To explain how the role of an entrepreneur changes as the business evolves
6
Introduction to Theory: Key Terms
Entrepreneur
An individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards.
Delegation
The assignment of authority to another person to carry out specific activities. The person delegating remains accountable for the outcome.
Strategy
The long-term plan that sets out how a business will achieve its objectives.
7
The Role of the Entrepreneur: In the Beginning
In the beginning, the entrepreneur is the business. They are often completely hands-on and involved in every aspect of the business. Sometimes the entrepreneur is the only person working in the business!
Case Study: 'Stacey's Sweets' — When Stacey starts her online sweet shop, she does it all: she designs the website, buys the sweets from the wholesaler, packs the orders, takes them to the post office, and does her own marketing on TikTok. She is the ultimate 'doer'.
8
Pressure as the Business Grows
As a business grows successfully, it usually becomes impossible for one person to continue doing everything.
'Stacey's Sweets': Stacey's TikTok goes viral. Suddenly, she has dozens, and then hundreds of orders a week. She can no longer pack all the orders herself, answer all the customer emails and DMs, and manage the stock. She is overwhelmed. If she doesn't change her role, the business will fail.
9
Moving from 'doing' to 'leading'
To allow the business to grow, the entrepreneur must transition from being a hands-on 'doer' to being a strategic 'leader'. This involves three key changes:
Delegation: Stacey must hire staff and delegate tasks to them.
Management: She now must manage people, set them targets, monitor their performance, and motivate them.
Strategy: She must step back from day-to-day operations to focus on the bigger picture.
10
The Challenge of 'Letting Go'
This transition can be very difficult for many entrepreneurs.
Loss of Control: The business is their 'baby', and they can find it hard to trust others.
Lack of Management Skills: Being a great entrepreneur is not the same as being an effective manager of people.
Fear of Being Less Involved: The entrepreneur can struggle to step back into a more strategic role.
11
Knowledge Task: Leading Vs Doing
Sort these entrepreneurial tasks under 'Doing' or 'Leading':
Packing orders, cold calling clients, sourcing long-term suppliers, signing off orders, setting the vision, handling complaints, market & competitor analysis, financial planning, ordering office supplies, growth plans, updating the website, responding to emails.
12Lesson Overview — Where Are We?
The Changing Role of Entrepreneurs
(Recap — see slide 5)
13
Gymshark: Ben Francis
Ben Francis founded Gymshark in 2012 while a student, initially making and selling fitness clothing online from a small operation in Birmingham. In the early days, he was involved in almost everything: designing products, packing orders, managing the website, contacting fitness influencers and dealing with customers. As Gymshark grew into a global sportswear brand, his role changed — he stepped back from day-to-day tasks to focus more on leadership, strategy, brand building, culture and long-term growth.
1. What kinds of tasks would Ben Francis have done himself in the early stages of Gymshark? 2. Why does the role of an entrepreneur need to change as a business grows from a start-up into a larger organisation? 3. Is the ability to delegate and "let go" of day-to-day control one of the most important skills for a successful entrepreneur? Justify your answer.
14Lesson Review
The Changing Role of Entrepreneurs
(Final recap — see slide 5)
Companion Material — beyond the lesson
Real-World Case Studies
Deliveroo — Will Shu (from rider to CEO of a global company)
Will Shu co-founded Deliveroo in 2013 and was famously its first delivery rider, personally learning the operational challenges of the business. As Deliveroo grew into a multinational company — taken over by DoorDash in October 2025 — Shu's role shifted to leading a full executive team, including a Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Officer. This mirrors the lesson's "doer to leader" transition, just at a much larger scale than Stacey's Sweets.
Source: verified via search, September 2026 — Deliveroo company history and leadership structure.
BrewDog — James Watt and Martin Dickie stepping back
James Watt and Martin Dickie founded BrewDog in a shed in Fraserburgh, Scotland, in 2007, doing the brewing and running the business themselves. As BrewDog grew into a large international brewer, both founders eventually stepped back from day-to-day leadership roles — Watt stepped down as CEO in 2024, and Dickie left the business in 2025 — handing operational control to a professional leadership team, illustrating how the founder's role can change dramatically as a company matures.
Source: verified via search, September 2026 — BrewDog company history.
Quick Quiz
Pick an answer for instant feedback. Your score is just for you — it isn't saved anywhere.
1. What is "delegation"?
2. In the "Stacey's Sweets" case study, what caused Stacey to become overwhelmed?
3. Which of these is one of the three key changes needed when an entrepreneur moves from "doing" to "leading"?
4. According to the lesson, why can "letting go" be difficult for entrepreneurs?
Score: 0 / 0
Exam-Style Practice
Define the term 'delegation'. (2 marks)
Model answer
Delegation is the assignment of authority to another person to carry out specific activities, while the person delegating remains accountable for the outcome.
Explain one challenge an entrepreneur might face when delegating tasks as their business grows. (4 marks)
Model answer
One challenge is loss of control — the entrepreneur may find it hard to trust others to complete tasks to the standard they would themselves, since the business often feels personal to its founder, which can slow down necessary delegation.
Analyse the challenges an entrepreneur might face as their business grows, using an example. (9 marks)
Model answer structure
Point: A key challenge as a business grows is that the entrepreneur can no longer stay hands-on with every task themselves.
Application: Stacey's Sweets saw a sudden viral surge in orders overwhelm its small team, leading to unfulfilled orders and struggling customer service.
Analysis: This shows that without delegating tasks and building a management structure, a growing business can suffer operational breakdown even while demand for its product remains strong.
Matching Activity
Tap a term, then tap its matching definition.
0 of 4 matched
Key Term Flashcards
0 known · 0 still learning
Tap a card to flip it, then rate yourself.
Delegation
Assigning authority to another person to carry out tasks, while remaining accountable for the outcome.
Strategy
The long-term plan that sets out how a business will achieve its objectives.
"Doer" to "Leader"
The shift from hands-on tasks to strategic leadership as a business grows.
Loss of control
A key challenge of delegation — struggling to trust others with tasks the founder used to do themselves.
A*/A Stretch
Synoptic link
Connecting to human resources: An entrepreneur's transition from "doer" to "leader" links directly to leadership styles (covered later in Unit 3.2). A founder who struggles to delegate may default to an autocratic style out of habit, even when the business has grown large enough to need a more democratic or laissez-faire approach from its wider management team.
Examiner's eye
Don't just state "the entrepreneur needs to delegate" as if it's automatic — strong answers explain the specific barrier to delegation (e.g. loss of control, lack of management skill) and link it to a consequence for the business (e.g. bottlenecks, poor decision-making at scale).
Try This With AI
Before using this: AI tools can get facts or mark scheme details wrong, and quality varies by tool. Always check anything factual against your notes or ask your teacher.
Give me a short business scenario about a founder struggling to let go of control as their company grows. Then ask me to identify the risks of NOT delegating, and mark my answer against what a strong AQA A-Level Business response would include.