6 Mindset Shifts from a $5M Founder (at 23)

Today I chatted with a 23-year-old cofounder of a $5 million technology startup. We connected on LinkedIn, set up a call, and what was initially planned as a 25-minute slot turned into an engaging hour-and-a-half discussion about careers, entrepreneurship, and mindsets for success.

What struck me most wasn’t just his impressive achievements, but his sincerity. He wasn’t trying to impress; he was trying to share. And that generosity in spirit stayed with me.

Here are six takeaways to remember if you want to think like a $5M founder.

1. Surround Yourself With Aspirational People

Being around people who are doing what you want to do changes the game.

Why?

a) It shows you what’s possible and how they did it.

b) It reminds you that it’s possible for you too.

This can look like:

• Reaching out to people you want to learn from (LinkedIn, Instagram, even YouTube)

• Curating your social media feeds and content consumption

• Joining communities or clubs filled with curious, driven people

• Having friends who make you think, “Damn, I want to be like that.”

Energy is contagious. And if you're constantly around people chasing meaningful things, you'll start chasing your own.

2. Zooming Out = The Abundance Mindset

You know those videos that pan out from a city to the planet to the galaxy? That’s what this conversation felt like: zooming out on life.

When we’re caught up in a bad day, a disagreement, or insecurity, it’s easy to forget how much else is out there. Opportunities. People. Possibilities. Entire lifetimes waiting to be built. We spend so much mental energy worrying about things that barely register — whether there was a sesame seed stuck in our teeth in that photo won’t matter in ten years (or ten minutes).

The most successful people don’t just chase what’s urgent. They operate from a place of calm perspective. They zoom out, and then act with intention.

That’s what this founder embodied.

3. Be Honest With Yourself to Figure Out What You Want

It stood out how much focus he put on goal setting. He creates ambitious goals, reverse engineers them to figure out the steps that need to be taken, takes those steps, and tracks those goals regularly. 

Most people think of the ambitious goal, but aren’t willing to sacrifice what it takes to get there. 

He separates ego from self by asking at every major decision: Is this what I truly want? Or do I want it because it looks impressive to others?

That honesty makes follow-through easier — because the goal is truly his.

4. Careers Are a Two-Way Street

Sometimes on a date, we’re so focused on whether the other person will like us that we forget to ask a more important question: do we actually like them? The same mistake can show up in job searches.

Before his startup, he did internships, and he didn’t just apply randomly, he got clear on what he was looking for — what experience he wanted, what sort of team he wanted to be in, and why that would support his long term goals. He said, “Interviews aren't just about companies evaluating you. You're also evaluating them.” 

Does their mission excite you?

Will you learn and grow?

Do their values align with yours?

We might not always know what we want, and only through experience may we gradually discover it, but start with what you do know. 

5. Integrity Over Ego

What stood out to me was how grounded this founder was. He had clear values, mission, and long-term vision. This showed in the way he ran his business and how he hired his team.

In the long run, that kind of integrity compounds in teams, in culture, and in the trust people place in you.

6. I Know Nothing

At first, that sounds harsh. But his point wasn’t to undermine confidence, it was to encourage humility.

Most of us leave university having never negotiated a salary, navigated difficult feedback, managed up, or handled real accountability. These aren’t failures; they’re simply experiences we haven’t had yet.

The problem isn’t not knowing. The problem is thinking you know, and closing yourself off to learning.

What separates people who grow quickly from those who stagnate is their willingness to be a beginner again — to listen, ask questions, and accept that competence is built through exposure, not ego.

Final Thoughts

Seeing someone from my hometown, Auckland, made success feel replicable. He has an impressive work ethic, natural ambition, and a strong business mindset, but at the end of the day, he’s also just a person — like you and me. His achievements aren’t some unattainable mystery; they’re the result of choices, habits, and skills that can be learned and built over time.

This is what I learned, although an article is just an article. The real value comes from finding people who inspire you — online, at work, at university — and reaching out for a coffee or a conversation. You don’t just learn from them; you sharpen how you think.

So go first. Press send on that message. The people you want to meet might surprise you.