >> Uhhuh. >> So, that's I think the time that you bring people that they join your a vision right? >> This is where you're going to say, hm, >> who's the best person that I can hand this hat and say, look, >> you are good at a storytelling and you like my vision, just come join. And now you're a storyteller, >> right? >> You are a great CFO. You're good with numbers. you become our uh financial person. You're someone that work with investors. You understand how investment works. Just build our pitch deck, you know, go and and you know and and pitch us. >> Yeah. Um so what what is because there's is being a jack of all trades a competitive advantage or a recipe for burnout? Right. because there's so much there's so many hats that entrepreneurs wear and between my co-founder and I we're like we can do everything and it's all in our brain and it's great >> but there's some real like a recipe for burnout right like >> you you don't sleep you your eye twitches randomly now and there's like other stuff happening with your body because you're stressed out. Um, right. So, so is being a jack of all trades an advantage or a recipe for burnout? And I think it definitely depends on like >> Yeah.

>> where you are, right? Like in the beginning it's fine. In the beginning, you have to wear all the hats >> and you you know that's a good thing because you can you can really uh blame stress eating uh for your you know uh the weight that you're gaining. Like if people ask me I'm just like you know I I was like in like in shape like 10 packs not just six you know but then when I started the company I suddenly lose all my hair you know I just went out of shape but just just imagine um it's all about what you can do and what you can delegate and balance these two because sometimes delegation right >> requires more time. You got to go write all those SOPs. You got to tell people just like, "Oh my god, if I want to tell you what to do, I would have done it myself." >> Right. I mean, but that has to happen anyway, >> right? It has to happen, right? >> And there is a there is a really uh there is a really time for for all of those. So, you can dedicate and you can just find people and you can on board them and you can um get people um to do other stuff.

But when that time is depends on the ability of the founder to let go of, oh, I'm the CEO. I'm in love with this idea. This is my company. This is my baby. >> Yeah. Yeah. And and it definitely like is timed, right? Like you if if you're growing, if you're scaling, >> you need to learn to delegate. >> Yeah. like there is like you you cannot continue to like I cannot continue to do everything if we want to scale right yeah like I I think it like again talking about introspection and how and how we've talked about like CEOs and founders just being aware like self-aware um just how you need to be self-aware and like pay attention to the signals that your company is giving you and your people are giving you like if you're scaling you need to learn to delegate. Yeah, right. And again, going back to why you need an ecosystem and why you need fractional partners and why you need like >> people and advisers and mentors that are like it's probably a good time to like implement that system or a good time to >> this somebody like somebody knows how to do this and it's like very obvious that You will be shocked listening right you know you will be shocked because >> uh startup founders they think I should >> but uh the the truth is

>> being the CEO of the company will hurt you because you have skills and you have um capabilities that make you a good founder but maybe it doesn't make you a good CEO. You are the visionary. You want like if you ask me personally, I really don't want it to be a CEO. I want to be I want just to build a company, bring a vision to life and then become the chairman and someone else runs it because there are people that they love running, you know, executing and then go build the next one and go build the next one and go build the next one, put the team, >> right? >> But it's really hard for a startup founders to let go, >> right? >> Really hard because you just is your baby. >> Yeah. Is it, oh my god, someone else is going to be the CEO of this company? >> Yeah. Why not? >> Right. And I think it's like learning to differentiate the hats. Right. >> Right. >> Because if you think that they're the same hat, that being a founder and being a CEO is the same hat >> and then you just want to keep the hats on forever.

