In this episode of Founder2Founder, Aaron Spivak returns with Chris Meade for a founder-to-founder deep dive on the biggest insights shaping business growth in 2026. After surveying over 1,000 members from inside The Founders Club, they uncovered five powerful patterns that separate the founders who are doubling their growth from those who stay stuck. The truth? It’s not about doing more, it’s about going deeper on what’s already working.
Together, they unpack the mindset shifts, tactical strategies, and daily disciplines top founders are leaning into this year. From clarity of vision to committing to one channel, empowering teams, building real founder connections, and using AI as leverage (not leadership), this episode is packed with hard-earned insights and actionable takeaways. Whether you’re scaling past $10M or just trying to get momentum back, this is the playbook for founders ready to build with purpose
Chapters:
01:03 – The Truth About Founders Who Break Through
02:08 – Why Clarity and Focus Beat Chaos
03:47 – Avoiding Shiny Object Syndrome in 2026
05:25 – The Anxiety That Comes from Lack of Vision
06:44 – Ask Yourself: Is Your Business Even Scalable?
08:30 – One Channel. One Plan. No Distractions.
09:49 – The Founders Who Are Crushing It Aren’t Multichannel
11:00 – Are You Testing a Channel or Building It?
12:51 – The Difference Between Committing vs. Experimenting
14:06 – The Real Reason Founders Don’t Go All In
17:01 – Creating Feedback Loops to Build Momentum
19:05 – Why Small Wins Shouldn’t Be Overlooked
20:01 – Founder Bottlenecks and How to Eliminate Them
22:04 – Panic Execution Is a Sign of Broken Systems
23:42 – Giving Teams Ownership of Their "Piano"
25:12 – The Power of Real-World, In-Person Connection
26:10 – Your Network is Who Picks Up the Phone When It Gets Hard
28:08 – Give First: The Foundation of True Founder Relationships
30:02 – What Real Founder Support Looks Like
33:58 – Why Your Circle Defines Your Trajectory
35:35 – AI is Leverage, Not Leadership
42:03 – AI for Speed and Margin, Not for Connection
44:58 – Clear Strategy, Committed Team, One Goal
48:35 – Inside the Vision for Founders Club 2026
51:17 – Why Integrity is Everything as You Scale
53:24 – Designing Events That Actually Serve Founders
56:09 – The Power of Physical Spaces in a Digital World
58:10 – Are We Building Community the Right Way?
1:06:30 – Why Gender-Specific Events Are Unlocking Deeper Growth
1:08:00 – Founders Forum LA: Our Biggest Event Ever
1:11:45 – Redefining Sponsorships to Actually Add Value
1:14:06 – The New Perks Members Actually Use
1:16:22 – 2025 Was Chaos, 2026 is Clarity
Guest Links:
Instagram @chrismeade & @crossnetgame
Website: https://vivereltd.com/pages/crossnet
The Founders Club: The premier community for founders pursuing excellence in the mind, body, and business.
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