Hala Taha

But like ultimately, there's always going to be that leader.

And I never took for granted the idea that because I was on the founding team, I would be a good CEO.

I think that's actually a huge misnomer.

And I think it's it's why some companies fail, because the people who were there at the beginning who were brave enough to start the company aren't

are definitely not often the right people to run the company.

And while it's incredibly valuable to have a founder running the company,

You have to be leveling up every single day.

I mean, literally every, sometimes multiple times a day to be the person that's most deserving of that title.

I wasted so much time asking myself, what would Kevin do?

I mean, he was right there, but I worried that I was not doing it anywhere as good as he was.

And I really wish I could have all that time back because I just did it different, you know, and that's not better or worse.

I think in some instances it was worse and in some instances it was better.

Certainly, you know, table stakes are strategy, financials, ability to communicate a compelling vision.

What kind of skills were like, okay, like Kevin was doing this, this and that.

I've got to figure, like, was it like the financials?

I mean, that was like, you know, I think what everybody needs to have.

Or like, what kind of skills were you thinking?

Like, I've got to nail this down in order to be the best CEO that's going to take this company public.

I think some of the things that I learned later after COVID made me, leading through COVID made me stop asking myself questions.

what somebody else would do and start really getting behind what I knew we needed to do.