>> But I think the the >> very stubborn >> the the biggest responsibility of a founder is to make sure the hat doesn't change. like you know we're not changing the vision of the company, >> right? >> So if you're hiring a team or you're bringing co-founders or you're doing any of that, >> you need to make sure the the vision is intact because people may oversimplify your vision to their own understanding and that's going to hurt you. Um >> yeah. So are there heads that you should never give up, >> right? So the vision should always come about like a founder is the visionary chairman always right >> that really gives the the vision and that doesn't change but yes you need to people to because because you are the one that is selling that to your customers to your investors to your partners and if someone comes and change your vision that you as the founder cannot sell it >> right >> and I give you an example my my personal example so I was like I was building a company uh and I hired somebody to do my sales. So that person was like an expert in sales work with like big big corporations. But the problem was that person didn't have experience in the field that we were working. So what what that person did uh she brought our vision into her own understanding and when she presented that to investors and partners people were like what is

different you know uh with your idea and others like what is your biggest differentiation and by the time I realized that now the idea changed the vision changed and and and she just oversimplified things >> we lost few investors >> and at the end like we we lost like the company went down because >> she just presented something completely different. >> Wow. Yeah. And so with like trust, right? >> And tr like I think the hardest thing in these past few months has been bringing people on and learning how to work with interns or learning how to work with new partners or things like that. >> Um where was I going with that? I'm sorry. I just forgot what what you said. I'm so sorry. >> No, it just like it's just always about trust like always and is is is the the ability of a founder to to be firm on the idea and vision.

>> Right. >> Right. And it's not a bad thing like uh I just wanted to highlight that you know for teams that they're working together it's not always it's just my way or it's just highway or is a collaboration means >> if you are helping a founder someone with a vision always stay true and align with that vision you know you you know if I'm if I'm helping a startup I'm not going to bring my own uh um you know vision and my own perspective into the the startup's vision. I'm just going to help them to yeah >> expand their vision or refine it or you know polish it >> because if you do that then then you're owning the vision of a startup that belongs to someone else >> and now that person cannot go and sell it. That's the biggest problem. >> Right. And as a founder what what do we because because it can make you a little paranoid, right? I mean you're already paranoid. You heard it paranoid for so many reasons. It's like the did you that that emotions movie that like fear guy that's like >> like if that if he was a hat that would be a hat.

>> Yeah. >> For for entrepreneurs or founders. >> Um but but how do you like what kinds of systems of what or what can you put into place? I mean besides like your pitch deck and besides just reiterating your story and your narrative um just what like monthly check or like what how can you implement that you know how can you implement >> and I think you know there like um good friend of us like Peter he's he's working with a system that uh documents the vision of the company and documentation of the vision into a lot of uh details and areas that um explains the vision clearly >> is going to help you. But >> the problem is if you're a founder, you're doing like juggling like 100 different hats, you don't have time to go and sit down and write like a 10 pages of vision statement. >> Right. >> Right. So more importantly, you uh you are not firm on like what is the actual vision and direction at the beginning because you're building it.

You're flying the plane while you know building it. So it's just it's always good >> to put guard rails, you know, to put dos and don'ts, right? >> This is the vision. This is not the vision. M >> and and every time you hear something that doesn't fit your vision, add it to those guard rays, >> right? And and this is kind of like for even no founder always just been trying to do this like you know >> putting our days together and you know if you just look at our um our even um brainstorming sessions or workshops I've been trying to say hey no this is not our vision yes this is and yes this is but you know like right >> it's not because um wanted to just uh dictate the vision is because If if we don't put those guard rays and if we don't uh check if we don't try to protect the vision then cannot go sell that vision to people and and get sponsors and get investors and get other people right the same thing for other startups and I've seen that like u people are really really protective about their visions it's good >> but there is another thing about um the potential so if somebody come to you and help you >> to widen your vision and and improve your potential and you know like ex extend your potential and expand it. You got to listen to them.

>> Right. >> But you need to make sure the vision is not changing. Um that's another whole story about like how and when you pivot and even with your vision, >> right? >> That's are kind of like the validation. So validation is a good tool to change the vision. Like sometimes you vetted it and say oh this vision is not working right so just pivot change it um and protect it >> right as long as your why stays intact right exactly you always just keep your why yeah >> um as you're as we're growing um so what happens when when founders wear hats that they're simply not qualified to wear right like in in in the growth and and in the expansion And like if you if you are if you say you're the CFO but you've never like you have no idea what to do with numbers. >> Yeah. >> You just look at the Excel sheet like upside down like you is this like the the beginning or is like >> and how can this turn into a nightmare, right? Like Right. Right.

