Entrepreneur takes big step in removing herself from operations

It was a pair of 100s — more than 100 employees and $100 million in annual revenue — that led Sarah Kauss a few years ago to a big decision: The founder of S’well, which sells insulated stainless steel water bottles, decided to hire a CEO. The hire would represent the first time since Kauss founded the business in 2010 that she wouldn’t be captaining nearly every day-to-day decision.

Over the course of a year of meetings and interviews, Kauss learned a lot about the eventual CEO she hired, Hugh Rovit, who previously ran a $175 million home decor business, Ellery Homestyles. She also learned a key, albeit well-traveled entrepreneurial lesson, that in many cases, for a business to thrive, the founder has to get out of the weeds and into a visionary mindset.