Founder Anxiety Is Real—Here’s How I Use It to Win

Anxiety shows up often in my journey as a founder. It used to feel like a weakness. Now, I’m learning to use it as fuel.

This week on the Founder Mode podcast, we spoke with Slobodan “Sani” Manic. He is the Founder of PodPacer and the host of the No Hacks Podcast. We both agreed on one thing: anxiety isn’t something you can erase. But you can turn it into something useful.

My Personal Experience with Founder Anxiety

For me, anxiety usually starts with too much on my plate.

I’ll feel like I have 37 things to do and only time for 10. My mind jumps between tasks. I can’t focus. I feel stuck.

My first move is simple: get everything out of my head. I write it all down. Sometimes I send myself an email. Other times I use Asana to map out tasks.

Once I see the list, I can sort and prioritize. What matters most? What can wait? What can I delegate?

Action Over Anxiety

I’d rather take action than stay stuck in fear.

When I face a tough decision, I don’t try to find the perfect move. I’d rather try 3 or 4 ideas quickly and see what works. Action builds momentum. It gives me data. It gets me unstuck.

Perfection seems safe, but it can slow things down.

In startups, speed beats perfection.

How I Hire to Reduce Anxiety

Team culture matters a lot—especially when you’re anxious.

I try to hire curious people who aren’t afraid to take risks. I want folks who ask questions, try new tools, and experiment with ideas. In startups, we’re often solving things no one has solved before. That means we need people who aren’t stuck in “the way it’s always been done.”

If your team freezes when the path isn’t clear, you’ll stall out.

What I Learned from Sani

Sani’s insights hit home for me. Here are five big ones:

1. Anxiety Is Normal—And Useful

Sani told me something wild: NBA legend Bill Russell used to throw up before games. He still won 11 titles.

We often think anxiety means something’s wrong. It’s energy. It’s intensity. And if we learn how to direct it, it becomes an edge.

2. Culture Starts with the Founder

Sani said something I wish I had learned earlier: “Culture doesn’t create itself. You do.”

Even if you’re solo. Even if your team is small.

The way I show up sets the tone. If I avoid problems, the team will too. If I take ownership and stay calm under pressure, others will follow.

3. Trust Your Gut (Even If the Data Disagrees)

As founders, we love data. But Sani reminded me that instinct still matters.

Sometimes your gut sees things your data can’t. Early signals. Patterns. Vibes. It’s especially true when you’ve been in the game a while.

He shared how he’s made calls that looked wrong on paper—but ended up being right. It reminded me to trust myself more. Not blindly. But boldly.

Use data. But don’t wait for it to give you permission.

4. Integrity Beats Every Growth Hack

I’ve seen this play out again and again: doing the right thing pays off long term.

Integrity always wins. This means being honest with clients, owning mistakes, and letting go of those who don’t fit.

Sani put it clearly: “Trends change. Tools evolve. But people remember how you treated them.”

When I act with integrity, I build a foundation that lasts. Even if the results are slower at first, the trust compounds.

5. People Problems? Don’t Wait

One of my biggest sources of anxiety? People issues.

Waiting only makes things worse, whether it's a poor performer or a toxic top performer.

Sani shared how he deals with these talks. Be honest. Be clear. Be kind. But don’t avoid them.

I’ve held on too long to people who were clearly wrong for the team. I’ve also kept low performers around because I didn’t want to be the “bad guy.”

Every time I’ve waited too long, I’ve paid for it. Every time I’ve acted fast, things got better—even if it was painful at first.

Bonus:

Sani and team built PodPacer to help podcast hosts save time.

If you host a podcast (or want to), check it out. PodPacer helps with:

Episode research
Show notes
Content repurposing

And he’s offering 50% off any annual plan with code FOUNDER.

Get it here: PodPacer.com

Final Thoughts

Anxiety is real. But it’s not a flaw. It’s a signal.

When I feel anxious now, I don’t fight it. I use it. I write things down. I move fast. I set the culture I want. And I lead with values—even when it’s hard.

See you next week

-kevin

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Kevin Henrikson

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Microsoft paid $200M for our startup, then changed everything.
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Kevin

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