29. Advice for Founder Turned PMs
and to myself on how to navigate life after acquisitions and avoid burnouts
I’ve been through startup acquisitions with my startup and as head of function in larger startups.
Both transitions taught me something critical:
Going from founder (or head-of-function in a startup) to product leader in a scaling company is a huge identity shift.
And that shift isn’t always easy.
On burnout, detachment, and identity
Like many former founders, I’ve often felt frustrated, out of control, and over-invested.
You care deeply. Too deeply. You attach yourself to the outcomes of a project. That emotional weight can lead to burnout, or worse, a slow resentment that chips away at your joy and energy.
You can't keep operating with founder-level intensity inside a larger system.
A few things I’ve learned and am trying to change along the way. Emphasis on trying.
1. Let Go of Total Ownership
As a founder, you own everything - vision, execution, outcomes, and morale. As a PM, you own some things and influence the rest. Learn to be okay with partial control. It’s not your company anymore, and that’s not a failure. It’s reality.
2. Your Speed Will Feel Threatening. Use It Wisely
You’ll naturally want to move fast. But corporate systems often optimise for alignment and stability, not velocity. Use your bias for speed to prototype thinking, not bulldoze people. Lead by showing what’s possible. Leave room for others to catch up.
3. Don’t Try to "Fix Everything"
Founders see broken systems and instinctively want to fix them. But not every inefficiency is yours to solve. Ask: Is this problem worth solving in this context, or do I just hate inefficiency? Sometimes, the fix is not worth the political or emotional capital.
4. You’re Not the Final Decider
You’re used to making the final call. But as a PM, you’re often the glue, not the decider. The real skill: influencing outcomes without authority, and finding satisfaction in wins you didn’t directly control.
5. Resist the Founder Ego Trap
It’s tempting to believe you “could do it better.” Maybe you could. But unless you’re the one running the company, that belief becomes toxic (and takes a toll on your mental health) over time. Trade ego for empathy. The system isn’t dumb. It’s just optimised for constraints you don’t always see.
6. Balance Vision with Reality
You’re probably future-obsessed. But inside a bigger org, you also need to play the game of incremental wins, stakeholder buy-in, and timing. Your challenge: make bold bets without becoming “the unrealistic one.”
7. Redefine Success for Yourself
As a founder, success was company success. As a PM, success can be:
Elevating your team. Driving clarity in chaos. Shipping something that gets used.
Don’t measure yourself by founder metrics in a non-founder role.
8. Protect Your Energy (The most important one)
You’re used to running hot, running deep, running all the time. But in corporate life, that can lead to burnout, and no one will stop you. Protect your energy for the things that matter: the right problems, the right people, the right stakes.
9. Pick Your Battles
You’ll see 100 things wrong. Pick 3. Win those. Let the rest go. Victory in corporate life often comes from selective intensity, not full-spectrum domination.
10. Keep Building Something on the Side
Your founder brain still needs an outlet. Build outside work. A newsletter, a tool, a product - best time to play around with AI, or start 3D printing projects - a different kind of mid-life crisis. It’ll keep your skills sharp, your identity anchored, and your sanity intact.
Parting thoughts
You don’t need to kill your founder instincts. Just retrain them for the context you're in. Keep the bias to action. Keep the clarity. Keep the hunger.
But learn to detach. Learn to rest. Learn to reframe success.
If you are in a similar boat, don’t hesitate to reach out, and if you found this post useful, share it with a founder turned PM.