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- Founder Mode for Merchants
Hey 👋
You’ve probably seen “Founder Mode” everywhere on social media — it’s that intense state of obsessing over every detail in your business, a mindset coined by Paul Graham from Y Combinator.
It’s actually the only thing keeping you from scaling your business to 8-figures 👀
In today’s post, we’ll go in-depth on what it really means to go from merchant to founder, and how to scale your brand in Founder Mode while staying sane 😂
Let’s get to it 🔥
1. What even is Founder Mode? 🕴️
Founder Mode is a state in which you “become” your business — you’re the person who sees things that others miss, the one who cares a bit too much about your brand (and that’s a good thing).
Paul Graham, founder of YC & an investor you know well, summed it up perfectly — founders have a unique, unshakable commitment to their company’s success.
But here’s the catch — many founders never leave that mode, even when they should. When they don’t leave it, they get overwhelmed, burnt out & become just another bottleneck in their brand 😬
2. Founder Mode in eCom - The Pros & 2 Big Cons 🤔
There are three big pros to Founder Mode for merchants:
1️⃣ Obsessive Product Knowledge
You know your products best, and what your customers expect from them (you also try to match those expectations as much as possible).
2️⃣ Healthy Perfectionism
The packaging, email copy, web UX, checkout — you notice what can be done better (and it’s not just you, your customers see & value the improvements, too).
3️⃣ Rapid Problem Solving
Instead of panicking when your website crashes or when a supplier didn’t deliver on time, you’re already finding the root cause & solving the problem.
..so what are the big cons to being in founder mode?
The first is micromanaging or doing things your team could easily handle — getting TOO involved in your business.
Secondly, never leaving founder mode. It’s something you should toggle when things get hairy or need your undivided attention, otherwise you just burn out in a few weeks — and a tired, unmotivated founder is the last thing your brand needs 😅
Luckily, you can get the most out of this mode, while scaling your brand & avoiding burnout.
P.S — Check out our 3-Minute Summer eCom Recap, we made the mountain of news bite-sized (and there’s a LOT of collabs you should know about 👀)
3. How To Scale Using Founder Mode (and not lose your sh**) 🧠
As a founder, you’re the beating heart of the brand, and your biggest goal is to make sure that heart doesn’t randomly stop beating 😂
Here’s what being in a “healthy” Founder Mode actually means (with examples):
1️⃣ Delegate Like You Actually Care
Look at things that drain your time — whether it’s customer service or inventory management, you need to trust your team with the bigger decisions (trusting them does NOT mean that you lose control)
We can see this in the case of Tim Brown & Joey Zwillinger from Allbirds (that $100M+ DTC Shoes brand everyone knows):
They completely trusted team members with operational tasks like supply chain management, and so Tim & Joey found a LOT more time to focus on the brand’s storytelling & creative vision.
2️⃣ Zooming In & Out
Founder Mode’s about hyper-focus, but scaling requires a bird’s-eye view — the trick here is not to nitpick & micro-manage, but be involved in every level of your brand.
Emily Weiss, founder of Glossier, THE $1.8B beauty brand, mastered this:
She even tested products herself to make they met the brand's high standards — all while maintaining a zoomed-out view and never micromanaging, being involved JUST enough to have the biggest impact as a founder & not spend more time than needed.
3️⃣ Founder Magic Can’t Be Outsourced
While you can & should delegate, as a founder, there are some things only you can do — like product innovation, creating partnerships, or brand storytelling, this is your founder magic, where you have the biggest impact.
Only Steph Korey & Jen Rubio from Away luggage (valuated at $600M+) personally crafted the brand narrative & made sure each suitcase was made to be functional in both design, and adventure — their involvement meant the brand’s storytelling never fell off.
4️⃣ You Make The Culture
Like it or not, you’re the one molding the brand culture. That’s why you must embody the core values of your brand, and make sure your brand’s vision remains intact even while scaling.
Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos (another $1B+ shoes brand), did this too well — he believed that a positive workplace culture directly impacts customer service & overall brand success.
His biggest core value was delivering a “WOW” through service. That same value was ingrained in every employee through the training & hiring processes.
P.S. — Tony’s also the founder of this wacky hair:
And that’s that! We covered what Founder Mode is, the pros & cons, and how to stay sane while being obsessed with your brand 😄
By the way, BFCM is just around the corner — click here for our guide to get ready in just under 180 seconds (it’s THE perfect opportunity to use Founder Mode 😎)
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