Founder Mode: Thoughts
By Josh Bobrowsky
Recently Paul Graham published his latest writing called Founder Mode. The piece has gone viral and also hits home for founders.
Before we go further it is worth noting that Founder Mode may in fact become a cliche term as it has caught viral traction and feels easy to use.
What is Founder Mode
When you are a founder you have to lean into what makes YOU and your company exceptional. These things often won’t be found in a textbook, aren’t taught in college and might not be fully understood by your stack of VCs funding the deal.
He describes the two “modes” of running a company as Founder Mode and Manager Mode. Founder mode is doing things that may be unconventional but yield outsized results.
Inversely, manager mode is more focused on managing people. It is more like painting by numbers but for business.
As a founder you will be told by countless “smart” people who have never built a company the “right” way for you to run your business. Your best path forward is often to ignore the experts and follow your vision.
Jeff Bezos: Harvard 1997
In 1997, Jeff Bezos, then the founder and CEO of a relatively new company called Amazon, visited Harvard Business School to participate in a case study discussion about his company. At the time, Amazon was primarily known as an online bookstore, and the company was still in its early stages, having been founded just three years earlier in 1994.
The Harvard class was made up of some of the top conventional business minds learning the best and most proven methods for business at the time.
At the end of his presentation, the class at Harvard told Jeff:
You seem like a really nice guy, so don't take this the wrong way, but you really need to sell to Barnes & Noble and get out now.
Value of Amazon and Barnes & Noble in 1997
Amazon: $600 Million
Barnes & Noble: $2 Billion
Current Value
Amazon: $1.87 Trillion
Barnes & Noble: $340 Million
Since that class Amazon has increased in value well over 2,000x and the tried and true business of Barnes & Noble has dropped over 80% in value.
Doing it vs learning about it
To paraphrase Brian Chesky:
If you wanted to climb a mountain you would likely take advice from experienced mountain climbers. You would be less likely to take advice from someone who had never climbed but read many books on climbing and took a helicopter to the top of the mountain.
The same is true in business.
Think carefully about who you take advice from. Remember as a founder you don’t fit into a box and are not limited to other’s perception of your skillset.
Conclusion
Founder mode means as a founder trusting yourself and realizing that what you have to offer your business is often more than what can be easily measured. Like Jeff Bezos and Brian Chesky you should trust yourself beyond the experts, especially experts who have never done what you want to do.
If you have a vision of changing the world you can’t be consensus driven. Believe in yourself. You might be shocked at what you can accomplish.
Cheers
Josh Bobrowsky