Founder Mode Episode 40 - Move Fast & Brake Things with Allen Berg

Welcome back to Founder Mode!

This week, we took Founder Mode out of the studio and onto the track.

We joined Allen Berg at the legendary Laguna Seca to drive real open-wheel formula cars. Full-speed laps, stick shifts, no power steering, and no room for error.

Honestly? It felt a lot like running a startup.

Here’s what we learned, and why racing is the perfect metaphor for building companies.

“It’s like all gas, little brakes.”

That’s what I said as I came off the track.

“Driving a formula car is like running a startup. All gas, little brakes. You’re feeling the road under you. You don’t want to let up.”

You're constantly balancing control and speed. Push too hard, and you’ll spin out. Take it too easy, and you’ll lose momentum. That’s exactly how it feels growing a business fast.

What It’s Like to Drive a Formula Car

According to Allen Berg, it’s raw, real, and completely hands-on:

No traction control
No power steering
No ABS
No automation

These cars are designed to teach you how to drive. You feel everything. You rely only on your skill, judgment, and sense of the road. Just like in early-stage startups, you are the system.

“You’re just you in the car.”

The lessons you learn at the wheel translate to real life and business.

5 Key Takeaways

1. Momentum Matters Most

If you’ve got traction in racing or business, keep it. Use it. Don’t let off just because things feel fast or a little unstable. Learn to manage the speed, not avoid it.

2. Know When to Back Off

Yes, you want to go fast. But if you lose control, it costs you more than time. Sometimes the best founders are the ones who know when to lift just slightly to survive the next corner.

3. Look Where You Want to Go

As we practiced recovery on the skid pad, I realized:

“Look where you need to go. Don’t look behind you. Don’t worry about competitors.”

The steering follows your eyes. So does your business. Focus forward.

4. Simplify for Speed

Formula cars are stripped down. They remove all the fluff. That’s what makes them fast. Same with startups, strip away what doesn’t matter. Go lean, go clear.

5. Control > Comfort

The best founders, like the best drivers, are calm under pressure. Not because it’s easy, but because they’ve trained for it. Racing teaches calm control at high speed.