Early in my career as a founder and CEO, I desperately wanted my employees to like me. I believed that if I behaved like my “real self,” I could build stronger bonds with my team. Despite my good intentions, it seldom worked.

I had to learn, and re-learn, a crucial leadership lesson: Employees are not your friends. The inherent authority of your role creates barriers to forming healthy friendships. Worse yet, employees may leverage your friendliness to undermine your authority. This happened to me many years ago, and when it did, I was devastated.

I was attending an industry conference with some employees. On the final night of the conference, there was a big party with food, drinks, a DJ and games. I challenged an employee to a video game competition, which I won. I then bragged about my win in an overly dramatic and flamboyant manner. I behaved this way with my friends, who understood my absurd boasting was not serious.

However, the employee described this event much differently to co-workers. I was portrayed as overbearing and humiliating the employee. When I overheard this twisted retelling, I was shocked. I sincerely cared about my team. I thought we were just having fun. I was only being my “real self.”

My CEO coach helped me see that as a leader, you are always “on stage.” Employees interpret all your behavior through the lens of power dynamics. When you hold employees accountable, an essential part of leadership, resentment can drive employees to label your attempts at friendliness as invasive or abusive.

As a leader, you are entirely responsible for creating and maintaining a productive, positive and supportive workplace. This means you must not only hold your team accountable to their job expectations, but you must also build healthy relationships with each team member. These two demands often clash. You must carefully balance being friendly and demanding. If you go too far in either direction, your authority and respect suffer.

Boundaries help you maintain this balance. Here are some strategies for building healthy boundaries with employees.

Related: Marc Andreessen Says You Shouldn’t Bring Your Whole Self to Work

Be the person your dog thinks you are

I like this aphorism because it humorously captures an important leadership concept: Employees judge you on what you do for them, not what you accomplish as a leader.

Employees may not like you when you hold them accountable, but they will like you if you show genuine concern for their growth and success. Offering consistent encouragement, vocal recognition and genuine positivity minimizes negative perceptions of you as a leader.

Be a cool cucumber

It is entirely normal to feel frustrated, especially with co-workers. It is equally healthy to vent those frustrations to friends or counselors. However, employees cannot be your counselor.

Venting to employees makes you sound cruel, petty and vindictive. It will destroy whatever trust and credibility you have accumulated. Share frustrations or concerns with a mentor, therapist or professional coach instead. Maintain a calm, positive and supportive attitude with employees, especially the ones that irritate you.

Adopt a growth mindset

Blame and finger-pointing are toxic behaviors in the workplace, especially when a leader does it. They create animosity and mistrust. You must rise above blame to adopt a growth mindset.

Rather than focusing on who is to blame, focus on learning and growing. Acknowledge failure, but balance that with the resolve to learn and get better. When my company lost a deal, I was obsessive about finding out why and what we could learn. This turned every loss into a chance to fine-tune our processes, learn from our mistakes and win more deals in the future.

Building a “no blame” boundary ensures that your leadership is based on continuous self-improvement and not toxic behaviors.

Related: Treating Employees Like Pals Can Be a Dangerous Game.

The sound of silence

Silence is a powerful boundary. Let the employees talk, especially when something is wrong. Resist the urge to tell them what is wrong or how to fix it. Instead, be curious and ask questions. Let them hold themselves accountable.

Moreover, when you ask a tough question, remain quiet and allow employees the time to answer. It may feel uncomfortable, but silence allows people to assume responsibility.

Protect your privacy

Your privacy is a critical boundary. Keep personal details superficial. Avoid emotionally sensitive topics like politics, religion, sexuality or personal wealth, as these can incite unnecessary conflict or resentment.

Whether at work or socializing, encourage employees to talk about themselves rather than sharing your personal information. This builds rapport and makes you more approachable.

Establish clear work-life boundaries

Your employees’ privacy is equally as important as your own. Your authority over employees ends the moment they leave work. This is a sacred boundary that you must respect as a leader.

Avoid judgments about what employees do (or do not do) after work. If you must contact an employee after work, then thank them for their time.

