Founder Mode for iOS & Mac

September 2, 2024 • iOS • Hacks ⌇ Connect ↗

Paul Graham just released the released the essay Founder Mode after a YC event with Brian Chesky and it made some waves on 𝕏 with lots of people sharing their takes on it. But why is it so important for the business and especially startup world? Three key ideas you need to know:

• Founder mode is a different way of running a company compared to manager mode, focusing on what founders can uniquely contribute rather than following traditional management advice.
• Founder mode involves more direct involvement from the CEO, such as “skip-level” meetings and unconventional practices like annual retreats for key employees.
• While founder mode may require more complexity and delegation as a company grows, it has been shown to work better than traditional manager mode, as evidenced by successful founders who have embraced it.

That’s the gist. It seems simple, but that’s only because no one has really taken the time to define how to actually do it. There are plenty of management mode best practices that can be followed to the T, but there are very little founder mode best practices because each personality relies so heavily on their intuition to guide their next decision, making standardisation across various temperaments almost impossible. But I do see some clear action points every founder can do:

1. Maintain a Strong Company Narrative → Practice regular storytelling by frequently sharing the company’s origin story, mission, and future vision with your team. This keeps everyone aligned with the core values and goals, ensuring that your passion and purpose are deeply embedded in the company culture.
2. Prioritise Direct Customer Interaction → engage with customers as a founder, make it a point to regularly interact with customers—whether through surveys, direct emails, or social media. This hands-on approach not only provides valuable insights but also shows your commitment to understanding and meeting customer needs.
3. Empower Employees to Take Initiative → encourage experimentation to create a culture where employees feel empowered to take calculated risks by bringing new ideas or solutions to the table without the fear of failure. Prioritize Rapid Iteration
4. Fast Feedback Loops → implement processes that allow for quick feedback and iteration, both internally and externally. Whether it’s product development, marketing strategies, or internal processes, the ability to adapt will become your MOAT.
5. Build a Regime by Noise Reduction → guard your headspace ruthlessly by channelling your focus during working hours and allowing distractions only from people and technology that are either “need to know” or “time sensitive” to reach your highest momentum.

How to activate founder mode

Founders guide. Managers maintain. That’s the main difference. The fastest way you can adopt one of the 5 action points is by enforcing a strict regime on the use of your phone:

1. Download & Setup Blank Spaces for iOS with a discounted paid plan
2. Go to Settings > Focus > Create a new “Founder Mode” or “Work” Focus (ensure “Share Across Devices” is ticked on)
3. Determine the People & Apps you want to allow — limit yourself to 10max each
4. Customise the Lock Screen: either create a new one or use an existing one
5. Customise the Home Screen: create a new screen and add the Blank Spaces widgets
6. Set a schedule to activate automatically Mon-Fri when you want to get sh*t done
7. Activate “founder mode” from the control centre (Mac or iOS) to limit distractions

It will take time to move your iOS habits from push to pull usage (and you will need to tweak your “founder mode” access until it really works for you), but with time you will realise how healthy your relationship with your phone will become and how much you cherish a moment of boredom rather than immediately grabbing your phone.

Do this and you will move just a little closer to activating founder mode. Why? Because you will win back ownership over your focus. A requirement for founder mode.

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Closing remarks

Founder mode is about staying connected to the heartbeat of your company—its vision, people, and customers. By starting with step 5, you can ensure that your leadership style is the reason your startup maintains alignment and keeps you customer-focused, no matter how much you grow.

Ultimately, founder mode is the foundation for a resilient culture built by the founders direct involvement that inspires teams, instils a sense of urgency, and prioritises momentum.

Want to connect? Visit @itsjulianpaul on 𝕏.

Until next time.

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