The mode that built the company isn’t the one that runs it

In the early life of a product, founder mode is everything. You’re imagining, exploring, shipping, talking to users, fixing the obvious, building from scratch. The work is mostly creative and ad hoc.

At some point — usually after some real traction, a real customer base, real revenue — the demands of the business change. Things that worked when there were ten users now need to work for a thousand. Decisions that lived in your head now need to be shared. Work that was happening because you did it personally now needs to keep happening without you holding it together.

This is the shift from founder mode to operator mode. Not abandoning founder mode — you’ll need it again — but adding a complementary set of habits that keep the busine...

Moving from founder mode to operator mode