Socialize strategically

It is good to socialize with your employees periodically. However, you must maintain a professional demeanor at all times. Remember, you are their manager even after work or in a social setting.

Limit alcohol consumption and avoid divisive conversations. If your spouse accompanies you, make sure you both follow these guidelines and maintain a united front.

Related: Employee or Friend? How to Maintain Boundaries with the People Who Work for You

Avoid competitive situations

Let your employees win. Any competition with employees should remain casual, friendly and devoid of any real stakes. Never wager real money, and avoid boasting after wins to prevent negative perceptions. If you engage in physical activities such as playing basketball or working out, you are still their boss. Overly aggressive or antagonistic behavior will translate back to work and may provide fuel for negative narratives.

You are always the boss — at work, after work, all the time. While it is possible to build friendly relationships with employees, true friendships are challenging.

Boundaries protect you and your employees. They help maintain respect and authority. They allow you to be friendly without overextending your authority.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the normally robust spring housing market was a “dud” this year, as economic and stock market uncertainty, coupled with mortgage rates hovering around 6.72% at press time, have kept buyers away.

The outlet notes that with more homes hitting the market, demand is not aligning with the rising inventory, and home prices are fluctuating (some areas are seeing drops while others remain high).

But there are some states where you can still find affordable housing.

U.S. News & World Report‘s 2025 Best States list looks at thousands of data points to rank each state on a variety of factors, including crime, economy, education, fiscal stability, health care, infrastructure, natural environment, and opportunity. Using that data, along with statistics from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and factoring in cost of living and other points, the outlet also ranked the best states for housing affordability.

Related: Thinking of Starting a Business? Here Are the 10 Best States for Startups, According to a New Report.

Still, it’s worth noting that many of the top states for housing affordability were ranked near the bottom of the list in categories including poverty rate, food insecurity, and median household income. But if you’re a remote worker looking for more land or the chance to buy a home at a low price, it could be worth checking out.

Here are the five best states for housing affordability, according to data used in U.S. News & World Report‘s “Best States” list.

1. Mississippi

Affordability Ranking: 2

Overall Best States Ranking: 48

According to Zillow, the average Mississippi home value is $189,710.

2. West Virginia

Affordability Ranking: 3

Overall Best States Ranking: 46

According to Zillow, the average West Virginia home value is $167,250.

3. Arkansas

Affordability Ranking: 1

Overall Best States Ranking: 44

According to Zillow, the average Arkansas home value is $217,895.

Related: Here Are the 10 Best States for Working Seniors

4. Alabama

Affordability Ranking: 8

Overall Best States Ranking: 45

According to Redfin, the average home price in Alabama is $281,400.

5. Kentucky

Affordability Ranking: 10

Overall Best States Ranking: 39

According to Redfin, the average home price in Kentucky is $263,400

You can find the full top 10 most affordable states list, here.

Click here for the full Best States list.

A robot, not a human pharmacist, may be filling your prescription at Walgreens. And there’s about to be a lot more of them.

Walgreens told CNBC on Sunday that it wants to have more of its pharmacies send prescriptions to one of its 11 micro-fulfillment centers, or hubs that use robotic technology to fill patient prescriptions.

The goal is to have the facilities handle prescriptions for 5,000 pharmacies before the year ends, up from 4,800 stores in February and 4,300 stores in October 2023.

As of February, the centers took care of 40% of prescriptions for supported pharmacies, amounting to 16 million orders filled each month.

Related: Walgreens Boots Alliance Gets Bill for $2.7 Billion From the IRS After Tax Audit

The move to expand automation arrives as Walgreens readies itself to go private in a $10 billion deal. The drugstore chain announced in March that it had agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners, with the deal expected to close in the fourth quarter of the year.

How does a micro-fulfillment center work?

When a Walgreens pharmacy supported by a center receives a prescription order, the system decides if it should be filled by pharmacists at that location or sent to the center. The decision often comes down to timeliness: Centers usually handle refills that don’t require immediate pickup.

The facilities then use robots, conveyor belts, and scanners to fill prescriptions accurately. While pharmacists fill prescriptions by hand at stores, robots dispense prescriptions down a carefully managed assembly line at centers.

