The 85% Rule Every Founder Needs to Hear Ft. Kevin Kinsella | Ep 56

In this episode of Vision Untethered, Jill Simonds sits down with Kevin Kinsella, entrepreneur, business advisor, and Vistage Chair, to explore one of the biggest challenges facing founders: knowing when to stop doing everything themselves. Drawing from more than four decades of entrepreneurial experience, including founding an Inc. 500 company and working with more than 100 small business owners, Kevin shares the lessons he learned from both his successes and failures. This conversation goes deep into the leadership shifts required to move a business beyond the founder. Kevin explains his “85% Rule”: if someone can do something 85% as well as you can, it may be time to delegate it. For founders who believe nobody can do the job quite like they can, that shift can be one of the hardest—and most important—steps toward growth. Jill and Kevin also unpack what happens when teams are afraid to make mistakes, why leaders can accidentally create cultures of fear, and the difference between playing to win and playing not to lose. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why founders often become the biggest bottleneck in their own growth • Kevin's “85% Rule” for knowing when to delegate • Why perfectionism can prevent a business from reaching its next level • How fear of disappointing the founder affects team performance • The difference between playing to win and playing not to lose • Why shared wisdom can accelerate years of learning • How leaders can create an environment where people feel safe to make decisions • Why growth requires founders to let go of control If you're a founder, CEO, entrepreneur, or business leader who feels like everything still depends on you, this episode offers a candid look at what may need to change before your company can truly scale. #podcast #leadership #businessgrowth #entrepreneur #motivation