# Growing the Founder: Andrew Poles on the Leadership Gap in Entrepreneurship - Episode 79

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-reluctant-entrepreneur-podcast-7049244/growing-the-founder-andrew-poles-on-the-leadership-gap-in-entrepreneurship-episode-79-2
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-reluctant-entrepreneur-podcast-7049244/growing-the-founder-andrew-poles-on-the-leadership-gap-in-entrepreneurship-episode-79-2.md
Podcast: [The Reluctant Entrepreneur Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-reluctant-entrepreneur-podcast-7049244)
Published: 2026-05-04T07:09:12+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/growing-the-founder-andrew-poles-on-the-leadership-gap-in-entrepreneurship-episode-79--70617991
Audio file: https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/70617991/re_79_ap_01.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-reluctant-entrepreneur-podcast-7049244/episodes/growing-the-founder-andrew-poles-on-the-leadership-gap-in-entrepreneurship-episode-79-2
Duration seconds: 3753

## Resource

Many people believe that the hardest part of starting and growing a business is coming up with the right idea, finding customers, or raising capital. But according to today’s guest, the most difficult challenge entrepreneurs face may be something far more personal: becoming the leader their company needs them to be. Decisions become more complex. Teams get larger. The stakes get higher. And the skills that helped someone start the business are often not the same skills required to lead it at scale. My guest today, Andrew Poles, has spent more than two decades working with entrepreneurs and executives who are navigating exactly that challenge. As an executive coach and multi-time founder, Andrew focuses on helping leaders grow into the role their companies demand of them. He has worked with thousands of founders and executives to help them manage the pressure of leadership, build stronger teams, and scale their businesses without sacrificing their health, their relationships, or their sanity. Today we’re going to talk about the leadership gap many founders encounter, the pressure that comes with scaling a business, and why growing yourself may be the most important part of growing your company. Andrew's Website: 'https://andrewpoles.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpoles/

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## Transcript

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