610: (Solo) The Secret to Finding Agencies That Don’t Burn You

When you’re just starting out, the fastest way to grow isn’t automation, ads, or scaling systems — it’s doing things that don’t scale. In this episode, I share why the most successful founders — from billion-dollar startups to small ecommerce brands — all begin by leaning into the unscalable. From replying personally to every email, to sending hundreds of Instagram DMs, to handwriting thank-you cards for early customers, these strategies create the kind of emotional connection that big brands can’t compete with. Here’s what you’ll take away: • Why doing things that don’t scale is your biggest advantage as a small brand • Real examples of how I and other founders used this to grow early traction • Specific tactics you can start today to build stronger customer relationships If you’re an early-stage founder, this episode will show you exactly how to build momentum, create raving fans, and uncover what truly works — long before you scale. This is a brand new solo series I’m testing, and I’d love your feedback. Email me directly at nathan@foundr.com — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it. SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to ????????????https://your.omnisend.com/foundr???????????? to get started. HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+ Start your $1 trial ? ????????????https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial???????????? PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING? ? Starting from scratch? Apply here ? ????????????https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application???????????? ? Already have a store? Apply here ? ????????????https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application???????????? CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN Instagram ? ????????????https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan???????????? LinkedIn ? ????????????https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/???????????? FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES YouTube ? ????????????https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt???????????? Website ? ????????????https://www.foundr.com???????????? Instagram ? ????????????http