05/28/2026
Before building my first company, I spent time inside two of the most brand-obsessed organizations in the world: lululemon and Tesla.
At lululemon, I learned the power of values-led hiring, community, culture, and creating an experience that feels deeply human.
At Tesla, I learned what urgency, innovation, high standards, and rapid scaling really look like in practice.
What I walked away with was a front-row seat to what scale actually looks like. The brilliance of it, and the limitations.
Big brands win on repeatable, consistent, scalable systems. That part I kept. But I also watched those systems slow things down in ways that smaller operators simply don’t have to accept.
As a founder, that gap is your advantage (if you’re paying attention).
What I brought with me:
→ Obsess over every touchpoint. Brand is built in the details: the email tone, the follow-up, the way you handle a no
→ Build repeatable processes before you feel like you need them. The boring infrastructure saves you later
→ The experience you deliver is the product
→ Direct relationships: with every client, every candidate, every decision
→ The ability to change course tomorrow, not next quarter
Big brands taught me a lot— but building on my own taught me how much of it I actually absorbed.
