The Functional Founder with Themi Stergianos

Are you building a business, or have you created a job for yourself?

In this episode of The Functional Founder, I explore the importance of building a business that doesn't depend entirely on you. As entrepreneurs, we can get caught up in trying to solve every problem ourselves, but sustainable growth often starts with asking a better question: “Who can help me?”

I share my perspective on finding the right people, building strong relationships and creating a business that can operate profitably while growing its team and delivering value to customers.

If you're an entrepreneur, contractor or business owner looking to grow beyond doing everything yourself, this conversation is for you.

Listen to the episode, share it with another business owner, and follow The Functional Founder for more conversations about entrepreneurship, leadership and business growth.

From the archives of The Functional Founder.

This week, we're revisiting a conversation with Themy Stergi about one of the realities every entrepreneur faces: the inevitable dips that come with building a business.

Themy gets honest about the difficult periods, taking accountability, building systems, developing a team and creating a business that can grow beyond the founder.

He also shares the bigger vision behind LabWorks and why he's focused on building a machine that can create opportunities for his team, create employment and leave a lasting legacy.

The conversation is a reminder that entrepreneurship isn't always about the wins. It's about staying in the game, learning through the difficult periods and continuing to build.

Listen to the full episode of The Functional Founder.

In this episode, I get into the side of entrepreneurship that doesn't usually make it into business books: the internal work it takes to hold things together when everything feels like it's going wrong at once.

I walk through a stretch where a theft cost me my ID, cards, and luggage, followed by a vehicle breakdown and an insurance claim that didn't cover what I expected. In moments like these, the usual playbook strategy, systems, financial discipline only gets you so far. What actually carries you through is what's happening underneath: your focus, your ability to find gratitude even when it's hard, and whether you can stay grounded when things are genuinely difficult.

I also talk about how a founder's internal state doesn't stay internal it ripples down through the whole team, whether we mean it to or not.

What's inside

• Why setbacks compound, and what it takes to keep functioning through more than one at a time
• The difference between what you can control and what you can't, and why that distinction matters more under pressure
• How gratitude functions as a practical tool, not just a nice idea
• Why a founder's mindset directly shapes the culture around them
• What resilience actually looks like when you're building a business in a tougher operating environment

Who this is for
Founders and business owners who've had a week (or a month) where everything hit at once, and who want to hear an honest account of what it takes to keep moving instead of a polished version of events.

If you've ever had a stretch where it felt like the world was working against you, this episode is about what happens on the other side of that and how to keep building anyway.

In this episode, I explore the side of entrepreneurship that rarely makes it into business books: the internal work required to survive the moments when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

I reflect on a period when cash flow was under pressure, a legal dispute was unfolding, and toxic behaviour was affecting the culture all at the same time. In moments like these, financial models and business frameworks only take you so far. What gets you through is what’s happening underneath: your mindset, emotional resilience, vulnerability, and ability to stay grounded.

I also share a personal experience with breathwork and how it challenged the way I think about anxiety, decision-making, and personal growth as a founder.

What’s inside

• Why founders can become experts at hiding anxiety and pressure
• The difference between transactional business skills and transformational personal growth
• How breathwork helped me approach decisions from a calmer place
• Why founders often neglect their health, family, emotions, and inner development
• What I’m learning about leading a business while continuing to work on myself

Who this is for
Founders, CEOs, and high-performers who look like they have everything under control but know there’s more happening beneath the surface.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re white-knuckling your way through a difficult season, this conversation explores what happens when you stop focusing only on the business and start working on the person running it.

In this episode, I explore what it really means to lead with authenticity especially when the people on your team are going through difficult things outside of work.

I share a personal experience with a team member who was struggling and how one simple message “Don’t beat yourself up. We love you.” reminded me that leadership isn’t always about pushing harder. Sometimes it’s about knowing when to give someone space, compassion, and a reason to believe they can get through it.

For me, building a scalable business isn’t about creating a company that depends on one “genius” at the top. It’s about creating an environment where people can grow, perform, and still be treated like human beings.

What’s inside

• Why authenticity can change the way leaders connect with their teams
• The difference between maintaining standards and being ruthless with people
• Why personal struggles sometimes follow us into the workplace
• How compassion can create stronger teams and better performance
• Why I’m building a business designed to work without me

Who this is for
Founders, leaders, and business owners who want high-performing teams without losing the human side of leadership.

If you’re trying to build a business where people are accountable, capable, and genuinely cared for, this episode explores what that can look like in practice.

