Why Every Entrepreneur Should Write a CV (Even If You Are Not Hiring)

It sounds counterintuitive. Why would I, a business owner, need a Curriculum Vitae? I am the one doing the hiring, not the one looking for a job. For years, I thought the same. But over time, I discovered that updating my CV was not an exit strategy—it was a survival strategy.

Visualizing the "Invisible" Strides

In the early years of running my business, success was slow. Painfully slow. There were months where the only thing growing was my anxiety. I had failed in a few previous ventures, and I started to question everything. Am I actually good at this? Have I achieved anything, or am I just spinning my wheels?

That is when I sat down to write my CV. Not to send it out, but just to document.

The process was revealing. I was forced to articulate what I had actually done. I saw that even in the "failed" projects, I had negotiated complex partnerships, built products from scratch, and managed crises that would break most people. Writing it down helped me visualize the big strides hidden inside those seemingly small failures. It turned my struggle into a track record of resilience.

The Validation of "Still Having It"

Entrepreneurship has its dark valleys—those down times when contracts dry up and confidence hits rock bottom. In those moments, I would occasionally do something secret: I would send out a job application.

I had no intention of taking the job. But when I received an invitation to interview, I felt a rush of relief. I wouldn't pursue it further, but that email was the validation I desperately needed. It told me, "You have bankable skills. The market still values you."

Knowing that I had a safety net—that I was employable—gave me the impetus to push on. It quieted the voice of impostor syndrome and allowed me to double down on my business with renewed confidence.

A Blueprint for Hiring

Perhaps the most practical benefit was this: writing my CV showed me exactly who I wasn't.

By listing my core competencies, the gaps became glaringly obvious. I could see where I was weak—whether it was in detailed financial planning or technical operations. This realization transformed my hiring strategy.

Instead of hiring people just like me, I learned to hire for my deficiencies. My CV became a map that guided me to the right talent. If my strength was vision and sales, I knew my first hire needed to be an operator. Writing my CV didn't just help me know myself; it helped me build a team that completed me.

Conclusion

If you are an entrepreneur feeling stuck or overwhelmed, try this experiment. Open IpoSiku and draft your CV. You might be surprised to find that the reassurance and clarity you are looking for has been in your career history all along.