You don’t have to burn yourself out to build a successful business.

I learned that the hard way.

On paper, everything looked great.
✔ Built three businesses to $200M in revenue
✔ Bootstrapped a service business to $25M with 25 people in five years
✔ Scaled a VC-backed tech company to $28M ARR in under two years with just 12 people
✔ Made a double-sided consumer marketplace profitable in three months with a five-person team
✔ Raised $30M in venture capital

But behind the scenes, I was exhausted, constantly putting out fires, and convinced the business would fall apart if I stepped away.

So I pushed harder, thinking that was the only way.

Then life forced me to stop.

I ran headfirst into a glass window. A concussion took me out for eight weeks. No emails, no meetings, no problem-solving. For the first time, I couldn’t step in to fix things.

And when I came back, I was shocked. The business hadn’t just survived. It had thrived.

That moment forced me to question everything.

I always thought the key to scaling was working harder and building better systems. And systems did help. But what really made the difference wasn’t the business. It was me.

I had built a company that depended on me, not because it had to, but because I didn’t know how to let go. I believed that stepping back meant losing control. That if I wasn’t involved in everything, things would fall apart.

That belief had to change.

Learning to trust my team, step back, and stop being the bottleneck wasn’t easy. But once I did, everything changed.

The systems worked because I let them. My team thrived because I gave them space. And the business grew faster than ever, not because I was in every decision, but because I wasn’t.

Now, I help founders do the same.

Most founders come to me because they feel stuck. They’re scaling, but at the cost of their time, health, and freedom. It doesn’t have to be that way.

If you’re ready to build a business that grows without you being in the weeds, join me for daily insights on scaling, leadership, and personal growth.

Let’s get started.
—--
Curious to know more?
⚫️ Join my newsletter – Get insights on building big businesses with small teams. 
https://bit.ly/4h4PJNK

⚫️ The 20 Hour CEO – My playbooks, systems, and frameworks to help you scale without burnout.
https://bit.ly/4hTrItY

⚫️ 1:1 CEO Coaching – If you want direct guidance to break free from the grind, let’s talk. 

Let’s connect:
Email: hello@christinecarrillo.com
Twitter: @ChristineCarril

Christine Carrillo

Wellen

Wellen is on a mission to empower healthy aging through personalized, evidence-based wellness programs. Join us here: www.getwellen.com

Backed by Long Journey Ventures, Village Global and Dream Machine and advisors/angels including the founders of Forward, Patient Ping/Bamboo Health and Komodo Health.

Founder & CEO

Founders Factory 

Founder-in-Residence

Sesame

First hire. Led product development from ideation through launch nationwide during the pandemic and helped scale the company to 40+ employees across NYC and Berlin.

Founding Team, Head of Product

Prolific Interactive (Acquired by WeWork)

Clients: SmileDirectClub, TJX, Epicured, The Wing, Sesame

UX Designer

Code and Theory

Clients: New York Life, New York Life Ventures, Comcast, Pearson

Associate Creative Strategist

Priya Patel Photography

Stay-at-home mom and photographer. Ran a lifestyle, fashion and fine art photography business with work published on Style Me Pretty, Brooklyn Bride and The Little Umbrella.

Photographer

SideTour (Acquired by Groupon)

Assisted in launch of marketplace that helped people discover and book authentic experiences created and offered by locals. Acquired by Groupon in 2013.

Consultant/TechStars Participant

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Managed complex M&A transactions, including advising clients, managing teams of attorneys, and drafting and negotiating agreements.

Associate, Mergers & Acquisitions

American India Foundation

Launched a not-for-profit company selling fair trade products from Indian artisans direct to consumers and wholesale to U.S. retailers, including ABC Carpet & Home, Barnes & Noble and VivaTerra.

Marketing & Operations, League of Artisans

Gramshree

Managed export and wholesale efforts for products manufactured by underprivileged women and rural artisans in India.

Social Entrepreneur

I’m the founder of Wellen and we’re on a mission to inspire and empower healthier living and active aging through holistic, personalized and science-backed care. We're starting with a personalized exercise program for the 1 in 2 women over 50 who will break a bone due to osteoporosis.

In the past, I’ve led product and design for a healthcare marketplace for direct-to-patient care, helped take an online marketplace for people to book unique experiences from inception to launch, established the e-commerce channel and supply chain for a not-for-profit company that sold products made by artisans in India to retailers like ABC Carpet & Home, negotiated complex sales and acquisitions for clients like Google, and collaborated with and managed massive teams of lawyers to restructure companies during the financial crisis. 

I'm passionate about using my unique combination of analytical and creative skills to give users a voice and build products that solve real problems.

taplio

The Battle

Christine Carrillo

Priya Patel

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?