2 founders answer

How do you transition from solo builder to CEO of a large team without losing what made you effective in the first place?

"I didn't enjoy the transition... I know one thing is true, I love the early stage of building." Josh's edge was staying technically fluent enough to have commercial judgment: "I'm not the engineer that pats myself on the back because I think the code is really cool — I'm the one that pats myself on the back when someone's paid us money for something that we built."

— Josh Foreman, InDebted (Ep 32)

2 founders on this question

Different founders, different playbooks. Here's how each answered — preview first, full take one click away.

Josh Foreman

InDebted · EP 32

"I didn't enjoy the transition... I know one thing is true, I love the early stage of building."…

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See Josh Foreman's full take

That translation layer between product and revenue is what kept him relevant in both roles. As CEO he could sit with enterprise customers because he understood the technical reality underneath the pitch. As a builder he could prioritise because he understood what the customer would actually pay for. Losing either side — going purely technical or purely commercial — would have broken the loop.