>> Like I mean I mean definitely there's I know there's things there's definitely things that I do not do because Benjamin does them. >> Yeah. and if I tried to do them, it would not work. Um, and I think it just I mean, again, the the introspection and the self-awareness of of knowing that you shouldn't wear all the hats. Um, so you don't burn out. Um, but yeah, what do you what would you say happens when >> it happens a lot, you know? Uh, it's just natural and normal. >> Yeah. Um the first thing you got to do you got to listen because people will tell you directly or indirectly >> your partners you know and and it depends on people's you know personality like some people are super direct will tell you in your face hey man you're just sucks at it you know like you know you you can't do it and some people just hinted. >> So always check with people around you. >> Yeah. >> Right. So it's it's kind of like hey you know what do you think? Um am I like doing all right or you know what do you think and people will give you feedback.

Um people are some people are so stubborn and even if you give them feedback they will just go their way. But what's going to happen is when you're not good at something and you try to own it then the outcome >> in the like best case is mediocre >> work. >> Yeah. >> Right. and it's going to hurt, right? And it's going to hurt you and it's going to become a bottleneck. It's going to hurt your company >> and and you become the reason for lot of uh uh you know conflict. >> So it's just more on like self-reflection >> right >> and and looking at creating a feedback loop. So when you create that feedback loop doesn't matter you just like uh it can be for anybody like you know I can be CTO of a company and a company gets into places that I have no idea you can become like a CEO of a company that now the company is bigger than you like there are things that you don't know >> right >> either you can pretend that I know this and then you just start push keep pushing or you can just go get help Right. Right.

>> Have you got like any experience with anybody that you know they're not good for the job and they're, you know, really pushing pushing it forward? >> They try to do that. >> Yeah. >> Um >> I think I've just seen it. I've just I just I I have seen just founders um that try to continue to wear all the hats. um where they where when they're already like they like some founders that have been around longer than I have and like that Creattopia has um that they're still like when I met them they were kind of in the same space that they are now and still wearing >> the CEO and the marketer and and all the hats and they're still >> in the same space is what happens that they don't >> that because they haven't been able to delegate the hats they they stay their company has stayed stayed where they where they were when I met them. Um because I I mean in in terms of growth, right? Like you and then again I keep going back to how the business is a reflection of the founder. Um and just what happens when you're growing, right?

When you have to implement systems and you have to you have to really think about scaling, right? So so so at what stage should do do founders need to start taking off ads? Like at what stage do you >> Yeah. like no matter what you you cannot continue to wear all the hats and I think people just get really stubborn. So I have se I've seen it I've seen it just in our in our in our community and just other people that I've known um that they just hold on to all the hats and I and I do think it's trust and I do think it's all of these other dynamics like I remember Chris last week talking about how trust is at an all-time low and how that >> plays into building a business, how that plays into bringing people on, right? like all these psychological things that play into being a founder and growing a business. >> Yeah. >> That you're like, "No, I'm just going to stay on my solution and just keep building my product and keep doing my thing." But again, going back to like if you don't listen, you can't grow. You can't you can't continue to scale. So, it's just >> I have seen people get stuck and it's and it's Yeah. And I think you know the question about like when you need to like uh get let go of the hat or give it to someone else is sometimes we think if we put a hat we become that person we become that role right. Um a CEO and a growth uh stage startup

um leader should have certain you know expertise and skills and knowledge. >> Right. >> Right. and experience >> because you know like now you're building a company now you are dealing with um investors now you're dealing with like hyper growth uh big partnerships um you know marketing strategies like global marketing strategies uh things that you need to learn you need to earn you know you don't really um >> great >> you're you're not born with uh you know some of those skills And the problem is people think because I'm the CEO of this company and I've uh founded this company um I gotta put this hat on and I just keep it on >> right and I just naturally know what to >> naturally know like you know it's not like you know it's not just trade hey you know like um I just buy this product for $5 for 10 and I just make five. No, is now a strategy is people are going to ask you uh about your uh performer like what is your strategy? Like what is your go-to market strategy? What what is your market penetration strategy?

