Month: August 2025

Podcast

Freedom Doesn’t Come From Growth Alone

By admin — 1 month ago

Most entrepreneurs start a business for two reasons: they want to do something better, and they want freedom. We build, we push forward, and eventually, we fix the problem. But freedom? That’s harder to reach.

We get caught in the fixing, and we convince ourselves that only if we grow, freedom will come. It took me time, and a few detours, to figure out how to build a business that doesn’t just work, but that works without me in every detail.

Now I focus less on fixing everything and more on building teams that run without me. Because freedom doesn’t come from growth alone. Freedom comes from clarity, structure, and a team that can move the business forward without me.

If you’re stuck in the fixing, maybe it’s time to design a business that frees you, not just feeds you.

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Podcast

The Real Burnout: Why Leadership Isn’t About Hardening Your Heart

By admin — 1 month ago

I cried the first time I had to fire someone. I felt it was my fault. As a founder, I’ve always believed we don’t just hire people, we invite them into our vision. We hope they’ll care as much as we do. And when they don’t, or when it doesn’t work, it feels like a personal failure.

For a long time, I kept people too long because I wanted to avoid admitting that failure. Instead, I twisted myself trying to make things work that clearly weren’t. I thought being a “good leader” meant being endlessly patient.

It took me years to understand that being a good leader actually means telling the truth kindly, clearly, and as soon as things become clear.

That’s why I believe most of us don’t burn out from overworking. We burn out from emotional entanglement, from holding the entire relationship on our shoulders, without anyone saying, “Hey, this isn’t working and here’s why.”

It took me years to learn that leadership isn’t about hardening your heart. It’s about keeping it open and acting anyway.

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Uncategorized

Entrepreneurship Isn’t Rowing Harder: It’s Knowing When to Hand Over the Oars

By admin — 2 months ago

Lake Bled looked effortless. But I bled sweat and tears.

This week in Slovakia, I visited Lake Bled with a friend. People were gliding across the water, smiling, and rowing with one hand like they were born for it. I told my friend, “Let’s rent a boat. I’ll row, I’ve got this.” The fact was, I’d never used a rowboat before—but how hard could it be?

Turns out, very hard. The oars were stiff, the boat barely moved, and I kept zigzagging across the water like a drunk duck. Halfway to the island, my arms were already aching. After what felt like an eternity—but really was only twenty minutes—we landed on the island. I was ready for a break.

But the break didn’t last long, because we had to return the boat. My friend offered to row, and I heard myself say, “No thanks, I’ve got this.” Somewhere, deep in my brain, I believed that accepting help made me weak.

I grew up with a strong mother who carried her own suitcases and fixed things in the house herself rather than asking for help. That mindset shaped me. So I rowed. And rowed. And rowed. A sweaty mess, water running down my back, trying to prove something no one was asking me to prove.

That’s when I realized: this is how I used to lead Gorilla Stationers in the beginning. Doing it all. First in, last out. Trying to earn respect by powering through everything alone. Believing that, as the boss, I had to look strong and prove it was my business.

It took me a decade to understand: entrepreneurship isn’t rowing harder—it’s knowing when to hand over the oars while still owning the journey.

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Podcast

When the System Forgets Entrepreneurs: Rethinking Employment in America

By admin — 2 months ago

I didn’t start a company to be told which chair to buy, how many minutes a lunch break has to be, or whether my break room snacks meet code. I started it because I believed in building something better, and I wanted a team to build it with.

But what I’ve learned over 13 years as a California employer is this: the system doesn’t trust employers to care about their people. It assumes we’re out to exploit, and it assumes compliance creates care. So it piles on rule after rule, not realizing that the weight of all this regulation doesn’t protect good people—instead, I believe it crushes the ones who are trying to be good people.

As a female entrepreneur, I’ve always wanted to give my team the best. Yet I’ve spent more time worrying about lunch break laws than about how to help my people grow. To me, that’s not what leadership is supposed to look like.

Because I believe the best entrepreneurs do care. We remember birthdays. We pull all-nighters. We put payroll before profit. Not because a rulebook told us to, but because that’s who we entrepreneurs are. But somewhere along the way, the system forgot that.