There is still some human involvement at the facilities, though. A team of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians works behind the scenes at the centers to ensure that the right pills reach the correct bottles.

Related: This Walgreens Product Is Flying Off Shelves, Thanks to TikTok: ‘We Sold Through Nearly All of the Product’

Robotic centers drive cost savings for Walgreens

The micro-fulfillment facilities have had a noticeable impact on Walgreens since the first one opened in early 2021. Kayla Heffington, Walgreens’ pharmacy vice president, told CNBC that the centers have helped Walgreens save $500 million to date and allowed its pharmacists to spend more time with patients. She said that the centers allowed Walgreens to improve prescription volume by 126% year-over-year, while simultaneously bringing down costs by close to 13%.

Walgreens is now filling more than 170 million prescriptions per year, with the goal of raising that total to 180 million or higher with the help of the centers, she stated.

Rick Gates, Walgreens’ chief pharmacy officer, added that the centers give Walgreens “a lot more flexibility to bring down costs.”

“Right now, they’re the backbone to really help us offset some of the workload in our stores,” Gates told CNBC.

He noted that the facilities give Walgreens an advantage over independent pharmacies and other rivals that lack robotic prescription fulfillment.

Related: ‘Changes Are Imminent’: Walgreens to Shutter a ‘Significant’ Number of Stores

Amazon Pharmacy has its own automated pharmacy fulfillment centers that aim to bring medications to customers in two days or less on average.

Companies like Walmart, Kroger, and Albertsons each have micro-fulfillment centers that process items like groceries, but none have publicly disclosed prescription fulfillment centers.

CVS has also implemented automation in its supply chain, though not publicly for its pharmacies. At CVS’s Lumberton, New Jersey, distribution center, 152 robots work together to process 1.9 million products per week.

Walgreens was the second biggest pharmacy in the U.S. by prescription drugs market share in 2024, right after CVS.

This is hard (and maybe a little weird) to admit, but I never thought that I’d mistreat others the way I was mistreated earlier in my career. And yet I did. I fell into a trap of my own making, perpetrating misconduct that I’d seen others exhibit before, and I don’t think I was even cognizant of it at the time.

The trap is called “toxic boss syndrome,” and once I became aware that I was suffering from it, I had to go into symptom treatment mode immediately. What kind of symptoms was I displaying? Well, to name a few, I made promises that I didn’t keep. I’d dangle carrots to get people to stay. I’d call my employees after hours just to vent to them. No, no and no. OMG, what was I thinking?

In hindsight, I suppose I thought these measures would grow my business and bond me to my staff. In actuality, I was overstepping, overreaching and overcompensating for what were actually my own deficiencies. Instead of breeding loyalty, some really good people left my company, and let me tell you, nothing makes the heart listen more than a bad breakup.

Losing those people proved to be my entry ticket into rehab, and now I consider myself a recovery agent advocating for the golden rule above all else. Here’s how I got there.

Confession #1: I offered no training and no feedback, but I expected excellence

When my nascent PR firm was burgeoning, I thought all my efforts should be dedicated to growing my client list and showing a profit. In the process, I was quick with criticism, I skipped essential foundational steps, and I never asked for feedback.

I thought leading meant directing people, and yet I was expecting everyone to hit their marks without ever giving them clear instructions and finite, manageable deliverables.

Solution: When my imagined script wasn’t being followed, I eventually had to stop in my tracks and actually start listening. I had to ask for input as to why benchmarks weren’t being achieved and people weren’t kicking ass in their roles. What I heard? Ouch. It prompted me to take a long, hard look in the mirror and realize that I was providing no training, no guidance, and I was not equipping my staff with the tools they needed to succeed.

Now I do. I both request constructive criticism and readily provide feedback, intentionally crafted to develop my team’s talents. I have a solid onboarding process in place and conduct regular check-ins with my staff. I’m still learning in this area — I still jump into the deep end sometimes and try to figure things out as a person, not just a boss. But I’m no longer a one-woman show barking out orders.

