By Matt Doan · Oct 25, 2025 · 3-min read

The Switch You’re Not Flipping

“I’m very entrepreneurial.”

I hear this all the time.

I used to say it, too. With pride.

It felt accurate. I had ideas. I took initiative. I read the books. I ran side projects. I even led a team within the Strategic Innovation Group at a prominent consulting firm.

Oh, I felt so important. Because it sounded bold. Different. Even rebellious—a key trait of who I was becoming.

People wore jeans and t-shirts before that was commonplace. Huge video screens, glass rooms, and the best coffee in the building.

We brainstormed big. We talked “disruption.” We felt cool.

But when I stepped back after a few months, the truth hit me like a brick:

We were just corporate cogs with “innovation” labels in our email signatures.

We didn’t make key decisions.

We didn’t own real risk.

We didn’t build anything that directly changed the outside world.

We were still playing tiny roles inside a much larger game that someone else designed and owned. Just a box within a box within a box…

It was like putting a fresh coat of paint on a 20-year-old car and pretending it was new.

That stings to admit. But it’s important.

Because “entrepreneurial” is often a self-soothing story.

It makes you feel better about the corporate path you’ve outgrown.

It helps you justify the hesitation.

It keeps the dream alive without requiring any real sacrifice.

But let’s get brutally honest:

Entrepreneurial ≠ entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurial is an attitude. (Sure, a helpful one.)

Entrepreneur is much more. It’s an identity. A commitment. A skillset. A full-spectrum builder.

Entrepreneurs don’t just ideate. They execute.

They architect transformational machines from scratch.

They own every piece of the value chain—positioning, marketing, sales, delivery, operations.

They build systems that create impact and freedom, not just slides that talk about it.

They don’t plug into someone else’s strategy. They set the strategy.

They don’t ask for permission. They take ownership.

And they don’t dabble from the safety of someone else’s paycheck.

They leap—and develop wings on the way down.

That internal leap—that shift—is what I call Founder Mode.

Founder Mode isn’t some cheap vibe. It’s not a workshop. It’s not dabbling on nights and weekends. And it certainly isn’t a side hustle.

It’s a full-body switch.

It’s a way of seeing and acting that cannot be turned off.

And no—we’re not talking about building a Silicon Valley unicorn.

This isn’t about VC decks, pitch competitions, or hiring 30 engineers.

For people like you and I, Founder Mode might look like this:

You start solo. Maybe you’ve got a virtual assistant for $700/month to handle your socials, Stage 1 cold outreach on LinkedIn, and basic admin. A few well-deployed AI employees. A couple automation tools and workflows to create leverage and speed.

You build simple structures, frameworks, and “multipliers” to punch above your weight.

You go deep on talking to and understanding one person—the very person you’re built to serve.

You study their world. Their pain. Their lyrics. Their goals. You extract your past experiences and your zone of genius—and you begin designing around that.

Your origin story is front and center… because people buy from people, not companies.

You build a tight, high-trust offer.

You get them a real result.

You codify what works.

You test it with 5 more people, or a couple of organizations (B2C or B2B).

Scrappy. Fast. Messy.

Now we’re in business.

Your energy and optimism start to soar. Your corporate colleagues can’t figure you out, and why you’re only “green” on Slack for 2 hours a day.

Your partner and kids notice a spark in you. You’re alive again.

From there…

You build out positioning that makes you the obvious choice—not just another option.

You get crafty with your marketing. A mix of content, collaborations, paid plays, and direct outreach.

You speak to your people like a transformational leader, not a pitchman.

You stop waiting for perfection—and you make offers fast.

(Wow, corporate feels so insignificant at this point.)

You build an elegant and simple sales process that creates momentum. That first $1 under your name is oh-so-sweet!

You learn the basics of creating demand-and-supply tension.

You’ve grabbed the attention of 100 of your people.

You create urgency—not pressure—for people to move toward the transformation they actually want.

Then?

You deliver.

You build delivery systems that don’t burn you out. From the outside, it looks like consulting, advisory, or coaching... but it's got massive scale potential.

You install some basic frameworks and a custom GPT to amplify your results.

You gather success stories, gain a bit more clarity on what the hell you’re doing, and design your calendar around energy, not exhaustion.

Now you’ve got some well-packaged frameworks and IP (secured, of course).

This is Founder Mode.

Start small. Serve deeply. Scale when it’s time.

Build an engine that creates money, meaning, and momentum.

And no, you’re not doing this alone (because no one who succeeds does that).

You’re surrounded by mentors, coaches, and peers who are moving with intention.

You’re following proven step-by-step strategies designed for real-world traction.

You’re using systems, not winging it.

You’re supported, seen, and held to your higher standard.

This is what Corporate Graduation™ looks and feels like.

It doesn’t start after you quit.

It starts right now—while you’re in the job... because that's the ideal place to start from.

You move even if the golden handcuffs still feel locked in place.

This all kicks off the moment you choose to stop lying to yourself.

You can’t become a founder by being “entrepreneurial.”

You become a founder by deciding to be one.

So if you’ve been wearing the label…

If you’ve been calling yourself entrepreneurial to soften the truth…

Let’s stop.

Let’s make the real move.

Let’s flip the switch.

Let’s step into Founder Mode.

—Matt

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PS - Activate Founder Mode here.

See how deep the rabbit hole goes:

🎧 Dive into our podcast for bold strategies on Corporate Graduation™ and how to build your next chapter. (Don't miss the one on the trap of freelancing).

👀 Scan the feed. Get inspired.

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