It breaks my heart that the system stifles the very people who build businesses. And I believe that by doing this, we’re not protecting workers—we’re shrinking futures. More and more founders I know are looking abroad, not for cheaper labor, but for the freedom to lead well again.

And that should worry us all. Because when the American dream becomes unlivable for its dreamers, the dream doesn’t die—it just moves to another country.

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Podcast

Delegation Done Right: Ethical Outsourcing That Changes Lives

By admin — 2 months ago

Kande used to work late nights folding jeans. Now she manages vendor emails for a U.S.-based client, and I’m not sure who’s happier—her or me. It’s stories like these that remind me every day that this isn’t just staffing:

It’s giving people a life they deserve.

I started outsourcing to Argentina to find more reliable help without breaking the bank. I needed support for my U.S. business, and Argentina offered:

  • Bilingual talent
  • Time-zone alignment
  • Cultural proximity

At the time, I only saw these three benefits. What I didn’t realize was the positive impact we could have on a hire in Argentina, and that’s what turned this into something bigger for me. Because what keeps me going isn’t the cost savings—it’s watching lives shift on both sides of the hire.

The story of Kande stands out to me. Before we worked together, she was in retail, working late shifts, enduring long commutes, and earning a paycheck that barely covered her bills. There were nights she even skipped meals just to save a few pesos. Then we placed her with a U.S.-based client: a remote role, an aligned time zone, and triple the pay. Everything changed.

She’s still working hard, but now she’s home when her kids are. She’s saving money for the first time and building confidence. She’s showing up energized and being seen for what she can do. That’s the part that never gets old for me.

I believe that when delegation is done right, everyone wins. This is ethical business.

 
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Podcast

The Hiring Conversation: Building Teams with Heart

By admin — 2 months ago

Some ideas arrive fully formed.
But others take years to find their place. For me, building companies has always been more than just building products or services. It’s about the people: 

The ones we hire, 
The ones we grow with, and sometimes 
The ones we have to let go. 


Over the years, I’ve come to embrace that people component more and more. Leadership without people at heart is nothing. That’s why I’m bringing back The Rosemary Czopek Podcast with a new season called ‘The Hiring Conversation’. I want this to be a place for candid, open talks with (women) founders about what it really takes to build great teams from people:How do they hire? 
How do they lead? 

  • And how do they build teams that last? 

We’ll talk about what worked, and most importantly, what didn’t. Because it’s the failures that teach us the most. Learning from those who’ve been there and are willing to share their experiences has always been the most effective for me. And that’s what I want this new season to be:

A place for mutual learning.

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Podcast

For a long time, I turned a blind eye to this…

By admin — 2 months ago

I’ve never posted much here, and definitely not personally.Yet I think it’s time I share why I’m doing what I’m doing.I believe it’s relevant to many other business owners around me. For years, I outsourced work to the Philippines.The numbers add up but it never feels quite right when a team member has to work a night shift while I enjoy the light of the day. 

I remember one call in particular: It was late afternoon my time and the middle of the night for her.She showed up to our call knowing that her kids would soon wake up, expecting a happy, well rested mom…

And I felt my discomfort.

She was sacrificing the quality of her family life while I was growing my business.Is this what work-life balance and team health are supposed to feel like? We say we care about work-life balance. About being values-driven. About team health. But when our business depends on someone else working shifts we would refuse, I struggle to look myself in the mirror. Aren’t we quietly lying to ourselves?I didn’t like asking that question because for a long time, I didn’t have a better solution.

Until a few years ago, when I flew to Buenos Aires for an EO conference, not expecting much. But something clicked and I realised I might have found a better way:

  • US-aligned time zones.
  • Cultural chemistry I hadn’t felt elsewhere.

I tested a few placements for my office supply business. It worked better than I expected.

So I built a team.

And now I’ve built a company around it. Staff4Half didn’t start as a business plan. It started as a gut check. I believe there’s a better way to build a company. If you’ve wrestled with this too, I’d love to hear your take.

———————-

Hi, I’m Rosemary. In the past 15 years, I’ve built three businesses in the US, Puerto Rico, and Argentina.

If you believe in leading with trust and building with heart, I invite you to follow me and connect with a community of founders building together.

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