>> Um what is your TAM? How does that like they're going to ask you a lot of questions that MBA level questions, >> right? >> And a lot of people are like, "Oh my god." And and I've seen like, you know, people look at those those different financial models and people go, "What the hell is this?" right? >> How do I even understand it? >> Right? >> And and now you are really tasked to do it. >> So that's the moment like uh the the founder just realized that it's just way way above my head. So that's the moment you got to really hand it to someone else. >> It it's just funny and I get it right. I mean as a founder you get it that that that you that you have to be stubborn to your mission. Um I don't know. I just keep going back to that how I keep seeing how that holds people back and that holds businesses back and how businesses can die. Um because because like the founder, right, like the founders like lose themselves, like lose their identity >> in the business.

>> And so now you're all the hats, but then you're not you're still a ghost >> and now you're a ghost and now you're a ghost to yourself because >> you're just like this person doing a business. >> Yeah. Um so how do we how do how can we avoid losing um ourselves and and the identity of the business you know what do you what do you think with just people that you've seen or how have you seen I mean I'm sure you've seen people founders lose their identity in businesses yeah >> you know I've seen like founders that they don't sleep I've seen founders they are like so in love with the idea and with the company that it completely became their identity. And if you criticize the company, they think you're criticizing them, >> right? >> Is not is not Creattopia anymore. Is Roselia and Ben, >> right? >> If you say something, oh, you guys got >> That's personal.

>> That's personal. Like it become company becomes identity of the person that's the refreshed flag and I have and unfortunately a lot of them fail because then you go to the path of help >> and you're not using people around you improve your business and get it uh you know to the next step and the next >> Right. Right. And I think that's we can >> that's the whole purpose right to to be able to connect >> startups and founders with resources and local resources like local companies that can help you delegate some of the hats. Yeah. Right. They help take some of those hats off. Um because again it is about building together and co-creating together and and building that trust, right? Building that trust with people that are around you and are in your ecosystem. Um I think asking for help is a big concept and I think it's scary for a lot of people.

>> Spooky. Yeah. >> Spooky times. Help. >> Yeah. It's just like last night I was um at at Founder Institute's event. It was fantastic. It was great. Big shout out to Amy Tran and her team and the Founder Institute team. It was fantastic. Um, and I recommend I recommend you if you wanted to start your business, check out Founder Institute because they're going to help you with a lot of uh basics and things you got to, you know, do like from zero to one. >> Nice. Um, and now if just you think about it, we had this conversation uh with one of the serial entrepreneurs which he was um I need this talent but I cannot find it in Houston now. I need to find it like in in in Austin. And he was happy because Austin is just closer. you can do it like it's not that big of deal like when you need to find that uh talent in like you know let's say California it's just like you they're living in two places right >> and that's the importance of an ecosystem >> so for earlier stage startups um people are most of the time looking for money which I think they need to really look for customers they need to look for peers some other, you know, founders that you can help you >> with a lot of different things. So, they

can help you with those hats, right? You help them with the hat that you can wear and then they help you with the hat they can wear. And when you get um in the later stages of uh your startup journey, sometimes you raise money, you have money, but you don't have the people that they can help you, >> right? We talked to one of the Rice University's startup development u uh uh people and she was like the biggest problem we see is talent is experts and this is what we are trying to solve in noble founder to bring experts and bring talent and bring startups together build communities so either people help each other like it's a peer collaboration helping each other is mentorship. So people you know donate their their their you know their spare time or at least we can bring expert together so you can hire them >> right?

>> Sometimes you have money but you don't have the expert uh network so you can go get and hire them. Now you need to move to like some other cities places that you can have >> and get those help. >> Right. And and with Creattopia how we that's why we're building out a workforce development department. Um because it's just like trending that like even with media, right? Like there's not enough videographers or there's not enough people behind a camera. >> Um so the skills that yes, we're in the age of automation and we're the we're in the age of AI. Um but how there's still some very physical things that need to be done. um that need that that this is actually a conversation I was having last night uh with people as well how those that manual labor that is always going to be needed how we're we don't have enough people to do that right now. Yep.