Related: What Makes You a Unicorn in Your Industry? Start by Mastering These 4 Pillars

Confession #2: To be respected as the boss, I acted like a robot

As I was assembling my team, it seemed like everyone wanted me to be professional. So, even though it went against my inherent nature, I was formal, I tried to be objective, and I considered it a weakness to let anyone see that I really had no clue how to run a business. I didn’t doubt my PR skills at all, but I didn’t spend sufficient time learning how to operate my agency as a fully functioning, well-oiled entity.

Solution: The robotic facade just wasn’t working for me. And it certainly wasn’t working for my staff. I wasn’t approachable, and I sensed distance and standoffishness in our midst. When I discovered that everyone just wanted me to be real, it freed me to shed my (fake) layers of invincibility, allowing me to reveal that I actually had more questions than answers about team dynamics.

As I sloughed my unnatural skin and let people see that I didn’t, in fact, have it all together, I became far more relatable, able to show vulnerability and be my real self. In turn, my employees felt less restricted and more open to being their genuine selves.

Things started shifting pretty quickly after that, and now I like to think propriety has been replaced with warmth, and I’m respected for my authenticity, not out of obligation.

Related: Are You This Kind of Toxic Boss? Here’s How You Can Find Out

Confession #3: I felt the success of my business rested entirely with me

I’m the one making the hires, I’m the one signing the paychecks, and I’m the one my clients bring any complaints to, so the fate of my whole operation falls completely on me, right? Wrong. As a business owner, you learn pretty fast that you can’t do it alone.

You can’t be in two places at one time, you can’t serve multiple masters in a single day, and you can’t make everyone happy all the time. “I will do it.” “I will make it happen.” “I can fix this.” Nope. But “we” can.

Solution: Perhaps the biggest game-changer in my firm has been the transition from the “This is my business” mindset to the “This is our business” mindset. I had to learn firsthand that every single person who reports to me makes a singular impact and has something meaningful to add to the conversation. Not only was it exhausting trying to carry the whole load on my own, but my business wasn’t benefiting from all the wonderfully diverse perspectives and skill sets I had available.

I’ll always be proud of starting my business as a single mom who had only a dream and a lot of naive gumption. But what has made that dream a reality is seeing my staff as partners, as equals, as co-creatives. We are so unbelievably stronger together than we are apart, and we’re achieving so much more as a tight-knit band than I ever could have done as Atlas trying to bear the weight on my shoulders alone.

Related: Avoid Costly Hiring Mistakes by Spotting These Employee Warning Signs

Confession #4: I invested in my business instead of my people

When things started taking off, I thought I needed systems and sites and external connections to fly. So I’d allocate resources to CRMs and productivity software, to office space rentals, press wire subscriptions and third-party professional contracts to take care of the financial and legal aspects of my company.

This isn’t necessarily a misstep — my business requires a lot of this; it just can’t be your only step in terms of where you funnel part of your profits. By concentrating on the cogs in the wheel, I somehow lost sight of what actually makes the engine of my company run: the people powering it. They weren’t being taken care of like my ledger books and meeting agendas were, and because of that, I wasn’t tapping into their fullest potential.

Solution: Now I take care of my crew first and foremost — yes, even above my clientele — and the result has been turning us from a work team into a loyal tribe. I’d do anything for them and they know it, whether that means bonus plans, pay raises, in-person retreats, flex time or running interference for them when they hit obstacles.

Most recently, I’ve commissioned an HR consultant to assess and boost workplace satisfaction, and we’re all really excited about the company’s charitable initiative we’re ramping up, an idea that came directly from my staff.

By consciously deciding to look to my staff as my greatest source of ROI, I’m excited and empowered to keep investing more in them and then letting the fruits of our joint labors flower as they will. When they know they’re my top priority, we all achieve top results together. Even more, we’re all growing up professionally together, and it’s a truly great feeling.

When I was starting out in the PR space, I recall a few work environments where it felt like everyone was walking on eggshells around my superiors. I remember thinking, “Why does it have to be this way? Why can’t everyone just do their job well while being well supported?” Even then, before “toxic” became a buzzword, I knew the balance of power was off and that things didn’t feel right.

