The FAQs on Why I Left A Company I Co-Founded (Copy)
I never thought I would step away from the business I co-founded.
Starting a business is hard, growing one is harder but leaving was by far the hardest. As I navigate this next part of my journey, one where I’m helping founders from the other side of the table, I’m eager to share the many lessons I wish I knew sooner.
The circumstances I found myself in are not uncommon for women in my position. Despite how isolating it felt, I wasn’t the only one going through it. With almost all challenges startups present, we are rarely the only ones struggling, even when it feels like it.
In moving on, I’ve been asked many questions about how the situation unraveled, how I got through it. Questions I too was seeking answers for from other women who had stepped down from their companies, answers I was hoping could light the path forward. But these answers were scarce if not nonexistent.
Maybe it’s because leaving is the least sexy part of entrepreneurship, or because it’s easier to write about our successes than perceived failures. And maybe, even when we are willing to share our truths, we are too bound by NDAs and Shareholder Agreements anyway.
I believe we have to find a middle ground, so that more of us can know, we’re not alone.
THE FOLLOWING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED TRUTHFULLY, BUT BROADLY, IN ORDER TO NOT COMPROMISE MYSELF OR THE BUSINESS.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COMPANY YOU CO-FOUNDED?
Fortunately, they’re still going strong. A critical part of my strategy was to build the brand around a community of health minded consumers who quite literally wanted to have their cake and eat it too. From new flavor launches to new store openings, that same core community still drives excitement for our brand in an organic way that I’m deeply proud of.
WHY DID YOU LEAVE THE COMPANY?
I never intended to completely leave. I was transitioning from a full time position, as co-founder and CMO, to working in a more fractional capacity. As the only leader in the company with consumer branding or marketing experience, I was to continue to provide strategic direction, which would get executed on by our brilliant and capable Marketing Manager. As a company exploring another round of funding, I was mindful of ensuring the continuity of me as a co-founder.
In the middle of that transition, my co-founder and our CEO posted a public statement on LinkedIn without my knowledge. To my surprise, the statement outlined a complete departure on my part and of my choosing. It suggested, among other things, that not only did I leave, but that I left things broken, that I had dumped all my responsibilities on said CEO when walking away. All of which were fundamentally false.
I found myself at a moral and legal crossroads, between correcting a narrative about my work and integrity, and protecting a business I had worked hard to build as an active shareholder.
This was at this point I made the decision to step away from the company entirely.
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR SHARES?
Yes. I’m still a shareholder with every motivation to see this business succeed.
WHAT’S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMPANY NOW?
I’m a customer of the products and cheerleader for the brand. Sometimes you have to love something from a distance.
DO YOU STILL USE THE PRODUCT?
Yes, of course.
WHAT SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT HOW THE SITUATION UNFOLDED?
Everything.
That I was at risk for something like this to happen at all. When people of privilege say negative things about women, we often believe them, female founders certainly being no exception. But I never thought it would happen to me. Scrolling through comments, made by people I’ve never met, provided newfound proof of this knowing (and made me question all the times where I blindly believed what I read about women too).
Thankfully, the biggest surprises were profoundly good.
The sheer outpour of support. The women and men who reached out to make sure I was okay, to hold space, to offer invaluable advice. The people I had only known in passing, showing up fully and generously, a welcome reminder that people are inherently good.
That support gave me the space to surrender instead of control. Staying grounded, grateful and vulnerable in one of my toughest professional moments isn’t something I thought I was capable of, but I did.
WOULD YOU EVER START A BUSINESS AGAIN?
Under better terms and circumstances, I think so. But definitely not today :)
Thank you for reading <3
