Hey. Happy Monday.

I had an incredible weekend slowing down and getting away from the laptop for once.

Saturday night, I got to celebrate one of my best friends, Bart, the head of admissions here at The Founders Club, for his 34th birthday. Was an amazing night surrounded by good people and good energy. Nothing better than getting to live and work around people that you genuinely love.

Then Sunday, my wife and I made the trip up to Tampa to visit my brother Greg and his wife. They’re expecting their first kid in just a few weeks, and we all came together for their baby shower. Such a surreal and special moment, celebrating new life, legacy, and family.

Truthfully, this was one of the first weekends I’ve properly taken off in a while. No meetings or losing it about keeping up with my inboxes. A whole weekend full of time with the people I love. There’s something really grounding about stepping back and realizing that this is what it’s all for.

I’m about to be an uncle for the first time. If you’ve got any tips, I’m all ears.

On the BODY side of things, we couldn’t be happier with the way that things have been moving. We’re finally to the point where we can start being a bit experimental, and decided to drop our first in-studio flash sale.

Coral Gables is right on the horizon as well, so if you’re in the area, keep your eyes peeled. All around, couldn’t be happier. Life is busy, but life is great.

Now, today’s topic was one so near and dear to my heart that I couldn’t help but write a second part. In this season of life, we’ve scaled CROSSNET to the point where we’re a lot more hands-off than when we started, and wanted to touch on everything that I’ve walked through to get to a spot where an eventual exit is a reality.

It’s a weird feeling thinking about letting go of something that you’ve sunk the last near-decade of your life into, but it becomes the logical next step at a point.

Here’s everything else that I know about building a business that can survive and thrive without you:

Make Yourself Replaceable (Yes, Really)

A lot of founders cling to the idea that they’re irreplaceable. But here’s the thing: if you’re truly irreplaceable, then your business has a glass ceiling, and that ceiling is you. I had to learn this the hard way.

For years, I was the voice behind every customer service message. The guy coordinating every shipment. The one checking every spreadsheet and double-confirming every number. Eventually I realized: I wasn’t the engine. I was the handbrake.

Replacing yourself isn’t failure. It’s the goal. You want to build a business where your absence is proof you did it right.

Mercury is a No-Brainer For Growth

If you're a founder, you already know the pain of trying to do it all on your own. But even with a great team and cohesive vision, the backend of the business can still feel like a time-suck. That’s where Mercury changes the game.

We use Mercury at TFC because it doesn’t just hold our money, it helps us move smarter.

• Repeat payments with a click

• Drag-and-drop invoices to pay vendors (even international ones)

• Intuitive dashboard to track money in and out 

• Categorize and sync expenses for clean books
  
  And when it comes to spend, Mercury lets you see it all.

• Track expenses by vendor or category

• Virtual cards for your whole team

• Custom limits and merchant locks

• Smart approval flows so everything's aligned

We even automate how we distribute our cash: from expenses to taxes to savings. Because we’re not just building a business. We’re building a system that runs smoothly at scale. For founders who want to stop duct-taping their ops together and actually feel in control, Mercury is a no-brainer.

They're offering up to $500 to get started. Terms apply.

^{Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC. The IO Card is issued by Patriot Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Mastercard®.}

Build a Real Leadership Team

Operational independence doesn’t mean zero involvement. It means strategic involvement. That only works if you have the right leadership. At TFC, I’ve learned to build around operators who are way better than me in their area.

Our events team handles logistics and vendors. Our sales/marketing teams track marketing and performance. Our community lead owns member experience and engagement. If everything flows through you, you’ve built a house of cards.  If your team owns their lane, you’ve built something that can scale.

Start by asking: “What are the core functions of the business?” Then build roles, and eventually owners, for each one.

Install the Right Metrics and Meeting Rhythms

You can’t let go if you don’t trust what’s happening. And you can’t trust what’s happening if you don’t have visibility. Every founder needs a dashboard. Not a bloated Notion board with 50 charts. Just the essentials:

• Revenue

• CAC

• LTV

• Churn

• Burn

If you track it weekly, you can steer proactively. If you wait for monthly reports, you’re already behind. Set up a weekly rhythm:

Monday: What are our priorities this week?
Wednesday: What’s blocked or stuck?
Friday: What moved the needle?

Your job isn’t to do everything anymore. It’s to ensure the right things are getting done.

Automate Where You Can

We’re living in 2025. You should not be doing things that software or AI can do for you.

Some of our favorite automations:

• Order follow-up emails using Klaviyo

• Zapier integrations to update sheets, send alerts, tag customers

• Slack notifications for churned users

• AI for ticket triage and draft replies

You don’t need a 10-person team to run a lean machine. You just need to build it like one.

Test Your Systems By ACTUALLY Leaving

This one’s uncomfortable. But here’s what I recommend: once you’ve built your systems, actually take a step back. Not forever. But for a week. Go dark. No emails. No Slack. No last-minute fire drills. If something catches on fire, good. That’s your signal.

When I did this, it was terrifying. But it revealed weak points instantly:

• Where were decisions stalling?

• Where were team members unclear?

• What processes needed tightening?

Every absence is a stress test. And every stress test is a gift.

Think Exit, Even if You’re Not Selling

Here’s a little-known secret: The most sellable businesses are the ones that can fire the founder. Even if you’re not planning to sell, you should build like you are. Why? Because buyers want systems. They want clarity. They want something that runs.

If your business needs you, it’s not an asset. It’s a liability. But if it can run on its own? You’ve got options:

• You can step back and start something new.

• You can focus on high-leverage stuff only.

• You can cash out and move on.

Whatever your endgame, you need optionality. That’s what operational independence gives you.

You’re Not Lazy for Wanting Freedom

Some founders feel guilty for wanting to work less. For not wanting to be in the trenches 24/7. But here’s the truth:

The goal was never to grind forever. The goal was freedom. Time with family. Creative space to build something new. A business that supports your life, not one that swallows it. You don’t have to “earn” that. You just have to build for it.

And it starts by asking one simple question: Could your business fire you? If not, let’s change that.

Have a great week,
Chris