In this episode, I explore the uncomfortable side of technology the way our phones, streaming, and constant digital distractions may be pulling us further away from real human connection.

I share a simple observation from my own life: how much time we can spend consuming content without really asking what we’re getting from it. And I question whether our constant need to escape is connected to something deeper a lack of meaning.

This isn’t an argument against technology. It’s a question about what happens when technology becomes a substitute for connection, presence, and real life.

What’s inside

• Why we’re constantly connected digitally but increasingly disconnected emotionally
• How much of our lives we may be spending consuming rather than experiencing
• Why a lack of meaning could be driving our need to “check out”
• What happens when we stop looking up and start looking around
• Why real human connection may be more important than ever

Who this is for
Anyone who feels constantly distracted, digitally connected, but somehow less present in real life.

If you’ve ever looked around and wondered where everyone’s attention has gone, this conversation might make you look at your own habits differently.

This episode is about what happened when I stopped trying to compete on price and started asking a different question: What can my business do that competitors can’t easily copy?

After losing a nearly R1 million project to a cheaper competitor, I had to make a choice. I could keep competing on price, or I could build something harder to replicate.

For me, that became our team.

I share how we’ve built culture, customer experience, and accountability into the way we operate  and why creating a business that genuinely cares can become a sustainable competitive advantage. 

What’s inside

• Why competing on price can become a race to the bottom
• How I turned our team and culture into our “purple car”
• Why a great customer experience is harder to copy than a product
• How showcasing your culture can attract both better clients and better people
• Why building the business around your team not the founder creates long-term value

Who this is for
Founders, business owners, and operators who are tired of competing on price and want to build something genuinely different.

If you’re wondering what your business could own that competitors can’t simply copy, this episode will give you a different way to think about competitive advantage.

This episode is about the decisions we delay because they feel risky and why waiting for certainty can quietly keep us stuck.

I share the story of my daughter rewriting her maths exam after missing the marks for the degree she really wanted. It wasn’t the easy path. It meant more work, more sacrifice, and more uncertainty. But by committing first, she created the pressure to grow into the opportunity.

It reminded me of one of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a founder: sometimes you have to make the decision before you know exactly how it will work out.

What’s inside

• Why waiting for the "perfect time" often leads nowhere
• The power of creating a commitment before you have all the answers
• How stepping outside your comfort zone creates unexpected growth
• Why saying "yes" forces you to rise to the challenge
• The mindset that helped me build my business by committing first and figuring it out later

Who this is for
Founders, entrepreneurs, and anyone standing at a crossroads, unsure whether to take the leap.

If there’s a decision you’ve been postponing because it feels uncomfortable or uncertain, this episode will challenge you to stop waiting for confidence and start creating it by taking action.

This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at something most founders overlook: the connection between internal standards and external results.

I take you inside my business to show how we’re building a company that can operate without depending on me. From standard operating procedures and quality control to warehouse organisation and team ownership, every detail is designed to reinforce one belief: excellence starts long before you arrive at a client’s door.

Because culture isn’t something you talk about. It’s something people can see in the way your business operates every single day. 

What’s inside

• Why operational excellence begins behind the scenes, not in front of customers
• How small daily standards create long-term business success
• The role of ownership and accountability in building a scalable company
• Why systems alone aren’t enough without genuine care from your team
• How creating "house pride" transforms both culture and customer experience

Who this is for
Founders, business owners, and operators who want to build businesses that deliver exceptional service consistently — even when they’re not there.

If you're building a business that should one day run without you, this episode will challenge you to look beyond growth and focus on the standards your team lives every day.

This episode explores a hard truth I’ve learned after years of building businesses: culture doesn’t fail because the values are wrong. It fails because leaders stop reinforcing them.

I share the breakthrough that changed how I built my company, why I nearly walked away from the business altogether, and how creating what I call the Lab Manifesto became the foundation for building a team that could operate without me.

Because a vision may tell people where you're going. But culture decides whether you'll ever get there

What’s inside

• Why culture matters more than strategy when building a scalable business
• The breakthrough that stopped me from walking away from my company
• How I built the Lab Manifesto to create alignment and accountability
• Why hiring and firing should always reflect your values
• The leadership mistake that causes even great cultures to slowly disappear

Who this is for
Founders, business owners, and leaders who want to build a company that thrives without depending on them every day.

If you've invested time creating values but your team still isn't living them, this episode will challenge how you think about culture and what it really takes to make it stick.