>> So not only across tech and innovation but just in business in general um how much that can be developed right like the opportunities that are there >> and that's the biggest thing about the hat um just imagine in the age of AI people are seeing the jobs are you know disappearing if you look at a job as a task right and if you think about it as something that someone does then AI can replace that task. AI can replace that person. But if you look at uh a job as um purpose and if you look at a job as um as an um intellectual um process of >> creating something critical thinking um and factor all of those different things in then AI or or anything else cannot replace a person, >> right?

>> They're saying, "Oh, you know, all like 80,000 developer jobs are now disappeared." Yes. Because those jobs are just, you know, they're just uh they're just punches like they're just typing. >> Mhm. >> They don't put anything that uh a machine cannot do. Mhm. >> But when you look at the purpose of that developer, which is problem solving, which is critical thinking, which is bringing something new into the world, and trust me, I work with AI. I just coded with AI is at least for now is not easy for AI to do that, >> right? >> AI cannot replace Steve Jobs genius in building iPhone and building all like this ecosystem. No AI can can really do that. >> Yeah. AI is taking a lot of hats. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> Yeah. But is when it comes to wear a lot of hats, >> but you know it comes to creativity, it comes to co-creation, it comes to a lot of those different things still. I'm not sure like maybe in two years it will be able to do it. But >> I don't know because there's the people skills like there's the there's the people dynamics that like like you can't you can't send a robot to build trust for you.

>> Yeah. >> Like you can't automate trust. That's that's and the trust is low all time according to Chris and just just imagine. So that's kind of like if you look at a job when you do the workforce development in Creattopia here >> uh we got to train people to think um more uh critically to think more creatively like it's is the human element of the job rather than just just being a typist as a developer, >> right? An engineer build things and engineer them. But like sometimes there are some developers that just typist >> and machine can replace you. >> Right. Right. Um yeah, I mean we could talk about hats and and on Founders Couch coming up, we'll keep talking about all the hats. Um and people will be wearing hats, so that'll be fun. >> That's cool. Um, I have one more question, but if anybody from the audience who's out there also has questions, we'll have time for them after this one question.

Um, last question for from me. If you could permanently retire one founder hat and magically add another, what would it be? >> Oh my god, >> that's anybody anybody in the audience could also answer. you know, >> if you could retire if you could permanently retire one founder hat, >> you know, >> and magically add another, what would they be? >> So, you know, like um for me, uh is like a CEO sometimes CEO hat. Um because I'm a me personally, I'm a builder. I'm a creator. I wanted to build a vision and I want to have a great team like you know the noble founder team that we have >> and I I want to have people around me um so we can build it together and I wanted to retire that CEO executive hat and say hey someone else take it and go and build another thing because I'm not I get really bored doing like uh running a company doing like all this execution work.

>> I'm very good at it, but is not my natural talent. My natural talent is building things, >> right? >> Bringing people together, you know, having uh fun creating new stuff. >> So, if I want to retire a hat permanently, that's probably the executive hats, all of them together. >> But, you know, like it's not reality. So um to me it's kind of like as a company progress I wanted to retire all my own executive hats become the chairman and and keep my eyes on the vision of the company and go build the next thing. >> Nice. I' I'd retire um being a mover. We have to move so much furniture and I love it. It's a great workout, but I could retire that forever. >> Um, and >> you got to ask Benjamin like what hat he wants to retire, you know?

