At 19, Kristen Hadeed posted a Craigslist ad to clean one house so she could buy a pair of jeans. That single job grew into Student Maid, a company known around the world for how it developed its people, which she led for 14 years before becoming a full-time speaker and author.
In this episode of Fearless Founders, Kristen shares the moments that shaped her as a leader: competing for her first big contract with no business cards and a bathroom-stall pep talk, losing 45 of her 60 employees in a single day, and finding the courage to leave the company she built. She talks about why fear means you care, her 24-hour guideline for hard conversations, and the daily routine that keeps her from burning out.
Her advice to CEO students: fail as much as you can, because failing means you're trying.
Kristen is the author of Permission to Screw Up and her new book, Human Leadership: The Courage to Face Ourselves and Each Other.
