Full Stack Founders

For operator-founders building for the AI era.Mike Bledsoe and Ted Phaeton host. Mike's been an entrepreneur for 19 years: Navy veteran, built CrossFit gyms, Barbell Shrugged, a SaaS product for operators, and now consults operators rebuilding their businesses around AI. Ted's earlier on the path. Part of the show is Mike mentoring him through the conversation in public. The rest is keeping the audience up to speed on what AI is actually doing to the game in real time.When there are guests, they're operators worth having in the room. When there aren't, Ted drives the questions. Usually the ones most operators won't ask out loud. They walk through the work together.Most business podcasts are entertainment for operators pretending to build something. This one is for the ones actually building.No guru energy. No performance. Two operators thinking out loud about what ownership actually requires now.New episodes every Tuesday.

Full Stack Founders is a business podcast hosted by Mike Bledsoe & Ted Phaeton, with 17 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Mike Bledsoe & Ted Phaeton hosts Full Stack Founders, a business show with 17 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #45

  He Sold $70K Websites. Then He Killed The Model Himself

  Aug 10, 20261h 14m

  He was selling $70,000 websites. Then AI made "a great website" something anyone could produce in an afternoon, and Dima Kozlov had a choice: defend the model or kill it himself. He killed it. This is the whole arc: what he rebuilt the business into, what an afternoon with AI now replaces, why he stopped taking retainers, and the AI sales coach that caught a five figure deal everyone had written off. Full Stack Founders is where operators rebuild their businesses around AI they own instead of renting someone else's. New episodes every Monday. Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/i9xPoe-nQI0 Start here: https://bledsoe.life/start Dmitriy "Dima" Kozlov builds iconic brands at Influex: https://influex.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/influexbrands and https://instagram.com/forwordceo 0:00 The model is dying. He killed it first 0:33 What his agency sold before AI 5:54 Cannibalize yourself before AI does it 8:39 The vision predates the tools 13:34 An afternoon vs six months of analysis 17:14 Coach, course, or an AI you own? 26:29 Why he stopped taking retainers 30:45 AI plus 19 years beats AI alone 40:14 The AI sales coach and the five figure save 47:00 Nobody knows what to believe anymore 51:56 Writing in your voice, not the model's 56:57 Retraining it on your raw input 1:01:57 The competition is getting thicker 1:08:09 AI has the skills. You need the taste

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  Episode #44

  12 Months of Work in 12 Hours (and Why That Broke My Business Model)

  Aug 4, 20261h 31mS1

  One of those 12-month, $25,000 agency engagements Nathaniel used to run — he could now do in a casual weekend. That put him out of a job. Then he built the Command Center that replaced the job. Nathaniel Solace is a coach and business systems strategist, a 16-year entrepreneur, and Kevin Orosz's agency partner in Austin. In this conversation he walks Mike and Ted through the exact architecture he built to run his AI-native agency solo: three named agents (Claude as the main catch-all, Grid as the wiki/backend manager, Tenor as the final-10% finisher), a project-based Employees folder that assigns one agent per business or course (not per skill), and a Skills-vs-Systems distinction where a system is just a group of skills strung together (Zoom-to-Email Wisdom Clipper). Plus: the GTD-based Now/Next/Later file architecture, the Felix Kraft memory system he adapted for open-Claude, the Karpathy repo Mike pointed at his own system to catch what was missing, the six-thousand-of-22,000 GoHighLevel subscribers Mike found weren't getting emails on a live client call, the $200 Claude plan that's really $14,000 in subsidized compute, and why Nathaniel is racing the June 22 Fable cutoff to have his stack ready to run without Anthropic. Also: the Jarvis-tier client experience delivered by Telegram bot, why every founder now needs an AI integrator (human or agent), why the businesses have gotten boring (Minority Report for BizOps, predictive fire-putting-out), and Nathaniel's mesh network project with Hakeem/Above Phone to keep private local LLM access on when the grid goes off. If you're an operator-founder running $500K to $5M and you can feel that the org chart you were about to hire against is already obsolete — this one's for you. Key insights from this episode: ➔ 12 months of work in 12 hours: the ratio that broke Nathaniel's business model ➔ 1:100,000 to 1:1M — the actual speed/efficiency compression Claude mapped ➔ Your $200 Claude plan is actually $14,000 in subsidized compute (and Fable ends June 22) ➔ The Command Center Architecture: Claude + Grid (backend) + Tenor (final 10%) + Employees folder ➔ Skills vs. Systems: why a system is just a group of skills strung together ➔ Why every business owner now needs an AI Integrator (human or agent) ➔ Minority Report for BizOps: predictive fire-putting-out on a $50K/month business ➔ The $10K rig that gives you private, local, energy-independent LLM access ➔ "Treat Claude like your autistic best friend" (the literal-interpretation reframe) ➔ Ready-aim-ready-aim-ready-aim, THEN fire (the AI-era update to Ready-Fire-Aim) Chapters: 000:00 AI That Replaces Teams 00:53 AI Killed Doomscrolling 05:37 The AI Burnout Trap 08:09 Managing 65 Projects 12:12 Building Better AI Systems 14:24 AI Memory That Works 24:36 Your AI Source of Truth 26:53 Weekly AI Reviews 30:46 12 Months of Work in 12 Hours 36:22 Most People Don't Want AI 44:30 The Real ROI of AI 47:15 Business Problems Aren't Business Problems 49:30 AI Predicts Problems Early 52:20 Replacing Business Software 56:22 Your $200 Plan Costs $14K 01:01:41 Building Private AI 01:04:13 The Future of Small Teams 01:12:23 Train AI With Transcripts 01:14:34 The Biggest AI Mistakes 01:18:01 Plan More, Build Faster 01:24:04 Where to Find Nathaniel 01:24:47 AI Can Save Humanity 01:29:34 Final Thoughts Connect with Nathaniel Solace : Website: https://nathanielsolace.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathaniel_solace LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-solace-b8792261 Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/nathanielsolacefans/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NathanielSolace Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6laivDpTznxxa7jglWi5Lw?si=16d6aee273e84cbf YouTube: @thefullstackfounders Apple Podcasts: full stack founders Spotify: full stack founders Follow Ted: Website: www.themodernmanpodcast.com X: @TheModernMan8 YouTube: The Modern Man Podcast Instagram: @themodernmanpodcast Facebook: @TheModernManShow Linktree: https://themodernmanpodcast.com/linktree Follow Mike: Website: bledsoe.life YouTube: @MikeBledsoe Instagram: @mike_bledsoe Newsletter: writing #fullstackpodcast #fullstackfounders #commandcenter #aiintegrator #operatorfounder #claudecode #fable5 #nathanielsolace #mikebledsoe #tedphaeton #aiagents #localllm