And yet I made my own people feel like that for a time — something I’ll always regret. I’m the boss now. You’re the boss. We have control over the environment we create and the culture we cultivate. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Do a toxic temperature check and, if necessary, get yourself into recovery. The health of your workplace will skyrocket, and your team will function more effectively and abundantly than ever before.

I used to think scaling was just about growing — more customers, more revenue, more markets. But over time, I realized something that no one tells you early on: You can’t scale a company unless you’re willing to scale yourself.

In every company I’ve helped build — whether we were chasing our first million or pushing past a billion — I have encountered the same hidden truth: Growth doesn’t come in one clean line. It comes in thresholds. And at each one, the old rules break.

That’s when it gets counterintuitive: The same instincts, habits and systems that fueled early momentum can quietly start creating drag. What once worked well can now start to work against you.

This is the paradox most entrepreneurs miss. We assume scaling is about acceleration. In reality, it’s about reinvention. At every growth threshold, a company outgrows its own skin — and the founder has to grow just as fast.

Related: The 4 Biggest Mistakes Companies Make When Scaling Their Business

From idea to execution: $0 to $1M

In the earliest phase, ideas are fluid and fragile. Nothing is locked down — not your product, not your market and definitely not your brand. What is real at this stage is your team. Who is in the trenches with you? Who is building alongside you when there is no revenue, no guarantee and no roadmap?

When I founded BrightPlan, I was intentional about assembling a core team that brought strengths I didn’t possess myself. I leaned heavily on SaaS veterans and product minds who could work fast and think clearly under pressure. In a zero-to-one stage, the team is the strategy.

Forget perfection. Be ready to fail fast and adapt rapidly. What you need at this point is momentum. And if your early team can’t pivot, stretch and challenge each other constructively, it won’t matter how promising the product is — you’ll stall before takeoff.

From product-market fit to strategic focus: $1M to $10M

If the first threshold is about survival, the second is about alignment. You’ve got traction. Customers are buying. Investors start to show interest. And that’s exactly when the next set of dangers creeps in.

This is where capital enters the equation — and where I’ve seen more missteps than almost any other phase. Founders, eager to keep the momentum going, take the first term sheet without pausing to understand its implications. Then one day, they wake up with a partner whose goals, expectations or control terms create more friction than fuel.

We avoided that trap by being deliberate. We prioritized investor fit over speed, looking for partners who brought not only capital but context — people who could pressure test our thinking, open doors and stay in the game when it got hard. Not just capital providers, but true partners.

At this stage, everything tightens: your positioning, your hiring, your decision-making. What worked up to the $1M growth point can now start to introduce drag. To keep growing, you don’t just need focus — you need the discipline to let go of good ideas and even people in service of great ones.

Related: How to Navigate to the Next Phase of Your Business — 3 Tips as You Scale

From hustler to operator: $10M to $100M

This is the turning point. The company isn’t a startup anymore, but it’s also not yet an enterprise. You’re growing, but growth alone is no longer the victory. The question becomes: Can you scale how you work, not just what you deliver?

This was the phase where I had to evolve the most as a leader. I was no longer the default decision-maker in every room, and that was by design. We brought in seasoned operators to own product, operations and finance. People who had built through scale and had the playbooks — and the hard-earned experience — to prove it.

Stepping back doesn’t mean stepping away. It means building an organization that can function without you in the center. Most companies stall here not because they run out of vision, but because they try to scale chaos. You can’t power through with hustle anymore. At this stage, structure becomes your new advantage.

And then there’s the human side. You realize that some of the people who were perfect for the $1M sprint may not be right for the $50M structure. Letting go of someone who’s been with you since day one, someone who helped build the plane while it was flying — that’s not just a tough call. That’s a gut-wrenching moment. But leadership means being honest about whether loyalty is becoming a liability, for them and for the company.

From scaling up to rebuilding for scale: $100M+

Crossing into nine figures forces another identity shift. You’re no longer a fast-growing startup. You’re a complex organization with global visibility and operational gravity. And what got you to this point will absolutely break if you try to run it the same way.

