The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

We are all gearing up for Black Friday Cyber Monday, and if you have not started planning yet, you need to. Here is a story that will stop you in your tracks: a founder in our community did $1 million over Black Friday Cyber Monday a few years ago and barely broke even. Not an exaggeration. A million dollars in revenue and almost nothing to show for it.

Here is the trap: you have a massive sales month and it looks incredible, but nobody models what that revenue actually cost. Peak November ad prices, your deepest discount of the year, cogs, shipping, returns, platform fees. Most founders plan the sale but never plan the profit.

In this episode, I break down what actually happened last year with real data, the three clocks that are already running before Black Friday, and the exact framework we shared with our Foundr Operators members at our in-person event.

Here's what you'll take away:

• The three clocks running right now, attention, inventory, and shipping, and why by November the biggest decisions have already been made for you
• The real numbers: how CPMs nearly doubled from September to November while you are discounting harder than any other time of year
• Why 42% of Black Friday revenue came from email and SMS, and why your own channels are the closest thing to pure margin in Q4
• Move one: sell early while attention is cheap, and how the 13% of brands that ran October promotions had the field to themselves
• Move two: the exact send cadence for the first and last day of your campaign that feels uncomfortable but makes the most money
• Why the founders who win Black Friday are never the ones who spend the most in November

If you are planning your biggest sales period of the year right now, this episode will help you plan for profit instead of just revenue, and build the audience that will actually be waiting to buy when CPMs double.

Quick heads up: this episode mentions our partners at Omnisend for email and SMS, and there is a special offer for listeners at omnisend.com/foundr.

If you're loving this solo series, I'd love to hear your feedback. Email me directly at nathan@foundr.com — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it.

SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS

Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend using the code FOUNDR50.
Start here → ⁠⁠⁠https://your.omnisend.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠

SAVE 95% ON XERO FOR 6 MONTHS
Simplify your business finances with 95% off Xero for your first 6
months. Start here →⁠⁠⁠ https://foundr.com/xero⁠⁠⁠

GET UP TO $10K IN MATCHED AD CREDITS ON APPLOVIN Scale your DTC brand beyond Meta and Google with up to $10,000 in matched ad credits, plus $1,000 free to test AppLovin. Start here → https://applovin.com/foundr

WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS?
Join the Foundr Operators Waitlist → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/operators⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER

Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+

Start your $1 trial → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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→ Starting from scratch? Apply here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN

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FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES

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Matt Pohlson was clinically dead for four and a half minutes. His heart had stopped, the doctor had already called it, and 40 ICU staff had gathered at the window like a silent choir when his mother refused to let them stop fighting.

He came back - and the clarity from that experience reshaped his entire company. Omaze, the platform he co-founded to raise money for charity by giving everyday people the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences, has sent people to be mentored by Michelle Obama, ride a tank with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and win a Lamborghini handed over by the Pope. After Matt's near-death experience, he made the hard decision to kill the parts of the business he loved most - and grew revenue over 500% while increasing headcount just 10%.

In this interview, Matt breaks down the counterintuitive focus decision that unlocked Omaze's explosive growth, the controversial charity philosophy of chasing dollars over percentages, and what flatlining taught him about fear, decisions, and building a company that scales optimism.

What you'll learn in this interview:

The near-death experience that reset how he leads - and why he calls death his best friend and travel companion

Why he killed the celebrity-experience model he loved - cutting from 300 campaigns a year to 50 - and went all in on "Omaze Owned"

How a Daniel Craig campaign meant to raise $300K pulled $2.1 million - and the test that revealed the car mattered more than the celebrity

How revenue grew over 500% on just a 10% headcount increase - and the focus principle behind it

The controversial charity philosophy: why chasing dollars to the charity, not percentages, is what the nonprofit space actually needs

The exact economics of both models - 60% to charity on celebrity campaigns, guaranteed 15% on prize campaigns - and who carries the risk

How to actually partner with A-list talent: running the real numbers before giving away 5-10% of your company for star power

Why the biggest decisions don't get better the more people you ask - and his "when you don't know what to do, do nothing" rule

Virtues over values: why what your team does matters more than what they believe - and how he rebuilt culture at eight people

Why nothing is ever as bad as the fear of it - and how replacing fear with love changed how he operates

If you're building a mission-driven business, wrestling with whether to focus or diversify, or trying to lead through the kind of pressure that breaks most founders, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about fear, focus, and building something that genuinely scales good in the world.

SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS

Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend using the code FOUNDR50.
Start here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://your.omnisend.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SAVE 95% ON XERO FOR 6 MONTHS
Simplify your business finances with 95% off Xero for your first 6
months. Start here →⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://foundr.com/xero⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

GET UP TO $10K IN MATCHED AD CREDITS ON APPLOVIN Scale your DTC brand beyond Meta and Google with up to $10,000 in matched ad credits, plus $1,000 free to test AppLovin. Start here → https://applovin.com/foundr

WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS?
Join the Foundr Operators Waitlist → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/operators⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+
Start your $1 trial → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
→ Starting from scratch? Apply here →
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
→ Already have a store? Apply here →
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH MATT POHLSON
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mattpohlson/
Website → ⁠https://www.omaze.com/

FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Website → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠

Natasha was on maternity leave with a newborn who cried until he was five months old, permanently thirsty, and completely fed up that the one drink bottle she owned had grown mould. She switched to drinking from a glass - hardly practical with two small kids - and mentioned to a friend, in passing, that she needed to find something better. Three or four weeks later that friend circled back: "That drink bottle thing you mentioned - are you still doing it?" That one question convinced Natasha there were more people like her out there. She launched Mode & Opal in late 2025 with a background in graphic design and corporate management, but zero e-commerce experience.

In this episode, Natasha gets tactical about the moves that actually moved the needle: mining competitor reviews to design her offer, taking a product almost straight off the shelf to launch fast, and the single $3,900 press release that generated an estimated $400,000 in PR value and roughly 9 million views.

What you'll learn in this interview:

How a passing conversation with a friend - not a formal validation process - was the moment Natasha knew there was a real market for a better drink bottle

Why she deliberately skipped long product development, took a well-reviewed bottle almost straight off Alibaba, and had her colours locked by the second sample - because her own frustration meant speed mattered more than perfection

The competitor-review mining strategy: reading one- and two-star reviews of big-brand bottles to find the exact pain points (hard-to-clean straws, no replacement parts, leaking) and designing around them

How she engineered average order value from day one - free replacement seals, stainless steel straw upgrades, and "buy two, get a free straw" offers that cost her little but felt valuable, instead of a discount pop-up that eats margin

Why a free-gift threshold beat a free-shipping threshold for pushing AOV - and how many of her customers naturally buy 3 to 4 bottles at once for husbands and kids

The single best marketing decision she made: investing $3,900 in a professional press release that landed 22+ placements, including a national airline magazine and a full-page newspaper article

What that PR wave actually did - an estimated $400K in PR value, ~9 million cumulative views, and 20 sales in a single day when the story first ran

How she repurposed the press coverage into her best-performing meta ad - a "the bottle New Zealanders can't stop talking about" angle with a 10% click-through rate and a lifetime ROAS over 4, still running today

The exact growth curve after joining Founder: from $3,400 in April to $18,500 in August - roughly 400% growth - and settling into consistent $15K+ months as a solo operator

How she runs the whole business lean - on her phone, at night, around her kids, using Claude-built AI agents to implement what she learns - and why her next strategic move is a consumable product to unlock subscriptions and lifetime value

If you come from a creative or corporate background and assume e-commerce is a closed world you could never break into, this episode is for you. Natasha's story is a sharp, practical reminder that deep customer empathy, a well-built offer, and one well-placed PR bet can do more than a big budget - and that you can build something real in the margins of a busy life with young kids.

SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS

Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend using the code FOUNDR50.
Start here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://your.omnisend.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠

SAVE 95% ON XERO FOR 6 MONTHS
Simplify your business finances with 95% off Xero for your first 6
months. Start here →⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://foundr.com/xero⁠⁠⁠⁠

WANT TO GROW YOUR BRAND WITH META ADS?
Join the Foundr Operators Waitlist → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/operators⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+
Start your $1 trial → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
→ Starting from scratch? Apply here →
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
→ Already have a store? Apply here →
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH BY NATASHA BURGER
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mode_and_opal/
Website →⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.modeandopal.com/

FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Website → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Facebook → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Twitter → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠

Over 12 years of interviewing more than 100 billionaires, I started asking every one of them the same question: if you lost everything tomorrow, the money, the brand, the team, and you had to start completely from scratch, what would you do first? Richard Branson, Mark Cuban, Drew Houston, Kendra Scott, people who built billion dollar companies from nothing.

Here is what struck me: ten billionaires, ten different industries, ten completely different answers on the surface. But underneath every single one was the exact same thing, and it is probably not what you would expect.

In this episode, I share all ten answers, from Kendra Scott turning $500 into a billion dollar empire to Jamie Kern Lima betting on the thing everyone saw as her weakness, and the one pattern that connects them all.

Here's what you'll take away:

• Why Richard Branson's instant answer was "find the right people," and how that is exactly how Virgin was built across a hundred industries
• Drew Houston on why founders have to be learning machines, and why the gap between where you are and where you want to be is almost always a knowledge gap
• Mark Cuban's counterintuitive advice to follow your effort, not your passion, and why the distinction matters
• How Jamie Kern Lima wiped off her makeup on live TV and turned the thing she was hiding into the reason customers trusted her
• Tony Robbins on why 80% of success is psychology and only 20% is mechanics
• The single pattern underneath all ten answers, and the one question to ask yourself if you are stuck spinning your wheels on tactics

If you are stuck on funnels, tools, and tactics right now, this episode will reframe where your real starting line actually is, because the answer is almost never another tool. It is always another person.

If you're loving this solo series, I'd love to hear your feedback. Email me directly at nathan@foundr.com — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it.

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Ari Meisel spent 15 years teaching founders to do less. He's worked with over 300 assistants and once ran his business on a single hour of work a day after Crohn's disease nearly took him out. Now AI has changed the game entirely. He's running 32 AI agents across six different companies, has two agents that have been working nonstop for over 160 days, and rebuilt an entire DTC customer service operation with agents - taking first response time from 25 minutes to 44 seconds while cutting costs from over $20,000 a month to under $4,000. He's already cancelled rounds of hiring because the agents got there first.

In this interview, Ari breaks down exactly how he builds and deploys autonomous AI agents, why delegation - not prompting - is the only skill that matters, and the operational principle that survives even when every tool you use becomes obsolete.

What you'll learn in this interview:
• Why delegation, not prompting, is the real skill - and why "the 25-word prompt that 10x's your business" is nonsense
• The AI chief of staff blueprint: the 17-page framework Ari gives every agent before it does anything
• The full customer service rebuild: from 25-minute response times to 44 seconds, and $20K a month to under $4K
• The roles he's stopped hiring for entirely - and how agents cancelled a stack of project management interviews
• How he splits one overloaded agent into a supervisor and a frontend CSR when performance drops - just like managing people
• Why he gives every agent 18 foundational rules to stop it hallucinating or going off the rails
• How to actually see what your agents are doing: the Trello Kanban system that turns 32 agents into ten-second decisions
• The self-improving sales agent: how it rewrote its own script through seven versions in ten minutes across eight testers
• Why the "nightly knowledge card" is the one thing that makes every tool replaceable
• How an agent handled his kid's camp waiver from a text message while he sat in a meeting

If you're a founder trying to reclaim your time, an operator curious about deploying AI agents without breaking things, or anyone who wants the real technical playbook behind autonomous AI, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about delegation, systems, and what "work" even means going forward.

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HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
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CONNECT WITH ARI MEISEL
Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/arimeisel/
LinkedIn → ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/productivity-coach-entrepreneur
Website → https://lessdoingacademy.com/

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