A few months ago, Paul Graham sparked conversations in the startup world with his essay on the tension between “Founder Mode” and “Manager Mode.” His thoughts were inspired by Brian Chesky of Airbnb, who found that scaling with conventional management wisdom—hiring great people and stepping back—wasn’t working. Chesky found success only when he reconnected with a hands-on, founder-driven approach.
That insight resonated with me. As a founder, you’re constantly balancing between stepping back and staying engaged. We’re often told to “hire smart people and let them take the reins,” but what if, in doing so, you lose sight of what made your company unique? My journey with BuildOps has shown that while delegation is important, it’s equally crucial to stay close enough to see where things are heading. Sometimes, the advice to “let go” feels like a recipe for losing your company’s soul.
For instance, early into our journey we were advised to focus solely on our core service platform. “Don’t get distracted,” our investors said. But as I listened to our customers, they described challenges that went beyond what we initially offered—pain points holding them back. To address their needs, we built a unified platform that combined service operations and project management—something that hadn’t existed in the market before. Taking a calculated risk, we reallocated development resources, invested in additional engineers, and got creative to stay on track. It wasn’t easy, but the solution we built became one of our strongest differentiators, proving that the best decisions sometimes come from going against the grain.
It’s tempting to think that if something worked for another company, it will work for yours. Yet, our biggest breakthroughs didn’t come from playbooks or best practices. They emerged when we trusted our instincts and stayed true to our vision. It’s a delicate balance between structure and risk-taking—letting your team innovate while also knowing when to step in. Too often, I see leaders who focus on replicating other leaders’ paths rather than draw inspiration from diverse sources, like the insights of military leaders or the resilience of Gandhi. Great leadership extracts principles, not prescriptions, adapting them to the unique context.
As we’ve grown to over 300 people, I’m sometimes asked if BuildOps will eventually shift into “Manager Mode.” The assumption is that at a certain point, a founder must step back. But staying in Founder Mode isn’t about doing everything yourself; it’s about staying close to what matters most at any given time. Retreating into a corner office, detached from day-to-day realities, feels like a disservice to what we’ve built. Even as our team scales, engaging directly with our teams and customers is essential because that’s where the best insights come from.
Some might argue that maintaining Founder Mode at scale leads to chaos, but that only happens if the company lacks a strong foundation. For example, if an organization overindexes on bureaucracy and process from the start, it’s difficult to imagine Founder Mode working long-term. On the flip side, the same is true. From day one, we built our culture around the principle of “acting like an owner.” We actively seek out and eliminate bureaucratic nonsense, analysis paralysis, and needless red tape to stay focused. In my experience, hesitation is more harmful than making the occasional wrong move. If something doesn’t work, we adjust and move forward. It’s not about perfection, but about momentum.
Setting the tone for speed and innovation means embracing that things will break and mistakes will happen—inevitable when you’re moving fast and tackling challenges no one has solved before. The key is ensuring those missteps lead to learning and progress.
My time in the military taught me that success often depends on adapting to circumstances and making decisions swiftly. In business, sometimes you need to zoom in and be hands-on; other times, you must trust your team to carry the vision forward. It’s about being flexible and knowing when to lead from the front and when to empower others.
Founder Mode doesn’t have to end just because your company is scaling. In fact, it’s likely the very reason your company is growing and thriving. It keeps you agile, innovative, and responsive to change. The challenge lies in resisting the urge to get too comfortable or assume that what worked yesterday will guarantee success tomorrow. There’s no foolproof playbook, and that’s okay. But if you stay engaged, ask the hard questions, and stay true to your instincts, you can continue to scale without losing the essence of what makes your company exceptional.
That’s the kind of company I want to build. And that’s the risk I’m willing to take.
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