Blog

Founder Mode – Episode 24 – Best of Founder Mode I

by Cait Anderson

EPISODE 24: A special “best of” highlight reel from our first 20 episodes: we reframe luck as reps and compounding, warn founders about burnout’s hidden interest, and show how AI can supercharge solo building without replacing your voice. We dig into making clear asks and saying “no” to protect focus, why empathy is the real product moat, and how durable edges come from hardware + proprietary data and real-world feedback. You’ll hear scrappy GTM plays (like sub-50 sq ft kiosks and Kickstarter’s customer collision), safety-first execution from nuclear to drones, pre-LLM agents, the 80/20 (AI/human) rule for content, and why creators should monetize ownership—not just virality.

youtube logo
spotify logo
apple podcast logo

Founder Mode

Top Articles

Frank Growth – Episode 203 – Acquisitions and Inorganic Growth with Trevor Houghton

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Frank Growth – Episode 203 – Acquisitions and Inorganic Growth with Trevor Houghton

Episode #203: Trevor Houghton — How to buy growth without risking cash How founders use acquisitions to grow without betting the company.For operators considering their first inorganic deal. Trevor Houghton is CEO of Pass Galleries and a former private equity and corporate development operator. He breaks down how founders can use acquisitions to increase enterprise...
Frank Growth – Episode 202 – How Investors Think About Growth with John Connolly

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Frank Growth – Episode 202 – How Investors Think About Growth with John Connolly

Episode #202: John Connolly – Make your growth story hold up in investor diligence How to present growth so it is defensible, measurable, and scalable.For founders raising and operators building board-ready growth reporting.John Connolly is a Managing Director at Spectrum Equity, and he explains what he expects to see when a company tells a growth...
Frank Growth – Episode 201 – Building Your Growth Operating System with Cait Anderson

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Frank Growth – Episode 201 – Building Your Growth Operating System with Cait Anderson

Episode #201: Cait Anderson — Building trust into a repeatable growth system Trust breaks faster than funnels. This episode is for operators trying to make growth predictable without killing speed.Cait Anderson is Chief Marketing Officer at Winston Francois. In this conversation, she and Jason unpack what actually makes a growth system sustainable: predictable returns, clear...
Founder Mode – Episode 37 – Simple Design is Best with Austin Boer

Thursday, December 18, 2025

Founder Mode – Episode 37 – Simple Design is Best with Austin Boer

EPISODE 37: In this episode of Founder Mode, Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton sit down with Austin Boer, co-founder of Sleke, to unpack what it takes to build a “dumb phone” that still supports modern life. Austin shares how a simple insight from the r/dumbphone subreddit shaped Sleke’s mission: people want fewer distractions, not less...

See more

Browse Categories

See more

Ready to unlock your growth?

Book Free Call

We take a custom approach to your growth goals by assembling and leading the best-in-class marketing team to support your next stage.