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Protect Your Culture Like Your Life Depends on It

At 25 employees, I (Kass) noticed something was off.

A few veterans had started forming cliques. Inside jokes that excluded new hires. Lunch invites that didn’t extend to the new folks.

Most founders would let it slide. It’s not a performance issue.

I called a meeting that same week.

"We welcome new people into this company, period. Unsupportive actions will not happen here. If they do, you will be fired."

I meant it.

(I (Mike) remember Kass telling me about this. She wasn’t angry. She was calm and completely serious. I would have tried to “talk it through.” Kass drew a line. No one crossed it.)

Why This Matters

Culture doesn’t break all at once. It erodes. A clique forms. A new hire gets ignored. Left unchecked, small cracks become the foundation.

Protecting culture is not HR’s job. It’s the founder’s job.

My dad always told me: when your values are under attack, be quick and decisive in your counterattack.

We scaled Buddy Media to over 200 employees. Retention for employees who stayed at least one year was over 95%. More than half our hires came from referrals.

That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because leadership protects it.

A Question to Sit With

What’s the small crack in your culture you’ve been ignoring?

Love,

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INSIGHT

👂 Talk Less, Listen More — Great leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about earning trust through transparency and making people feel heard.

👫 Decisions Land Better Together — Alignment isn’t about agreement. It’s about making sure everyone’s in the room when it matters.

🚪 Fire With Care, Not Just Speed — How you let someone go says everything about your leadership. Do it with dignity and help them land somewhere better.

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FOUR FAVORITE FINDS

⚽ Sponsorships Are Overrated — Levi’s, Nike, and Taco Bell aren’t World Cup sponsors. They’re still winning. Creativity beats billion-dollar deals.

🏟️ Sports Needs Its Own Home — Former X executive Brett Weitz is building BZZR to unify live games, stats, and social commentary in one place.

🍕 From Prosecution to Pizza — Two former federal prosecutors left law to start California Pizza Kitchen. One restaurant turned into 213 and $554M in revenue.

✈️ Designer Experiences Over Things — Travel, dining, and events are outpacing luxury goods. Families are traveling together in a trend called "inheritourism."

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AROUND THE FARM

↗️ Starting Up, The Real Way — Harlan Cohen came to our home to talk about entrepreneurial mindset, selling yourself, and leaning into discomfort.

🎙 Scaling, Exits, and the AI Era — Mike joined Paul Morris to talk about building companies from golf.com to Buddy Media, and why timing and storytelling matter more than technology alone.

🤑 Money Mindset Deep Dive — We got real with Kareen Zahr about how we think about money, risk, and building wealth as entrepreneurs.

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FINALLY, WANNA GET INVOLVED?

🌾 Harvest Mentorship — Stuck? Get 1:1 mentorship with Kass & Mike and start moving. Reserve Your Spot

🚜 Farm Council — Bring your hardest problem. Leave with a plan from Kass, Mike & 4 sharp peers. Grab a Seat

📖 Bulk Orders for Your Team — Want to get the book into the hands of your whole crew? We’ve got you. Order Bulk Copies

⏰ Book Us to Speak — We’d love to bring the shoveling mindset to your next event. Invite Us

🤯 Join the Conversation — Share your thoughts on social using #FoundersFarm

⏩ Spread the Word — Know 3 entrepreneurs who should be getting this? Forward it to them!