I replaced myself in every single role that I filled...

"I had this weird sense of losing my identity. I haven't really beaten it yet. Starting out, I was a freelancer. Then I was a developer that built software products. So, for a long time, that was very much me. It was my identity. But now, that is very far from what I do. I barely write any code anymore because I hired people to do that. I replaced myself in every single role that I filled until, suddenly, I realized that I didn't really know what my role in the company was anymore. I mean, I'm the founder, so there are certain things that come with that. But in the day-to-day, the only place I was required to be was making sure that payroll got run. That was it. That was the only thing that I was absolutely needed for, and that was only because I hadn't hired somebody to run the finances yet. I felt completely useless. It's kind of a weird struggle, because it was both very freeing and also the single most debilitating thing I've ever done. Somebody told me, ‘Look, that's most people's dream, to completely replace themselves and not have to do anything.' But for me, it really screwed with my head. It took maybe two years but I started finding my value in bits and pieces. Mostly, I found it by recognizing the value I had in assembling the big-picture, long-term goals. Being able to step away from the day-to-day has allowed me to do that. I enjoy it. It took me a little while to realize I enjoy it, but I do."⠀