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  Episode #43

  AI Psychosis Is Real. "You're Absolutely Right, Karen.

  Aug 4, 20261h 31mS1

  "You're absolutely right, Karen." That's the line ChatGPT used to help two people file for divorce. And it's the same line your AI is feeding you every time you ask it a hard question. Kevin Orosz is a high-performance co-host, retreat facilitator, founder of Mystic Misfit, and host of the KO Show. He's running an AI agency in Austin with his partner Nathaniel, has a master's-level psychology background, and just spent the last 90 days going from "anti-AI language guy" to a top 1% power user with a 2,000-document Obsidian knowledge vault and three named agents that adversarially stress-test his ideas. In this conversation, Kevin, Mike, and Ted go deep on the AI psychosis crisis spreading through Reddit threads and dinner tables, why the simple act of positive reinforcement is the human need being outsourced, the operator-grade fix (your agents' base stance should be adversarial), why the moat is no longer speed — it's proprietary data — and why local + Chinese open-source models are the sleeper play once the subsidized compute window closes on June 22. Plus: the Fable 5 launch reaction, the single mom doing $10K MRR with agents from home, the Tony Stark / Jarvis archetype for your AI stack, Kevin's restart-the-build-three-times story, and the biohacking research on why no-tech-at-meals is now table stakes for masculine and marital health. If you're an operator-founder running $500K to $5M, in the AI shift, and starting to feel the FOMO — this one's for you. Key insights from this episode: ▸ AI Psychosis is real: the Reddit Karen / divorce story decoded ▸ The simple act of positive reinforcement is a base human need (and it's being outsourced) ▸ The operator-grade fix: make your agents' base stance adversarial ▸ The moat is no longer speed — it's proprietary data ▸ Why $200/month Claude is heavily subsidized compute (and what happens June 22) ▸ The Tony Stark / Jarvis archetype for your AI stack ▸ The Chinese open-source models nobody is talking about "Not quite my tempo": the Whiplash reframe for AI sycophancy ▸ The biohacking research on no-tech-at-meals and eye contact Chapters: 00:00 "You're absolutely right, Karen." 01:07 Welcome & Meet Kevin Orosz 02:03 What Happens When AI Replaces Your Job? 05:24 Are AI Job Loss Fears Overblown? 08:20 The AI Investment Boom & Trillion-Dollar Race 11:17 Why Entrepreneurs Will Benefit Most from AI 14:37 The Biggest Opportunity for Small Businesses 18:07 AI in Law, Medicine & Regulated Industries 20:20 The New Moat: Proprietary Data 23:10 Why Building Apps Has Never Been Easier 28:22 Speed vs Distribution: What Really Wins 32:50 Personal Branding Is More Valuable Than Ever 35:40 AI FOMO: Keeping Up With Rapid Innovation 39:05 Kevin's Journey from AI Skeptic to Power User 43:12 Why Most People Barely Use AI's Real Power 47:10 Building AI Agents & Knowledge Systems 54:35 AI as a Mirror for Self-Improvement 59:48 Should AI Make Decisions for You? 1:05:30 AI Psychosis & Losing Touch With Reality 1:10:45 Why Human Connection Matters More Than Ever 1:15:20 AI Relationships, Loneliness & Society's Future 1:19:55 Final Thoughts on the AI Revolution Connect with Kevin Orosz : Website: imiloainstitute.com Instagram: @kevinjorosz LinkedIn: @kevinorosz Facebook: @kevinoroszlan YouTube: @KevinOroszSpeaks YouTube: @thefullstackfounders Apple Podcasts: full stack founders Spotify: full stack founders Follow Ted: Website: www.themodernmanpodcast.com X: @TheModernMan8 YouTube: The Modern Man Podcast Instagram: @themodernmanpodcast Facebook: @TheModernManShow Linktree: https://themodernmanpodcast.com/linktree Follow Mike: Website bledsoe.life YouTube: @MikeBledsoe Instagram: @mike_bledsoe Newsletter: writing

