FOUNDERS START FIRES. CEOS MANAGE THE HEAT

I had a coaching call with a Founder & CEO this week and it hit me again. What builds a start-up doesn’t scale a company. Different tools. Different mindset. Different game.

“Founders start fires. CEOs manage the heat.”

How has their journey been?

At the beginning, so much chaos. They were the energy. Always hustling. Breaking stuff. Rebuilding. Repeating.

By their own admission, if they keep operating in that fire-starting mode too long their team is going to burn out. Ditto their culture, and themself.

What’s the difference?

🔥 The Fire-Starter Founder…

• Can’t resist new ideas, even mid-execution.
• Struggles to prioritise, and everything feels urgent.
• Loves the spark, but avoids the systems.
• Moves fast, but often in circles.
• Confuses motion with momentum.

🌡️ The Heat-Managing CEO…

• Knows how to maintain momentum without melting the team.
• Focuses on what matters, not what’s shiny.
• Builds rhythm, routines, and repeatable systems.
• Knows when to turn up the heat, and when to let things simmer.
• Knows which fires to feed, and which ones to put out.

Our discussion led us to realise that’s where a fractional co-CEO or COO can help. Not to take over, but to bring calm, clarity, and commercial structure to a business that’s feeling the burn.