Monday, I was in the room with a can-do crew.
Smart. Grounded. Taking ownership. Doing the hard yards.
A few years ago, I was in the room with Hannah McQueen & the EnableMe team, before they sold for a price that, in the media’s words, “puts her in a position to never work again.”
Two strong founders. Two ambitious leaders.
Both prepared to do the work. Both implementing EOS.
This week, one is being celebrated widely.
The other is facing intense public scrutiny.
And it made me think…
How do narratives get formed around entrepreneurs?
I’ve seen it time & time again in NZ media.
One headline focuses on the exit. The valuation. The glamour.
Another focuses on receivership. Controversy. Sound bites.
But here’s what rarely makes the headline:
Entrepreneurship is messy.
It involves risk.
It involves imperfect decisions.
It involves failure.
It involves getting back up again.
I’ve worked with founders who’ve built extraordinary businesses that have changed lives. I’ve also worked with founders who’ve been through receivership, restructures, sleepless nights & public criticism.
Sometimes they’re the same people.
And for full transparency, I’ve been there too. I’ve experienced a voluntary receivership in one of my own businesses. I made the call. It wasn’t easy. It was confronting. It was humbling. And I’m a far better operator because of it.
We love a success story once it’s wrapped up neatly with a bow.
We’re less comfortable with the chapter where things fall apart.
But that chapter is often where the real growth happens.
Candoo Crew are at the beginning of their EOS journey.
They’re being used as clickbait right now.
Yet what I see in the room is very different from what’s being painted.
I see a dedicated, world-class team.
I see people who genuinely care.
I see leaders who want to fix what isn’t working & build something better.
I see heart.
Yes, there’s been a receivership.
Yes, there’s been failure.
Let’s be honest. Show me a successful entrepreneur who hasn’t stumbled at some point. Failure is data. Failure is tuition. Sometimes it’s the price of building something meaningful.
What frustrates me is not scrutiny. Scrutiny is healthy.
What frustrates me is when the story is one-dimensional.
There are always three sides to every story.
One party’s version.
The other party’s version.
And then the truth.
Real investigative journalism digs into all three.
Clickbait doesn’t.
I’m genuinely thrilled to see Hannah doing an incredible job with her new start-up. She deserves the recognition. She is an amazing entrepreneur who has changed her industry & helped many, many people across multiple ventures. The sale was hard won. The discipline behind it was real. The implementation work was real. The leadership growth was real.
I always choose to work with entrepreneurs who are making a huge difference in the world. Hannah has absolutely done that throughout her career.
And I wish we saw more stories celebrating founders who build, learn, adapt & start again.
I also wish reporters would do the full job when a business is under pressure. Present all sides. Explore the context. Acknowledge the charity work. The jobs created. The lives impacted. The intent.
Entrepreneurs are not cartoon characters. They’re not heroes or villains. They’re humans making high-stakes decisions in imperfect conditions.
That’s why I’m grateful for the work I do.
I only work with teams that want to make a huge difference in the world. Teams that are prepared to look in the mirror. Teams who want clarity, accountability & structure. Teams who are willing to own their mistakes & build something better.
That’s exactly what I see in Candoo Crew.
EOS is not about PR.
It’s about discipline.
It’s about transparency inside the business.
It’s about getting the right people in the right seats.
It’s about facing the brutal facts so you can build something sustainable.
Media cycles move fast.
Headlines fade.
Reputation evolves.
What lasts is character.
What lasts is how you respond when things go wrong.
What lasts is whether you keep showing up & doing the work.
And I’m proud to be in the room with founders who do exactly that.
As Hannah’s business partner & Integrator put it, EOS helped them each play to their strengths. Now they’re back in the saddle together to build again.
Entrepreneurship isn’t one chapter. It’s the whole book.
This section gives you quick access to 3 links - to articles, blogs, podcasts & stuff that will help you to create a better business & lead a better life.
Strengthen your EOS marketing for client growth.
Infuse your marketing with bold creativity and authenticity.
Cut your daily screen time to boost focus and wellbeing.
We are here to help you live a better life by creating a better business. We are real-life business owners with years of experience & a strong desire to make a huge difference to the lives of entrepreneurs.
If anything here resonates with you or you would like our help, then please get in contact. Just reply to this newsletter & let us know who you would like to speak to…. Or visit our webpage & contact any of our team from their own pages.
If you know someone who would benefit from reading this, then please forward it onto them. 💖
If you’d like to learn more about any of these tools or would like to find out how I can help you achieve a better life through creating a better business, then book a free Discovery Call with me.
We’ll talk about what you want to get from your business & your life & come up with a plan to do that!
Debra Chantry-Taylor
Certified EOS Implementer | Accredited Family Business Advisor | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Speaker & Workshop Facilitator
