Founder Mode

Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton

5.0 (3)
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
UPDATED WEEKLY

Founder Mode is a podcast for builders—whether it’s startups, systems, or personal growth. It’s about finding your flow, balancing health, wealth, and productivity, and tackling challenges with focus and curiosity. Each week, you’ll gain actionable insights and fresh perspectives to help you think like a founder and build what matters most.

2D AGO

When Enough is Enough with Jason Fried

EPISODE 44 Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton sit down with Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals, to unpack what it means to build software that feels less like “software” and more like a physical object you actually want to use every day. Jason explains the philosophy behind Fizzy, 37signals’ fresh take on Kanban, and why speed, fluidity, and visual joy aren’t polish but core product decisions. The conversation explores designing with human-scale constraints borrowed from the physical world (like piles on a desk), why limits often produce better tools, and how 37signals stays independent to preserve optionality. They also discuss why 40 hours a week is enough, how founders can stay deeply involved without becoming bottlenecks, and Jason’s advice to new founders: keep your surface area small and start making something real as fast as possible. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Building software as objects you want to use every day 07:04 – Fizzy and a simpler, more joyful take on Kanban 12:21 – Piles, limits, and designing for human scale 22:03 – 40 hours is enough: founder involvement without micromanagement 43:22 – Undercomplicating year one: keep surface area small and start making LINKS Connect with Jason Fried 37signals.com • LinkedIn • X/Twitter Stay Connected with Founder Mode Subscribe to our newsletter: gofoundermode.com Connect with Kevin LinkedIn • X/Twitter Connect with Jason LinkedIn • X/Twitter

49 min
FEB 11

Scaling Multi-Location Businesses with Stephanie Joyce

EPISODE 43 Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton sit down with Stephanie Joyce, founder and operator of Attune, to unpack what it really takes to scale multi-location service businesses without losing control of culture, operations, or margins. Drawing from years of leading growth, acquisitions, and crisis turnarounds, Stephanie explains why people come first, systems second, and how scaling simply amplifies whatever you already tolerate. The conversation covers documentation and onboarding as prerequisites for consistency, how to diligence acquisitions beyond surface-level financials, and what it means to lead with clarity and integrity when everything is on fire. They also dive into the modern med spa operating stack, from CRM and automation to compensation structures that drive the right behaviors, and why the future of wellness will be defined by better data, smarter technology, and a careful balance between AI and human trust. CHAPTERS 00:00 – People first, systems second: what breaks when you scale 04:25 – Documentation, SOPs, and onboarding for multi-location consistency 04:56 – Acquisition diligence: margins, concentration risk, and key-person dependency 08:06 – Leading through crisis: transparency, trust, and cash discipline 14:13 – The modern med spa playbook: systems, CRM, and incentives LINKS Connect with Stephanie Joyce attunemedspa.com • LinkedIn Stay Connected with Founder Mode Subscribe to our newsletter: gofoundermode.com Connect with Kevin LinkedIn • X/Twitter Connect with Jason LinkedIn • X/Twitter

25 min
FEB 5

From Doctor to Founder with Jay Motley

EPISODE 42 Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton sit down with Dr. Jay Motley, founder of MindWell Health, to explore what it takes to leave a long career in anesthesiology and build a modern mental health clinic. Jay shares how losing autonomy after his private practice was absorbed by a hospital system paired with the life-altering loss of his first wife pushed him to rethink time, care, and what getting better really means. The conversation dives into ketamine therapy as a fast-acting tool that can open a window for patients who have failed traditional treatments, and why lasting improvement depends on pairing that window with therapy and lifestyle medicine fundamentals like sleep, nutrition, movement, and stress management. They also cover the myths around expensive wellness biohacks, how AI could reduce administrative burden and expand patient access, and what Jay learned scaling from a one-person launch to multiple MindWell locations. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Ketamine as a fast-acting “open window” for change 00:50 – Health fundamentals that matter most: sleep, food, movement 04:20 – Why Jay left anesthesiology: autonomy, loss, and control of time 07:10 – Building MindWell: ketamine + therapy + lifestyle medicine 19:10 – Scaling the clinic: cash-pay vs insurance, systems, and hiring LINKS Connect with Dr. Jay Motley mindwell.com • LinkedIn • Instagram • X/Twitter • Substack • Facebook Stay Connected with Founder Mode Subscribe to our newsletter: gofoundermode.com Connect with Kevin LinkedIn • X/Twitter Connect with Jason LinkedIn • X/Twitter

25 min
JAN 29

Best of Founder Mode II

EPISODE 41 After forty episodes, Founder Mode pauses to look at the decisions founders actually struggle with once the playbooks stop working. This episode stitches together clips across healthcare, AI, pricing, capital, aviation, and personal health to show how judgment forms under pressure. You hear why go-live is the start of real work, how trust gets broken when tools ship before problems are understood, why usage outlasts any value narrative, and how busyness becomes a substitute for thinking. Across every domain, the pattern is consistent: systems fail quietly, discipline erodes downstream, and founders are forced to make calls without clean data, perfect timing, or consensus. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Why the same founder problems keep repeating 01:01 – Go live is not the finish line 01:42 – Teaching interpersonal skills too late 02:34 – Adding AI before earning user trust 03:17 – When users reject AI and features get rolled back 03:57 – Why pricing complexity grows with mature markets 04:34 – Busyness as avoidance for founders 05:14 – Protecting thinking time before the business outgrows you 05:55 – Turning user complaints into learning fast 06:33 – Building a personal board of directors for health 07:27 – AI as a problem-solving lever, not a starting point 08:20 – Governance as the unlock for enterprise AI adoption 08:20 – When “magic” becomes table stakes for customers 09:10 – Why software being cheaper doesn’t make it easier 09:59 – Hybrid aviation as a trust bridge to electrification 10:51 – Measuring whether conference presence actually works 11:38 – Why AI scribes exploded in healthcare adoption 12:28 – Defaulting to venture capital and silent dilution 12:28 – Designing products that force focus and community 13:06 – Stress, judgment, and risk in aviation 13:43 – Unlimited pricing as a math problem 13:43 – Learning faster by removing safety nets 14:31 – Making decisions when there is no right answer LINKS Stay Connected with Founder Mode Stay Connected with Founder Mode Subscribe to our newsletter Connect with Kevin LinkedIn • X/Twitter Connect with Jason LinkedIn • X/Twitter