At BrightPlan, we anticipated this. We automated and outsourced anything that wasn’t core to our differentiation — compliance, finance, legal workflows — so we could stay lean and responsive as complexity increased. That adaptability wasn’t luck. It was engineered.

But this phase isn’t just technical — it’s personal. You start confronting the invisible weight of legacy. That reporting structure you created three years ago? It’s now a bottleneck. That product flow you handcrafted with pride? It’s become a liability. You built for where you were, but now you’re somewhere else.

This is where reinvention stops being optional. And just like before, you’re called to let go — of systems, assumptions, even parts of your own role. Scaling this phase is less about adding and more about clarifying what no longer belongs.

Leading through the thresholds

Every phase of growth is a shift in identity — for the company and for the founder. Early on, you’re the driver and visionary of everything. Then, you’re the strategic decider. Then, the systems builder. And eventually, the cultural architect who must future-proof the business without dulling its edge.

What links all of these roles? The willingness to evolve before the business forces you to. To perpetually disrupt or stand to be disrupted. That’s the real way to unlock success.

Technology, especially AI, only sharpens this need. It accelerates timelines, changes how we work and redefines scale itself. But it doesn’t erase the transitions. You still need adaptable architecture. You still need a team that can scale with integrity. And you still need the courage to make hard calls at every turn.

Related: Scale Your Leadership Skills as You Scale Your Company

Growth is a series of thresholds, not a straight line

The biggest myth in entrepreneurship is that scaling is a linear process. It’s not. It’s a staircase of reinvention. And the companies that make it to the top aren’t the ones who go fastest. They’re the ones that know when it’s time to stop, rebuild and then leap.

I’ve come to believe that the most scalable companies are the ones whose leaders evolve just ahead of the business, not behind it. If you can see the next threshold coming — and start becoming the leader that phase will require — you’ve already won half the battle.

Because in the end, scale doesn’t reward the bold.

It rewards the agile.

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You’ll get to spend 25 hours over 12 lectures, pinning down how AI assistants and automation can work, which ones to use when, and how to integrate these tools in your professional life to work better, faster, and smarter.

Across industries, professionals are offloading their busy or repetitive work to AI assistants. When you learn which options exist with this course, you can explore whether an AI-powered calendar scheduling app will help with your time blocking, for example.

No matter your field, there are AI-powered tools worth learning about. Creative fields can benefit from AI editing and design programs to polish their work and reduce proofing time. Data scientists benefit from data analysis and automated visualization tools. Those in sales can use ChatGPT and other AI assistants to practice their pitches or presentations. And the series of courses in this e-degree can help you discover which of these tools is right for you.

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“I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership models,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech company Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been a lot of noise and news around, ‘We need more masculine energy in the workplace.’ It makes you question as a leader: What is my style? How effective is my style? I don’t believe that we need more masculine energy.”

^{Image Credit: Courtesy of Willow}

O’Leary characterizes her leadership style and the culture at Willow, the brand behind “patented leak-proof” wearable breast pumps and their accessories, as one that centers transparency and empathy to build trust within the workplace. According to the CEO, teams that have trust in each other — and in their leaders — are more likely to function in a way that’s conducive to success.

Related: Strong Leaders Use These 4 Strategies to Build Trust in Their Workplace

“I believe [flexibility in the workplace] makes us more productive.”

Instilling trust within team members means emphasizing a level of autonomy, O’Leary says. Willow is a “very flexible workplace,” O’Leary explains, noting that the company has never given its employees return-to-office mandates. As a mother of two herself, O’Leary is particularly cognizant of the everyday hurdles team members who are also parents face, and she wants to support them in any way possible.

“ If my kids’ elementary school concert is happening at 10 a.m., I’m going to sign off,” O’Leary says. “I’m going to go to that, then come back and keep going with my day. I don’t believe that makes us any less productive. I believe it makes us more productive. I feel very passionately that we can build a tremendously successful business while also operating in ways that feel authentic to our leadership and team.”

