No Textbook Prepared Me for This: 6 Lessons I’m Learning (relearning) as a Founder

Lessons that bubbled up and I shared during a recent conversation with other founders.

Dear Founder,

No matter how many books you read or courses you take, nothing prepares you for the unfiltered reality of building and running a business—especially in the education sector.

The lessons come fast. Sometimes painfully. But always with purpose.

Here are a few things I’ve learned (and relearned) this year—honest truths that I hope every leader, school owner, and entrepreneur will reflect on:

1. Keep More Than an Eye on Your Business

Ownership requires attention.

Eyes off = surprises. And not the good kind.

People don’t always fail out of bad intentions—sometimes they fail because the founder took their hands off the wheel too early. Keep more than an eye on your business. It’s not micro-managing, it’s stewardship.

2. Trust, But With a Short Rope

Delegation is healthy.
Blind delegation? Risky. Even downright dangerous.
Give space, but keep your line of sight clear. Build check-ins, not chokeholds.

Trust is necessary, but unchecked autonomy without accountability leads to avoidable crises.

3. You Are the Only Constant

Staff may come and go.
Vendors will shift.
Seasons will change.
But you—the founder—are the only consistent element. You carry the culture. You hold the original vision.

The founder is the crucial cultural anchor and compass. Own that responsibility.

4. They Are Not You

Expecting others to operate at your level of passion is a setup for disappointment. Your staff may never carry the weight of the business the way you do. And that’s okay.
They haven’t had your experiences, sacrifices, or sleepless nights.

Instead of expecting them to "get it," build systems and clarity that guide them and training that help them grow into it.

5. Work With People As They Are, Not As You Wish They Were

Leadership is not fantasy football.

Leadership is not about ideal scenarios.

It’s about real people, real skills, and realistic expectations.

You can’t build a dream team out of imagined strengths. You build with what’s in front of you—skills, flaws, quirks, and all.

Great leaders bring out the best in real people, not imaginary ones.

Coach. Don’t fantasize.

Great leadership isn’t about control—it’s about alignment, clarity, and capacity-building

6. Your Business Is Your Personality

People don’t just buy your product—they buy you.
They buy your tone, your culture, your presence.

When your voice is absent from your brand, your business becomes faceless. If your essence isn’t showing up in your brand, something’s missing.

Be present. Let your values, energy, and tone shine through everything—online and offline.

Let your leadership be visible, not just structural.

On a final note..
Entrepreneurship is beautiful, but it’s not romantic.
It’s not all vision boards and logo designs. It requires clarity, consistency, and character.
It’s late nights, tough calls, uncomfortable feedback, and the unglamorous decision to keep showing up.

But in all of it, growth is happening. And if we’re paying attention, these hard-won lessons become the foundation for something truly remarkable.

Yes that’s it. Lessons were distilled from me during a conversation with two school leaders who visited me recently. They just kept bubbling up. I love productive conversations.

So over to you.
Which of these lessons are you living through right now?

Hit reply or share with your team. Let’s keep building—and learning—together.

With honesty and heart,
Dr. Abimbola Ogundere