15 min
JAN 22

Move Fast & Brake Things with Allen Berg

EPISODE 40 Recorded at Laguna Seca Raceway, this episode takes Founder Mode out of the studio and onto the track. Jason and Kevin spend the day driving open-wheel formula cars and sit down with Allen Berg, founder of Allen Berg Racing Schools, to talk about learning through feel, momentum, and control. Berg walks through his path into racing, what makes formula cars such an effective teaching platform, and how racing schools function as the entry point to professional motorsport. The conversation draws clear parallels between racing and building companies: managing risk without automation, carrying momentum through corners, and knowing where the limits actually are. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Growing up with racing and early influences 01:05 – Driving formula cars at Laguna Seca 02:52 – Racing as a model for building companies 05:40 – Building and operating a racing school 09:44 – Advice for founders building niche businesses LINKS Connect with Allen Berg Allen Berg Racing Schools • LinkedIn Stay Connected with Founder Mode Subscribe to our newsletter Connect with Kevin LinkedIn • X/Twitter Connect with Jason LinkedIn • X/Twitter

14 min
JAN 15

Uh-Oh Everything's Broken with Jonathan Sturgeon

EPISODE 39 Jonathan Sturgeon joins Founder Mode to explain how he built multiple eight-figure businesses without chasing an audience, a personal brand, or social media validation. He breaks down his deliberately anti-influencer posture, why cold calling still outperforms content for high-intent sales, and how his companies Dingus & Zazzy and Uh Oh scale through systems, scripts, and trust rather than hype. The conversation moves from trolling internet fame culture to designing a radically simple IT business with a free trial and pay-what-you-want pricing, and ends with Jonathan’s view that not every project needs to optimize for returns—some are worth doing because they’re fun. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Building businesses without social media or an audience 03:45 – The anti-influencer mindset and trolling internet fame 11:45 – Cold calling, scripts, and why outbound still works 15:30 – Uh Oh: free-trial IT, pay-what-you-want pricing, and trust 24:00 – Art over profit and building businesses for enjoyment LINKS Connect with Jonathan Sturgeon Uh Oh • Dingus & Zazzy • LinkedIn • X/Twitter Stay Connected with Founder Mode Subscribe to our newsletter Connect with Kevin LinkedIn • X/Twitter Connect with Jason LinkedIn • X/Twitter

28 min
JAN 8

From Flight Deck to Front Line with Max Trescott

EPISODE 38 Recorded mid-flight in Kevin’s Vision Jet en route to Monterey, Kevin and Jason talk with veteran pilot and aviation podcaster Max Trescott about why flying can feel like a flow-state reset, and how the discipline of aviation maps to building companies. Kevin shares his path from earning a pilot’s license in college to taking a long break, then returning to aviation with structured training, checklists, and the calm that comes from repetition. Together they unpack why “it’s not hard, it’s a lot of effort,” why SOPs and emergency prep matter when things break, and the real key to learning: consistent time in the seat, the right instructor, and a focus on proficiency over deadlines. CHAPTERS 00:00 – Flying as a stress reset and the “are you ready?” check 00:48 – Welcome to Founder Mode from the Vision Jet 02:55 – Kevin’s pilot journey: college license to getting hooked on the Vision Jet 05:23 – The founder/pilot overlap: effort, SOPs, and staying calm when things change 13:09 – Buying (and upgrading) a jet: the sales cycle, timing, and “right message, right moment” LINKS Connect with Max Trescott Aviation News Talk • LinkedIn • X/Twitter Stay Connected with Founder Mode Subscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.com Connect with Kevin LinkedIn • X/Twitter Connect with Jason LinkedIn • X/Twitter

20 min
12/18/2025

Simple Design is Best with Austin Boer

EPISODE 37 Kevin and Jason 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 utility. The conversation covers founder-led customer discovery, why Sleke is built around intentional constraints like banning infinite scroll, and how the team balances privacy, usability, and real-world needs like QR codes, maps, and music. They also explore the bigger question of what replaces the phone by 2030 and why digital minimalism should be accessible to everyone, not a luxury product. CHAPTERS 00:00 – The dumb phone problem people actually have 03:50 – Why Austin built Sleke and what the product is 04:30 – Founder-led discovery: 200+ ICP calls and shifting ICP 08:20 – The “fatal flaw” of dumb phones and preventing app creep 16:30 – Digital minimalism shouldn’t be a luxury LINKS Connect with Austin Boer sleke.io • Instagram • X/Twitter Special Offer: Use code FOUNDERS5 for a discount on a Sleke device. Stay Connected with Founder Mode Subscribe to our newsletter: foundermode.kit.com Connect with Kevin LinkedIn • X/Twitter Connect with Jason LinkedIn • X/Twitter

20 min

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

Founder Mode is a podcast for builders—whether it’s startups, systems, or personal growth. It’s about finding your flow, balancing health, wealth, and productivity, and tackling challenges with focus and curiosity. Each week, you’ll gain actionable insights and fresh perspectives to help you think like a founder and build what matters most.

Creator

Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

44
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Kevin Henrikson and Jason Shafton
Show Website

Founder Mode