Think Week is Now Build Week

Welcome back to Founder Mode!

Every once in a while, Jason and I record an episode without a guest. Those conversations usually turn into some of my favorites because we get to share what's actually working right now.

This episode covered everything from AI workflows and building software faster to fundraising, team management, and something we don't talk about enough: using leverage to create more freedom.

One thing I said near the end really captures the point:

"Software is nearly free to build now."

That changes almost everything about how founders should think.

The Best AI Prompt Might Already Exist

Lately I've been using what I call the Subject Line Trick.

Instead of reading a long email thread, I simply give Claude the email subject and ask it to read the conversation, understand the context, and draft the right response.

I've used it to:

Review invoices before approving them.
Catch billing errors before invoices go out.
Negotiate vendor contracts with better questions than I would have asked myself.

The biggest surprise wasn't that AI could summarize emails.

It was that it consistently found details I would have missed.

As I said during the episode:

"At least take a shot."

Running something through AI first usually costs only a few minutes. Sometimes it saves hours.

Build Before You Raise

One idea I've been thinking about more is how inexpensive software has become to build.

A few years ago, building a company required large engineering teams and significant capital.

Today, AI has dramatically lowered that cost.

That doesn't mean venture capital is bad. I've raised venture capital for several companies, and it absolutely has its place.

But I do think founders should prove customers actually want what they're building before spending large amounts of someone else's money.

Real revenue is still the best validation.

Stop Believing Fantasy Math

We also talked about contracted ARR.

It's easy to celebrate a large contract.

But a signed agreement isn't the same as money in the bank.

Customers still need to deploy the product, use it, and continue paying over time.

Too many founders optimize for future revenue while ignoring whether customers are getting value today.

Focus on delivering value this week.

Everything else becomes easier after that.

Think Weeks Have Become Ship Weeks

Jason shared something that really stood out to me.

Instead of taking a traditional "Think Week," he spent a week building.

During that time, he shipped an iPhone app, improved multiple businesses, built new internal systems, and refined how his agency operates.

That made me rethink what focused work looks like today.

With modern AI tools, founders can build far more than they could even a year ago.

Sometimes the best thinking happens while you're shipping.

Your Best Employees Still Beat AI

AI continues to improve.

But your best people still have something AI doesn't.

Context.

Judgment.

Experience.

The goal isn't replacing great team members.

It's helping them use AI to become even more effective.

One practice I've found helpful is asking everyone where they're blocked and how the rest of the team can help.

Sharing lessons across the company creates leverage that no individual can produce alone.

Don't Forget What Leverage Is For

The last part of our conversation had nothing to do with AI.

It was about time.

I shared a story about waiting with my mom to pick up my daughter after theater camp.

Sitting there reminded me how quickly priorities change across different stages of life.

Building a company matters.

But the whole point of leverage is creating more freedom, not filling every available hour with more work.

As I said at the end of the episode:

"Leverage in, freedom out, and most founders forget to collect the freedom."

5 Key Takeaways

Use AI before doing repetitive work. It often catches details you'll miss.
Build products and prove demand before raising large amounts of capital.
Focus on real revenue instead of celebrating future contract value.
Turn focused work into building time instead of endless planning.
Use leverage to create more time for what actually matters.

Final Thoughts

AI is changing how we build companies, but the fundamentals haven't changed.

Talk to customers.

Build useful products.

Hire great people.

Use AI to remove friction.

Most importantly, remember why you're creating leverage in the first place. The goal isn't simply to work faster. It's to create more freedom for yourself, your team, and your family.

🎧 Listen to Episode 69 here: