By Matt Doan · Dec 6, 2025 · 2-min read

A Founder All Along

In business school, they flashed image after image.

Steve Jobs showing off the latest Apple device.
Oprah building an empire with her voice.
The PayPal Mafia in a dodgy bar.

Founders. Builders. Visionaries.

I took endless notes. But none of it felt like me.

To me, founders lived in HBR case studies. In VC pitch decks. In Silicon Valley. They wore sneakers, raised rounds, and broke rules.

Meanwhile, I was stepping onto the default path—climbing the ladder, playing the high-performer game, building my reputation by delivering results.

My worth was tied to my role in the machine.

That assumption played out for the next 15 years in textbook fashion. I did everything "right." Showed up early. Stayed late. Built teams. Hit targets. Created the American Dream life for my family.

Just had to keep proving my value to the system.

But something always felt off.

While I checked every external box, I was quietly erasing myself. Sure, I had comp, scope, and a great reputation. But I had no ownership. No authorship. No real upside in the machine I helped run.

Just uploading my ideas—my IP—to corporate shared drives.

Zero equity.

Even after I exited corporate and built a successful business of my own, I still didn't identify as a Founder. I considered myself an entrepreneur. A business owner. But not… a "Founder." It still felt like a label for someone else.

Wrong look. Wrong season. Wrong guy.

The truth? I was already doing the work. I just hadn't claimed the identity.

Until one day, almost quietly, I tried the word on.

No big splash. Just in the mirror.

And it fit.

It didn't feel like ego. It felt like clarity.

Founder wasn't a title. It was a diagnosis. A mirror that showed me who I'd been all along: a builder, a challenger, a designer of new futures.

At first, it was jarring—because it meant I could've stepped into this earlier. But mostly, it was relief. Relief that there was a word for the tension I'd felt. Relief that I didn't have to wait anymore.

That single decision started a chain reaction. My IP. My equity. My voice. My creative expression. My beliefs. My business. My direction. All of it converged into one clear identity.

That's why 2025 has been so life-changing for me.

I released every previous label—every old notion of who I was or what I was doing.

Not just a business. Not "consulting." Not "coaching."

Founder.

That one word gave everything a container.

And now I help others step into the same identity and life. Not 22-year-old tech bros. Not people with infinite runway and nothing to lose. But Directors, VPs, and high-level operators with real lives, real constraints—and a real fire inside them. People who've quietly outgrown the corporate game and know it.

What they need isn't hype. It's a plan.

That's what Corporate Graduation™ is for.

To help people go Corporate to Founder… in ONE year.

This blueprint is the culmination of everything I've lived. A decade of helping others. A sharp set of beliefs. A builder's DNA. Everything I know about packaging genius into ownership.

Whether we deliver it through elite coaching (as we do) or roll it out through software to the masses—this is the foundation. And it all started the day I claimed the identity.

If you've ever said:

"I want to build… but I'm not ready."
"I'm meant for more… but I can't yet."
"I feel like a founder… but haven't earned it."

You don't need permission. You need movement.

And that's exactly what we're creating together—live on December 8th.​

If the word "Founder" is quietly whispering to you… follow it.

Just like me, you might realize you've been one all along.

—Matt

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PS - If this hits home, the Dec 8th Founder by Christmas Workshop is your next move.

One session. Zero fluff. Designed to help motivated VPs, Directors, and operators destroy false assumptions, reclaim their days, and lock in their first powerful shift as a Founder—before the holidays hit.

This will be next level. Don't miss it.

​→ Grab your spot before it's too late​

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See how deep the rabbit hole goes:

🎧 Dive into our podcast for bold strategies on Corporate Graduation™ and how to build your next chapter. (See this one: Founders Don't Wait for Permission.)

👀 Scan the LinkedIn feed. Get inspired.

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