What’s up guys.

This past week has been about one thing: getting ready.

We’re heading into the last push of 2025: six weeks, two countries, five cities. First stop: Founders Forum in NYC, where members are flying in from everywhere. From Dubai to Toronto to LA, founders are dropping what they’re doing to be in the same spot. After that, it’s straight to Toronto for the holidays and a keynote back home. Then we’ll close it all out in Puerto Rico, locking in the game plan for 2026.

A friend reminded me this week to make space in my head as things ramp up. Buffett said it best: if you don’t prepare, you’re setting yourself up to fail. The focus is on, the calendar is packed, and I couldn’t be more grateful that this is what I get to call “work”

Boxes, Handwritten Notes, and The Forum

Every road somehow leads back to a garage and a stack of cardboard boxes. This month, 81 new members joined The Founders Club. Miami, Toronto, LA, Vancouver, NYC, Austin, Dubai, the list goes on. A 3PL should probably be handling all this by now. But here we are, handwriting, packing, and shipping every single box ourselves like it matters. Because it does.

Because this month, we’re hosting our first-ever Founders Forum as a club. 250+ members all in a sold out spot in the heart of New York City. One member texted me after his first week: “I was telling my dad about FC, and he said it sounded a lot like his first week in YPO in 1973.”

That hit me. Year 13 for them. Month 19 for us.

The road is long. But things like FFNYC prove the compounding has already begun.

My Guest at This Time

This week on Founder2Founder, I sat down with my co-founder at The Founders Club, Chris Meade.

If you’ve followed Chris, you know him as the co-founder of CROSSNET: a backyard game that went from an idea to a global brand. We talked about its recent acquisition and everything that went into the deal. But this conversation went way deeper than just their exit. We broke down:

The exact details of the CROSSNET acquisition
How The Founders Club was born in the first place

What it looks like behind the scenes to run an 8-figure brand
The biggest mistake Chris made that cost him millions (and what he’d do differently)

We don’t usually peel back the curtain this far, but this one needed to be said. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to build with someone you trust, to fail in public, and to find your stride again, this is that episode.

The Next Six Weeks of Chaos

950+ applications a month, masterminds sold out in six cities, and yet, when members asked for a Founders Forum, our first instinct was to say no. Too soon, too much, too risky.

But as Chris said: Worst case, we say we tried. So, three weeks ago, we pulled the trigger. Today, it’s SOLD OUT.

• NYC

• 250+ members

• September 19th
  

A dream turned into reality in less than a month. Building a modern-day YPO isn’t easy, but it’s worth it, and we’re lucky we get to do it every single day.

Bringing it All Home

Six weeks, two countries, five cities. This life isn’t just about travel or keynotes or checklists. It’s about the compounding effect of showing up consistently, together.

When I look at the Forum, the podcast, and even the little things like shipping boxes ourselves, I see the same through-line: if you want something real, you can’t shortcut the work. Preparation, presence, and people matter. And the payoff at the end is the life you get to live while building it.

Excited to see how this stretch plays out.

Until next time,
Aaron