>> I don't know if he wants to. I think that's part of the problem. >> I think he likes his hats. >> Just look at his face. >> But then I'd bring the the magical hat that I would bring would be like a like a fairy godmother hat. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> That can just make magical stuff happen. We just snap our fingers and everything be ready. That would be great. >> Um, Charlie, did you want to share what what hat you would retire and what you would add? I saw your hand go up. And if anybody else has questions in the audience, do let us know. >> Do I just talk or do you have >> come up? Come up to the purple uh circle there. >> And I see that Charlie is already wearing hat. No, wait. the purple circle back there. There's a circle on the ground. Keep going. >> Where you want me to go? >> Purple circle. >> Purple circle. Okay. Okay.

Um the hat I'd like to >> just a second, Charlie. Sorry. >> You ready? >> Can you hear me? >> Go ahead. >> The hat I'd like to don is marketing. >> Yeah. And I'm very good at personal interactions like meetups and this kind of stuff, but I note for example, pardon me for picking on you. Um, but if you go to your creativity website, you have 40 views or 30 views. >> Mhm. The website >> there should be thousands in there. And I try my best to try and create to u tell spread the word about creatia. And most people are like, >> "What the heck is that? and where is it and they don't know. >> Okay. So, I would like to put the hat on to say how do I get the word out? >> What of you know Twitter has a billion followers uh >> Blue Sky has you know millions?

How does a small business >> or an organization like this get the word out that you exist? >> Right. So that's my that's the hat I'd like to put on. >> Okay. Thanks. >> And that's an important hat, right? Is >> is it's by itself is a full-time job. >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. And I and I think people have uh I mean word of mouth has been great for us, you know. >> Um >> Yeah. But I mean that's that's how we've gotten to where we are, right? That's how we've been around for a minute. But yeah, that's that's definitely something that we're we're finalizing and we're uh making better and making more effective just our whole streamline process so that we can go viral. That is that is the new mission. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> May I make a suggestion as an example? >> Um maker space. >> Oh, is it right there? >> Okay.

>> Uh the maker space ready. >> Go ahead. The maker It's not working. There we go. Uh, the maker space in Austin has a program where they're launching balloons in Austin. >> Oh, cool. >> That stay up and they have Wi-Fi. They have a Wi-Fi router sitting in the balloon. >> I would think that we could get those people. I know these people personally. I would love to give bring him to Houston and Florida Creattopia balloon. >> That'd be awesome. Let's get in the middle of town. Yes, let's do it. >> That's going to get some attention. >> Let's do it. >> And if you do it over over 45, the people that are doing five or 10 miles an hour are going to see this huge balloon up in the thing and they'll have time to look at it. Okay. >> It's like a billboard. It's like it's like a >> It's like an inflatable billboard. Yeah, >> they're also putting FM transmitters on the on the thing so you can tell people tune into this channel on your FM dial while you're playing and you can actually get audio in here.

>> Yeah, that's super cool. >> I want to pursue that. Let me know if you want to do it. >> Let's do it. Let's I'm sure we'll need sponsorships and things like that as well. >> Yeah. And this is like the creativity, right? This is the innovation you want. >> Uh yes. Any other questions from the audience before we conclude? No. Ken, >> no questions. If you have one more question, come up to the circle. If not, we're good. No pressure. Okay. Um well, thank you everybody uh for that is here in person and anybody that listened online. Uh we talked about all the different hats that founders wear today and how it gets complex and how you have to wear different hats through different stages. Um and realize when you're wearing too many hats so you don't lose your head. Um what else do we talk about today?

No, we talk about a lot of different things like when you let go of the hat, right? Uh how you let go of the hat and what are the signals like you know when do you know that you got to let go of a hat. >> Yeah. >> And what hats you wanted to retire forever, >> right? >> Right. >> Right. Because it all comes back to your mental health and making sure that you stay safe and you stay sane uh so that your your company can continue to grow and exist. Um, so again, thank you everybody that's here in person and anyone that listened online. Uh, we are 801 Travis at the Innovation Studio. Shout out to our sponsors, uh, 801 Travis and the Innovation Hub. Um, and our partners from Iron Grove and Approachable and Noble Innovative Solutions. Uh, this was our 17th episode on the many hats that entrepreneurs wear. Um, thank you. We'll see you next week. >> Awesome. Thank you. >> Bye.