Category: Process improvement

What does founder mode have to do with Taylor Swift and MrBeast?

Paul Graham’s essay on “Founder mode” has taken the internet by a storm of sorts. In the essay, Paul speaks about the fundamental differences in the management style of founders and managers and how founders are clearly better suited to understand what the company needs and to decisively act on that understanding too. He calls managers “professional fakers” who are mostly responsible for company’s downfall.

While Paul hasn’t defined what “founder mode” exactly covers, he has referred to a few examples of founders using unorthodox means to run the companies they founded. These unorthodox means can involve de-delegating to the extent that departments are less of black boxes than what otherwise is the norm with manager-style leadership or cutting through org structures to effect changes.

However, it is hard not to notice the parallels between founder mode and creator mode. Creators are those who are constantly producing original content for public consumption. A successful creator has a finger on the pulse of the consumer and is likely to use this deep understanding of the customer to create top quality content. The creators might have a team to support them, but the creators have the final control and say on the created product as well as its marketing. Creators stay close to the product they are creating and they also want their support staff to be close to the product development process.

This fanatic dedication to the product and its quality is something that’s common between good founders and creators. For founders, rapid launch and iteration is key for the acceleration of product-market fit for any product. Similarly, for content creators, the more of their content that’s out there, the more they benefit from getting the feedback loop that drives improvement. Taylor Swift believes in being prolific with the release of her work as she once said “I definitely feel more free to create now, and I’m making more albums at a more rapid pace than I ever did before, because I think the more art you create, hopefully the less pressure you put on yourself”. MrBeast has said that he can work up to 8 days non-stop on a video and that he often hires people who have his insane work ethic. Creators like Taylor Swift or MrBeast build a team around themselves that shares their work ethic and dedication to their product. In Taylor’s case, the products are the songs she creates or the epic performances she gives. In MrBeast’s case, his crew is often handpicked to match his work ethic and dedication for YouTube content creation. As he puts it: “For me, it’s almost easier to hire people that are just hard workers, that are obsessed, and really coachable, and just train ’em how to be good at content creation and production, than to hire someone from like traditional media”. One can see that Taylor and MrBeast have a content creation process that is very much similar to a business being run in the founder mode.

If a company runs in “creator mode” by getting serious about the product and its quality, instead of all the meta metrics around the product, it will naturally become like companies being run in the “founder mode”, without actually being run by founders.

100 effective ways to reduce business costs

According to a KPMG survey, cost and margin pressures are the biggest concerns facing businesses this year. This is not the least surprising as inflationary pressures and subdued customer demand has made it necessary for businesses to cut unnecessary costs.

In this post, we present 100 different ways that businesses can try to reduce their operating costs. This list is vast and comprehensive enough to cover more than a few ways that any business can pick, as a cost controlling measure. Some of these are short-term while others are long-term. But they all lead to the same goal of making ones business more efficient by reducing cost:

  1. Implement energy-efficient lighting controls like dimmers
  2. Use programmable thermostats
  3. Implement a hot-desking system that supports telecommuting planning
  4. Sign long-term agreements with suppliers, to reduce ongoing costs.
  5. Buy supplies in bulk
  6. Automate routine tasks
  7. Reduce paper usage
  8. Implement cloud computing
  9. Outsource non-core functions
  10. Use open-source software
  11. Encourage carpooling or biking to work
  12. Conduct regular financial audits to avoid wasteful expenses
  13. Optimise inventory management
  14. Eliminate unnecessary subscriptions
  15. Focus on online digital marketing instead of expensive traditional marketing like TV ads.
  16. Use VoIP instead of traditional phone lines
  17. Invest in employee training to improve worker productivity, which will help do away with the need to hire more staff
  18. Allow some employees to work part-time at part-time rates
  19. Use energy-efficient office appliances
  20. Implement a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy
  21. Reduce travel expenses through video conferencing
  22. Lease instead of buying equipment
  23. Encourage employee suggestions for cost-saving ideas within teams and departments
  24. Lease agreements to be suitably renegotiated and rents reduced after bringing in competing quotes.
  25. Automate billing and invoicing
  26. Use freelancers for short-term projects
  27. For unoccupied office space, consider leasing it out
  28. Reduce office supply expenses by eliminating wasteful use
  29. Pause overtime work arrangement
  30. If you are using consulting services, reduce the hours needed.
  31. Outsource IT services
  32. Reduce marketing expenses by focusing on organic traffic over paid traffic
  33. Use digital forms instead of paper forms
  34. Eliminate underutilised and extravagant employee perks
  35. Implement a telecommuting policy that prioritises task delivery over being present at the workplace.
  36. Utilise coworking spaces
  37. Encourage employees to use public transportation for work-related traveling
  38. Install motion sensors for lights
  39. Use second-hand furniture
  40. Reduce shipping costs by negotiating with carriers
  41. Implement a no-meeting day so that everyone can work from home on that day
  42. Use electronic signatures
  43. Reduce the use of colour printing
  44. Share resources with other businesses
  45. Implement a preventive maintenance program
  46. Offer internships
  47. Use a rewards program to encourage employee productivity and incentivise cost reduction
  48. Purchase refurbished equipment as opposed to brand new ones
  49. Implement a customer referral program for low cost customer acquisition
  50. Use a cash-back credit card for business purchases
  51. Optimise your website for SEO
  52. Use free online tools for project management and planning
  53. Offer unpaid leave instead of layoffs
  54. Outsource payroll processing
  55. Implement a strict expense approval process
  56. Start a company carpool system
  57. Cut back on work-related overseas traveling for employees.
  58. Negotiate lower rates for utilities
  59. Recycle storage boxes and other packing material
  60. Negotiate lower utility bills and internet bills
  61. Install solar panels to reduce energy costs
  62. Conduct an energy use audit and get rid of equipment that use energy needlessly
  63. Offer telecommuting stipends
  64. Negotiate lower insurance premiums
  65. Convert office space to shared office space
  66. Conduct virtual training sessions instead of on-premise training
  67. Reduce janitorial services, in step in reduced use of office space due to work-from-home
  68. Implement a paperless office policy
  69. Explore low-cost advertising options like influencer marketing.
  70. Offer flexible work schedules
  71. Reduce the frequency of office cleanings
  72. Use energy-efficient windows
  73. Implement a BYO lunch policy
  74. Use e-fax instead of traditional fax
  75. Buy generic office supplies
  76. Negotiate better credit card rates
  77. Use mobile apps for communication
  78. Eliminate vending machine services
  79. Encourage employees to use reusable water bottles
  80. Implement a waste reduction program
  81. Use LED bulbs
  82. Offer job sharing
  83. Encourage virtual meetings
  84. Purchase long-term warranties
  85. Use free or low-cost software
  86. Reduce catering costs
  87. Implement a recycling program
  88. Use virtual assistants
  89. Optimize your supply chain
  90. Implement a work-from-home policy
  91. Use green energy suppliers
  92. Offer part-time positions
  93. Have a sales driven incentive program or one that helps in saving costs
  94. Use an online payment system
  95. Reduce the number of printers
  96. Offer employees profit-sharing options over salaries, so that they are driven to work towards financial objectives.
  97. Use a digital filing system
  98. Implement a customer loyalty program
  99. Negotiate bulk purchasing discounts
  100. Conduct a regular review of all expenses