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  Episode #42

  The Lazy Coders Are Winning the AI Game

  Aug 4, 20261h 2mS1

  The lazy coders are probably doing the best. Meanwhile, one company ran up a $500 million token bill in 30 days because nobody set the guardrails. Mike Bledsoe and Ted Phaeton dig into the contrarian shift underway in the AI/coder economy. Why the 28-year-old vibecoder is closing the gap on the 48-year-old engineer faster than anyone expected. Why Ultra Code just dropped a stack of 50-year-old computer science principles into the average operator's hands. Why Mike is building his entire platform solo — Vercel, Supabase, the lot — and keeps not hitting the hurdle that makes him call a real engineer. Plus: the hardware shift coming to your house (NVIDIA mini data centers paying you to host them on your solar overage), why local AI models running on a server in your closet are 90% as good as Claude Code and 3-6 months behind, the new investment angles when GPUs and energy are the only real bottlenecks left, and Mike's 125-scheduled-posts content pipeline that pulls from his Zoom, Google Meet, and YouTube transcripts on autopilot. If you're a founder running $500K to $5M, sitting on hardware you bought before agentic AI was a thing, and you've been hesitating to build because "I'd need to hire an engineer" — this one's for you. Key insights from this episode: ➤ Why hardware matters now (and why Mike upgraded his MacBook 4 months before he needed to) ➤ The two real bottlenecks of AI: GPUs and energy ➤ Local AI models: 90% as good, 3-6 months behind, running on your own server ➤ NVIDIA paying homeowners to host mini data centers on solar overage ➤ $500M in tokens in 30 days: what happens with no guardrails ➤ The lazy coders are winning (and the CrossFit-vs-Olympic-coach analogy that proves it) ➤ Ultra Code: 50-year-old CS principles auto-installed for everyone ➤ Why Mike's not hitting the hurdle that makes him need a real engineer "Who's not a coder at this point?" ➤ The content pipeline: 125 posts scheduled across 7 platforms, on autopilot Chapters: 00:00 The lazy coders are winning 01:00 Welcome to Full Stack Founders 01:00 The MacBook upgrade no one saw coming 03:00 Cron jobs and the local AI shift 04:13 Token spend vs. privacy 05:43 The local server at home (90% as good as Claude Code) 07:35 GPUs in every Tesla and every robot 08:34 The server-storage business vertical 09:50 NVIDIA mini data centers paying for solar overage 10:53 The hardware arc (and the real bottleneck) 12:48 The two real bottlenecks: GPUs and energy 13:25 The $500M token bill in 30 days 17:28 "If you stopped using AI for a week, would it impact your bottom line?" 19:56 The most token-intensive work (agentic workflows) 20:55 The 125-post content pipeline from podcast transcripts 24:57 The lean-skill saves: Ted's first token blowup 27:55 Ultra Code: the engine that spins up its own agent army 30:33 Pointing the new intelligence at your old repo 33:42 The lazy coders are probably doing the best 36:11 The 28-year-old vs the 48-year-old coder gap 37:07 The CrossFit-vs-Olympic-coach analogy 40:20 Why "AI is dangerous" is mostly nefarious humans 42:15 The publishing company going full AI (and hiring for it) 44:17 "Who's not a coder at this point?" 44:27 Why your legacy audience isn't following the AI arc 48:39 Instagram vs Facebook vs LinkedIn for the operator 51:23 Mike's solo platform build (Vercel + Supabase + AI) 54:11 "AI doesn't have bad days" 56:12 The new limit isn't delegation — it's imagination 57:34 Recap: hardware, lazy coders, who's not a coder Where does this fit in the Stack? This episode focuses on OUTPUT . To learn how to integrate this into your daily leadership practice, take our free training "See The Game" inside the Full Stack - Skool community ($49/mo): https://www.skool.com/the-mission-after-2227/about?ref=12e63552edce482b85cc08369565c495 YouTube: @thefullstackfounders Apple Podcasts: full stack founders Spotify: full stack founders Follow Ted: Website: www.themodernmanpodcast.com X: @TheModernMan8 YouTube: The Modern Man Podcast Instagram: @themodernmanpodcast Facebook: @TheModernManShow Linktree: https://themodernmanpodcast.com/linktree Follow Mike: Website bledsoe.life YouTube: @MikeBledsoe Instagram: @mike_bledsoe Newsletter: writing #fullstackpodcast #fullstackfounders #aiforbusiness #operatorfounder #ultracode #claudecode #localai #vibecoding #mikebledsoe #tedphaeton #aiagents #leverage

