Be Kind to Your Number One Employee: You

Why entrepreneurs must practice the same care, investment, and celebration they give their teams

As Inspire Impact grows and my days fill up faster than my calendar can keep up, I’ve started asking myself a question I never expected to consider:

How am I treating my number one employee — me?

It’s funny how easily we forget that. I would never overwork a team member the way I sometimes overwork myself. I would never ignore their development, skip their wins, or expect them to operate without rest. Yet as entrepreneurs, we do it to ourselves all the time — often in the name of passion, purpose, or “just getting through this week.”

But the truth is simple:
You are the most valuable asset your business has.
And the way you treat yourself sets the tone for everything else.

🌱 Don’t Overwork Your Most Valuable Asset

If an employee consistently worked through lunch, stayed up late finishing deliverables, and never took a break, you’d intervene. You’d worry about burnout. You’d adjust their workload.

But when you do it, you call it dedication.

Overworking yourself isn’t noble — it’s risky. Your clarity, creativity, and decision‑making are part of your business infrastructure. Protect them the same way you’d protect any other critical resource.

🌼 Celebrate Your Wins — Out Loud

Entrepreneurs are notorious for moving from one milestone to the next without pausing to acknowledge what they’ve accomplished. But celebration isn’t indulgent; it’s fuel.

When you recognize your own progress, you reinforce momentum. You remind yourself that the work is working. You build confidence that carries you through the next challenge.

🌻 Be Generous With Yourself

If your number one employee needed training, you’d provide it. If they needed support, you’d offer it. If they were struggling with a new skill, you’d invest in their development.

So why not extend that same generosity inward?

Give yourself permission to learn.
Give yourself the tools you need to grow.
Give yourself grace when you’re navigating something new.

This isn’t self‑care for the sake of appearance — it’s operational wisdom. A well‑supported founder builds a well‑supported business.

🌳 Build a Culture That Starts With You

The way you treat yourself becomes the blueprint for how your organization treats others. When you model rest, celebration, and growth, you create a culture where people feel safe to do the same.

Your business doesn’t need a superhuman founder.
It needs a healthy one.