Do you ever feel like your role has quietly become firefighting?
You start the week with good intentions. and by Wednesday… you’re dealing with:
- people asking for pay rises when the numbers don’t quite stack up
- issues that have been brewing for weeks but only surface when they become urgent
- a lack of clarity about who is doing what
- and the uncomfortable sense that whatever you do, someone isn’t happy
If that sounds familiar, you’re not doing anything wrong.
You’re just running a business that has outgrown how it used to work.
The moment your business “grows up”
In the early days, things are simple.
- You know everything that’s going on.
- People sit close together.
- Decisions are quick.
- Everyone mucks in.
It’s informal, reactive – and it works. Until it doesn’t.
Because as you grow, something shifts.
You can’t hear every conversation anymore. You can’t stay across every detail. And people start to want more – more structure, more clarity, more progression.
This is the point where many SMEs hit what the second generation (2G) phase.
And it can feel like the wheels are coming off.
Why this stage is so uncomfortable
Most leaders understand two types of organisations:
- the start-up: fast, informal, flexible
- the corporate: structured, process-driven, layered
But a growing SME sits somewhere in between – and that’s where the tension lies.
Your team starts to expect:
- career paths
- pay progression
- clearer roles
- more consistency
But your business isn’t yet set up to deliver those things easily.
At the same time, you may resist putting structure in place because you don’t want to “become corporate”.
So you end up in an uncomfortable middle ground: too big to run informally; too under-structured to run efficiently.
The trap most founders fall into
At this point, many leaders double down on what worked before.
You stay close to everything. You solve problems yourself. You fill the gaps.
It feels helpful, but in reality, it makes things worse, because it reinforces a system where:
- everything comes back to you
- accountability sits at the top
- the organisation never quite stands on its own
Which is why it feels like you’re constantly putting out fires.
The shift that needs to happen
The challenge at this stage is not to become more corporate.
It’s to become more intentional about how your organisation works.
That means:
- defining roles clearly
- distributing accountability
- putting in just enough structure to support performance
Not layers of bureaucracy. Not over-engineered systems. Just clarity.
Because without clarity, people guess. And when people guess, things fall through the cracks.
What leading a 2G business really requires
If you’re in this phase, your role needs to evolve.
Here are a few shifts that make a significant difference.
1. Step out of the day-to-day – regularly
You will still be involved in the business. That’s the reality.
But your primary role is no longer to be the most hands-on person.
It’s to ask:
- Where are we going next?
- What is getting in the way?
- What does the organisation need now that it didn’t need before?
If you don’t create space for this thinking, no one else will.
2. Stop filling the gaps yourself
If you’re still doing things because “no one else notices” or “it’s quicker if I do it”, you’re part of the problem.
Not because you shouldn’t help, but because every time you step in, you teach the organisation that ownership sits with you, not with them.
Your job is not to do everything: it’s to make sure everything is owned.
3. Get clear on where you’re heading – and say it often
In a growing business, lack of clarity is one of the biggest causes of frustration.
People don’t just need tasks. They need:
- a sense of direction
- an understanding of priorities
- clarity about what “good” looks like
That doesn’t come from a one-off presentation.
It comes from consistent, repeated communication.
4. Introduce structure – but keep it proportionate
Yes, you need systems as you grow, but you don’t need to recreate a corporate machine.
Focus on:
- simple processes
- clear responsibilities
- scalable ways of working
And use external support where appropriate, rather than building everything in-house too early.
The reality of this stage
This phase of growth is where many businesses stall.
Not because the opportunity isn’t there, but because the organisation hasn’t caught up with the ambition.
The good news is that once you address this, things start to ease.
Not because people work harder, but because the business becomes easier to run.
Final thought
If your role currently feels like constant firefighting, it’s not a sign that your team is failing.
It’s a sign that your organisation needs to evolve.
The question is not:
“How do I work harder to keep up?”
It’s:
“What does my business need me to provide in order to operate effectively at this next stage?”
Answer that, and everything else starts to fall into place.
If you’d like to know more about creating a reset for your organisation, call me on 07801 259637.