Welcome to Founder’s Field Notes, my weekly collection of insights, stories, and strategies straight from the field. Real-world and real-life lessons on marketing, business, and the journey of being an ambitious woman finding her own path.

Founder’s Field Notes: Issue 001
Date: Monday, February 10, 2024
Location: A desk at my client’s co-working space in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Weather: Sunny and 33 degrees outside

Observations Everywhere I look these days, people are trying to control: their kids, their money, their family, the weather, the times, etc.

Control feels like safety. We plan, organize, and structure our lives in a way that makes us believe we are the architects of every outcome. 

But how much of that is real, and how much is just a guise — an illusion we create for ourselves to feel comfortable and safe?

I used to think that if I just had a post go viral, if I just figured out time-blocking, or if my kids just listened to me, I could avoid stress, disappointment, or failure. 

For instance…

Late last year, I had an email land in my inbox that I just couldn’t believe was real. I responded with a healthy dose of cautious optimism that I was really emailing with my favorite poet who had an Instagram following of over 100k people. Why would she email me?

Long story short, it was real and my favorite poet and I recorded a podcast together that will air on The Found Podcast with Molly Knuth this Wednesday, February 11. 

I was SO excited and wanted to share it with you immediately, but a health issue in my family lead to an extended break in releasing new episodes and prevented me from releasing it until mid-February. AND in the meantime, Jennae Cecelia has had a poem start trending on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook…without crediting her as the original creator. 

Talk about lacking control in life and in business!

Here’s the thing about control: it is often a myth.

And the energy we spend trying to white knuckle our lives? Exhausting. AF.

Field Notes & Findings:

 Research suggests we overestimate our control over outcomes. A 2022 study found that people tend to believe their choices influence results, even in completely random situations. This “illusion of control” can be both empowering and misleading. (Source: The Illusion of Control by Nick Oblensky)

The paradox of choice: More control doesn’t always mean more satisfaction. In fact, too many options often lead to anxiety and decision paralysis. I for one know that it takes me forever to order ice cream at our local ice cream shop because there are 30+ flavors…and in the end I default to either of my two favorites because it’s just too much to think about (Zoreo and Rhubarb Crumble if you’re curious) (Source: “The Paradox of Choice” article from The Decision Lab)

Parenting, business, and leadership all highlight control’s limits. 

In 2022, I was trying to build a one-stop-shop of marketing agencies. My plan was to develop a variety of offers for a variety of businesses: online groups, done-for-you services, social media, websites, podcasts, strategy, small businesses, large corporations, you name it, I would do it. I was trying to make something for everybody and craft it in a way that looked and sounded like me while implementing a team of people to make it happen.

I was offering the most affordable prices possible for clients, while paying a fair rate to my employees and contractors. I was saying “yep, I got it handled” while reinventing the wheel countless times to satisfy my creativity and curiosity. And I wanted final say on everything out the door and all our marketing efforts.

The result: I was the bottleneck of the organization, leading to delays and dropped projects which ultimately made me unprofitable, over scheduled, stressed to the max, and ineffective. By trying to control everything, I actually ended up making the business worse. 

Reflection:
So, if control isn’t the answer, what is?

Maybe it’s trust.
Maybe it’s resilience.
Maybe it’s learning to change and evolve.
Maybe it’s speaking up and offering solutions, but making space for others to take on the responsibility of getting it done. 

The Molly in the photo above is from 2017. I was a mom of 4 kids on the timeline I dreamed up, married to my husband on the timeline I dreamed up, and in my first year of entrepreneurship that I never saw coming. I thought that if I cobbled together a business plan on a page for 5 years and 10 years down the road, I would have a sure roadmap to success (lolllzzzzz).

Little did I know that a year later in the summer of 2018, one of our daughters would be hospitalized for two months and I would not be able to work in my business at all. 

Little did I know that by 2022, the agency I had planned on a page was all but realized…but it was not as functional or fulfilling as I thought it would be.

Little did I know that by 2024, I would be less interested in building a one-stop marketing shop than guiding ambitious women to develop their own businesses to help them achieve success while avoiding the pitfalls I experienced along the way. 

Little did I know that by 2025, I would be interviewing dream guests with viral posts on my podcast, while unpacking how little control we have in that process.

In short: you can only control what you can control. When you accept that there are some things you can’t change, you can ground yourself in the things you do have agency in and do your best.