The owner cannot be the sales process

Founder involvement is useful in major relationships. Founder dependence is expensive everywhere.

Look for the clues

Deals pause when you are away. Prices need your approval. Customer information lives in chats. Reps bring problems without recommendations. Forecasts improve when you personally inspect them.

Start with one handover: define how a qualified opportunity moves from first conversation to proposal. Add decision rules, required information and clear ownership.

Do not document a fantasy

Write the process people can follow on a busy Tuesday. Test it with the team. Remove steps that exist only because they look sophisticated in a flowchart.

A strong system does not remove the owner. It lets the owner work where judgement matters most.