From employee to founder: lessons in building companies that last
Moving from a steady job to running your own company changes how you think about money, people and time. A few principles have guided me along the way.
In this article
Before founding Aimer Merchants and Infosystem Technology, I spent years inside established finance firms. That experience taught me how good organisations run — and gave me the confidence to build my own. Here are the lessons I share most often with people making the same move.
Build on what you know
Your first business is most likely to succeed in a field you understand deeply. Experience gives you credibility with customers and helps you spot problems early.
Protect your runway
Plan how long you can operate before the business pays you. Keep fixed costs low at the start, and grow your team only as revenue allows.
Hire for character, train for skill
Skills can be taught; honesty, ownership and curiosity are much harder to teach. A small team of reliable people will outperform a larger team without trust.
Systems free the founder
Document how work is done — from onboarding a client to closing the monthly accounts. Systems let the business run without you in every conversation, and that is what makes it last.
Keep learning in public
Join associations, speak at events and mentor others. Teaching sharpens your own thinking, and the relationships you build will open doors you could not have planned.
A company lasts when its values are clear enough to guide decisions you are not in the room for.
If you are planning your own move into entrepreneurship and would value a mentoring conversation, get in touch.
Written by
Sabina Yesmin Shimu
Entrepreneur and finance professional with over fifteen years of experience. Founder Chairperson of Aimer Merchants Ltd. and Infosystem Technology Ltd., Director at EduQuest, and an advocate for women in business and IT.