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  Full Stack Founders

  Two People. One Billion Dollars. The Org Chart Is Dying.

  Jul 4, 20261h 5m

  Two-year-old company, two people, $1.4 billion in revenue. Hims & Hers took 10 years and 2,000 employees to reach $2 billion in revenue. The math has changed. Mike Bledsoe and Ted Phaeton open with the story of Sam Zemurray — the immigrant banana seller who took down United Fruit Company by playing one card: speed. Then they map the same play onto 2026. Why agentic AI is killing the org chart, what Mike found when he scraped one client's project management data (more than 40 hours a week in pure coordination), why ClickUp's CEO just paid his top 10% of engineers $1M a year salaries, and the difference between operators who use AI and operators who say they do. Plus: why most founders' AI "gets lazy" (and the real diagnosis — they're not memory architects), the $10K designer who got fired in three days, why the employee who automates their own job KEEPS it, and the engineer who wired his daughters' iPads to lock until they unload the dishwasher. If you're an operator-founder running $500K to $5M and you can feel the shift but can't name it — this one's for you. Key insights from this episode: From hierarchy to intelligence: why the org chart is dying in 2026 The 40-hour-per-week coordination cost Mike scraped out of one client's data ClickUp's CEO cuts 22% of the team and pays the top 10% $1M a year "If you want your team to use AI, you have to be using it yourself" Why your AI isn't lazy — you're a bad memory architect Why business owners have agency that most employees don't The 2026 reality: 2-person companies sweeping 1,000-employee competitors The wealthy get everything first — and the founder plays for spotting the gap Chapters: 00:00 The MedV vs Hims & Hers comp 01:00 Welcome to Full Stack Founders 02:37 From hierarchy to intelligence 04:24 The 40-hour-per-week coordination cost 05:35 Agentic teams without a boss 07:23 Why org charts are about to die 1 0:55 The ClickUp CEO restructure 13:50 If you want your team to use AI, you have to be using it 14:52 The soccer-ball analogy 17:07 Spec the build 10x more than you build 19:40 Why subject knowledge still matters (the ACL rehab story) 21:15 "I'm getting a college degree every week" 22:00 Why your AI isn't lazy — you're a bad memory architect 25:48 Building skills the right way (PT books example) 28:30 The $10K designer fired in 3 days 30:48 Business owners have agency. Employees usually don't. 31:36 The 100x organization 32:55 The employee who automates their job KEEPS their job 34:29 False bottlenecks and the agency play 37:15 Two-person companies sweeping the 1,000-employee giants 37:36 MedV vs Hims & Hers ($1.4B in 2 years vs $2B in 10) 40:00 Agents talking to agents (the calendar coordination flow) 42:45 The 100x organization spreading to other industries 43:30 The trash-pickup SEO arbitrage ($20M/year) 46:53 The engineer who wired his daughters' iPads to the dishwasher 48:48 Industries about to be made WITH AI 51:37 New businesses that never existed before 53:29 The wardrobe-that-meets-you-at-your-hotel play 55:34 The "wealthy get everything first" framework (Uber, Waymo) 57:42 Embrace the disruption (and the legal fights) 1:00:33 Recap: hierarchy, coordination, memory architect, agency 1:03:00 Outro This episode focuses on OUTPUT ( Business & Leadership ). To learn how to integrate this into your daily leadership practice and reclaim your time, take our free training " See The Game " inside the Full Stack community: www.skool.com Follow Ted: Website: www.themodernmanpodcast.com X: TheModernMan8 YouTube: The Modern Man Podcast Instagram: themodernmanpodcast Facebook: TheModernManShow Follow Mike: Website: bledsoe.life YouTube: @MikeBledsoe Instagram: @mike_bledsoe #fullstackpodcast #fullstackfounders #aiforbusiness #operatorfounder #aiforfounders #orgchart #100xorganization #mikebledsoe #tedphaeton #aiagents #leverage #claudecode

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