Related: This Mother of 6 Created a Hit Children’s Brand Without Any Industry Experience — Here’s Her No. 1 Secret for Entrepreneurial Parents Who Want to Achieve Big Goals

Willow is navigating its next growth chapter with O’Leary at the helm. The company recently announced its acquisition of UK-based femtech innovator Elvie, which is expected to boost revenue by 50%. Willow also continues to partner with organizations that support parents. To kick off its Mother’s Day campaign this year, the company announced a partnership with Canopie, a preventive maternal health care platform, to donate one million hours of maternal mental health support.

“[Being CEO is] a responsibility as much as it is a cool title.”

Prior to stepping into the CEO role at Willow, O’Leary served as the company’s chief commercial officer and “loved” the work. O’Leary has reflected a lot over the past year on her decision to become CEO, and she says that ambition wasn’t her primary motivator; instead, she recognized that she was the right person for the job at this moment.

“I cared deeply about our mission,” O’Leary explains. “I had a vision for where we could go. I understood the commercial operations of the business and could bring that together with our product teams. In some sense, [becoming CEO] has put me in a servant leader kind of role — It’s a responsibility as much as it is a cool title.”

Related: 10 Leadership Lessons From Successful CEOs — An Insightful Guide for the Ambitious Entrepreneur

At the end of the day, O’Leary suggests that leaders make sure their motivation is authentic to them — because that’s what will help them lead through the most difficult times.

“New tariffs are announced, and you’ve got to figure that out,” O’Leary says. “It is challenge after challenge, and the organization looks to you and says, ‘What are we going to do?’ This role is really about being willing to take responsibility for the people, products and customers. It’s not all glitz and glamor. You’re the first person who gets all the tough questions.”

Dear Mompreneur,

How are you? We’re almost halfway through the year, summer is knocking on the door and I don’t know about y’all’s kids, but mine seem to be fighting a different bug every week — so I wanted to check in on my mompreneurs this Mother’s Day.

Have you ever Googled the definition of entrepreneurship? I did it recently, and according to Google, it is “the activity of setting up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.”

At least they put the word ‘hope’ in there!

Entrepreneurship can be hard. So, I want to know… how are you, really?

If you’re like me, you’re always thinking about your business, your goals, next week, payroll, content, your family, dinner plans and the list, truly, goes on and on.

Do you also have 37 tabs open right now at 5:56 PM on a Friday? Are you thinking about what needs to be done/ordered/created/etc. even while trying to sign off and “shut off” your business brain for a bit?

Do you also feel like today was great and balanced, but somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re wondering if a storm lurks on the horizon? Do you feel like you’re not doing enough, but then (almost simultaneously) also worry you’re not spending enough time with your kids, family and friends?

Do you worry that business will dry up? That you won’t bring in new business? Do you worry that you’re really not good enough to be doing what you’re doing, and people will eventually figure it out?

I have talked with hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years (and have been an entrepreneur myself since 2007), and I can tell you that the majority of us feel this way.

But the crazy thing is that most of us keep going. Despite the feelings, thoughts, stress and anxiety that entrepreneurship can bring.

So, I just wanted to send a quick note to remind you (and maybe me, ha!) of a few things:

Related: How Being a ‘Mompreneur’ Prepared Me to Run a Multi-Million-Dollar Business

1. What you are doing is important

You wouldn’t have felt the urge to do what you do if it weren’t important.

You are providing a service or product that people need. Just because you might not be where you want to be or have the sales you desire, doesn’t mean it isn’t great. It likely means they just don’t know about it yet!

Whether you put sparkles in someone’s hair to help them feel beautiful or you share your mama’s recipe in a restaurant to make people feel loved, you are providing something special.

Please don’t stop.

2. What you’re doing is hard

Remember those paychecks every 2 weeks? Paid vacation time? A tax refund? I won’t even bring up insurance…

Please know that you’re stronger than most, and don’t ever forget it. Many people dream of being their own boss, but many, if not most, will not pursue this dream.

Because it’s freaking hard.

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there,” John Assaraf said. Humans love to feel safe and comfortable, and diving into entrepreneurship is the exact opposite, so it can feel really hard and uncomfortable.

With discomfort comes impostor syndrome (it’s real, y’all) and not feeling super confident sometimes. Please know that we all encounter this and re-read #1.

3. What you’re doing is changing the world

Even if it doesn’t seem like it.

You should be really, really proud of yourself. You started a business to help people, and that is one of the greatest things someone can do. Yes, we need to make money, but the root of starting a business is to help solve a problem for people.

And, please don’t forget about the positive impact you have on your employees and their families. You are literally helping people put food on their tables. Send their kids to school. Save for retirement. That is amazing, friend!

Related: This Working Mom Overcame Decades of Employment Bias to Become The CEO of Her Own 6-Figure Company. Here’s How She Did It.

4. What you’re doing is setting an example

For your kids, your family, your friends and people you don’t even know.

I can promise you that you are inspiring people daily, even if they don’t tell you. When you show up every day, you have a ripple effect on so many and in many different ways.

Adversity, resilience and grit are part of entrepreneurship and if we can lead by example, we are showing those around us that they can do hard things, too. Joy, happiness and celebration are also part of the journey.

Let’s continue to show people that we can endure and enjoy the peaks and valleys so others know that it’s possible.

So, friend, how do you feel now? Do you remember your greatness? Do you know how appreciated you are? Do you realize how special you really are?

I hope so. You inspire me every day.

Sincerely,

Your Fellow Mompreneur Friend

P.S. Happy Mother’s Day! Close those tabs and just enjoy today, you deserve it!

Former Waste Management CEO and current FedEx board member David Steiner has been selected to be the country’s 76th Postmaster General and CEO by the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors.

“It is an incredible honor to be asked to lead the world’s greatest postal organization, with a history that stretches back before the founding of the United States,” Steiner said in a statement.

Steiner was president and CEO of Waste Management for 12 years, from 2004 through late 2016. CNBC reports that Steiner will leave the board of FedEx (he’s been there since 2009). He starts in his new role in July.

“I deeply admire the public service and business mission of this amazing institution, and I believe strongly in maintaining its role as an independent establishment of the executive branch,” Steiner said. “I look forward to engaging with its employees, who provide such an important service to all our communities.”

Steiner earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Louisiana State University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, according to the statement.

Amber McReynolds, chair of the Postal Service Board of Governors, said in the statement that Steiner “is the right person to lead the Postal Service at this time” as the historic organization heads into the future with ongoing budget challenges (in 2024, USPS reported a net loss of more than $9 billion).

Outfitting your team with the best productivity suite can be an exhausting comparison process. So let’s make it simple: You can get all of the document, data, and presentation tools you need when you upgrade each team member to Office 2021 for just $49.97 a seat (reg. $219.99).

Which is better for your team: Office 2021, Office 2024, or Microsoft 365?

Comparing versions of Office and a Microsoft 365 subscription can help you decide which suite is best for your team. Office 2021 stands out compared to Office 2024 on several fronts, including price. Opting for an older version typically saves you money, but you’ll still get an updated suite compatible with all recent Office programs.

You’ll also retain access to Publisher and Access, which have been retired from newer versions. If your team’s workflow depends on either of these programs, this is one of the best ways to retain access to their newer versions.

Office 2024’s big selling point is integrating new, AI-powered features. But if your team doesn’t need or want those, sticking with Office 2021 can get you the programs you want without any of the newfangled extras.

The Microsoft 365 subscription is typically designed for businesses, but it works best for businesses that need cloud access for their team members, such as those who hot-seat in the office. If your team works on personalized PCs and prefers to keep files saved locally versus in the cloud, you’ll do better with owning Office 2021. Plus, ownership comes with a one-time payment, versus the monthly fees that add up with a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Which programs are included in Office 2021?

All the programs your team uses regularly to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations come with Office 2021. These include:

• Microsoft Office Word
• Microsoft Office Excel
• Microsoft Office PowerPoint
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• Microsoft Office Teams (Free version only)
• Microsoft Office OneNote
• Microsoft Office Publisher
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You can secure your team lifetime access to Office 2021 for just $49.97 per seat when you nab this deal.

StackSocial prices subject to change.