How Do I Build the "Perfect" Company?

A process for future founders

A reader recently submitted this question via the community survey:

"What is the perfect application of my unique gifts? I feel like I'm circling around it, have been for years."

I know that there is a subset of this community that currently has a full-time job, but has the itch to become a founder one day.

I believe with every bone in my body that if you have the itch, you should be a founder. And I'd like to help you make the jump.

Not impulsively. Not by quitting your job tomorrow. But through a deliberate process that I've used myself—twice—to build successful companies that, while very different, were both deeply aligned with who I am. It’s the system I’ll continue to use in the future.

The Myth of the Overnight Leap

First, let me dispel a common myth: building the right company for you doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen overnight. It should absolutely take months—and often years—of planning and research.

I'm biased because this is how I've built all of my companies, including this coaching practice. But I believe this process is critical for success. It's not about putting it off, or overthinking, or procrastination—it's about thoughtful preparation, observation, and alignment.

My “Perfect” Path

For those who don't know my story, my first company was a creative studio focused on Silicon Valley, specializing in photography and storytelling. It became wildly successful—I worked with companies like Airbnb, Dropbox, Fitbit, Google, Meta, Pinterest, Shopify, Slack, Twitter, and Uber. My creative projects were featured across major media outlets from CNN to NPR to Vanity Fair. I spoke at conferences worldwide and traveled internationally for my work.

But there were many years of research and observation that led to my decision to pursue this specific career.

I started my career in media relations and spent a few years running communications for startups. At the time, photography was a hobby—it had been my obsession since childhood, and I was active in San Francisco’s community.

In my communications role, I monitored tech and consumer trends religiously. I’d spend mornings before work reading tech, business and VC news, and I’d do the same at night before bed. I knew the industry and its cultural nuances like the back of my hand. In 2011, I noticed something interesting: tech startups, previously focused solely on speed and engineering, were beginning to care about aesthetics. The largest tech companies were even commissioning professional photoshoots for their websites—something that hadn't happened before, at least for this generation of tech.

Seeing this, I knew this would be the beginning of a larger aesthetic trend that smaller tech companies would follow. I knew that if a professional photographer focused on tech, and owned this space, they’d have a massive career.

I talked to a number of professional photographers I knew about it, and I got the same response every time: not a single photographer I knew cared about tech. They were fully focused on Instagram and landing campaigns with consumer brands. I saw an opportunity.

I realized I held a unique advantage: as a communications leader at a startup, I would typically be the person hiring a photographer. I understood both sides of the table. For startups without in-house creative expertise (which, at the time, was all startups), I could serve as both photographer and campaign strategist—helping map the visual work to their marketing goals, developing narratives, creating shot lists, and then executing the photography myself.

I had identified an opportunity that no one else was seeing, and I went for it. I announced my intentions to my network that I’d already spent time building. My first few campaigns came through personal connections, went viral, and launched a massive creative career that continued until I had the idea for Haus.

Haus followed a similar pattern. The idea came to me while breastfeeding my three-month-old, but it was also the culmination of extensive research and observation. I had married a winemaker in Sonoma County and, through him, learned how the alcohol industry remained largely unchanged since Prohibition. Due to antiquated laws, corporations maintained distribution monopolies that prevented independent brands from thriving nationally.

Meanwhile, my decade in tech had given me a front-row seat to the explosive growth of DTC (direct-to-consumer) brands. I wanted to see if we could do something similar to Warby Parker or Everlane, but with alcohol. My research showed that while consumer needs were changing, orienting towards healthier, consciously-made products, the alcohol industry was doing nothing to address them. More research deeper into drinking trends indicated that low and no-ABV was a tidal wave about to hit America.

Then I connected the dots: my husband knew how to make low-ABV aperitifs, and due to a legal loophole that he knew about, it was one of the only alcoholic products that could legally be sold DTC, bypassing the corporate monopolies and selling directly to the drinker. This realization ultimately led us to create the first "DTC alcohol brand" of its kind—after everyone in the alcohol industry told me it was impossible.

Haus went on to raise $17 million, receive hundreds of press mentions in publications like The New York Times, Vogue, and GQ, and pave the way for a new generation of beverage brands.

Both of my past companies were wildly different, yet both represented the "perfect application of my unique gifts." They also shared another crucial element: they existed in spaces I was genuinely obsessed with at the time. This passion is critical because building a company is extraordinarily taxing and all-consuming—you need genuine obsession with your space to provide the stamina required to overcome inevitable challenges.

The Process

If you're feeling that entrepreneurial itch but aren't sure what your "perfect application" might be, here's the process I recommend:

1. Become an Obsessive Observer

Start by observing industries you care about or interact with regularly—ideally ones that you’ve cared about for many years, or your whole life. If it’s in a weird niche, even better. What frustrates you? What feels broken or outdated? What are early adopters doing that might become mainstream? What small shifts are you noticing that others aren't talking about yet?

Don't just passively consume—actively document these observations. Keep a dedicated notebook or digital file where you record trends, pain points, and interesting developments. Analyze them and meditate on them. Make this a daily practice.

2. Inventory Your Unique Stack

Make a comprehensive list of your skills, experiences, knowledge areas, and networks. Don't limit this to your professional credentials. Include hobbies, side interests, communities you're part of, and even life experiences that have shaped your perspective.

The most innovative business ideas often come from unusual combinations of seemingly unrelated skills or knowledge areas. Your "perfect application" likely exists at the intersection of several elements in your unique stack. And don’t worry so much about what you can’t do—that’s what you hire people for.

3. Identify Your Values and Impact Goals

What kind of change do you want to create in the world? What values drive you? What problems do you genuinely care about solving?

Your business will demand enormous energy and commitment. If it doesn't align with your deeper values and desired impact, you'll struggle to maintain the motivation required to push through challenges.

4. Look for Convergence Points

Where do your observations of emerging trends, your unique skill stack, and your values converge? These intersection points are your potential sweet spots.

For me, my first business sat at the convergence of:

• Tech's emerging interest in visual storytelling (observation)

• My photography skills + communications background + tech network (unique stack)

• My desire to humanize technology and elevate diverse stories (values)

Haus converged at:

• Emerging low-alcohol trend + regulatory opportunity (observation)

• My DTC knowledge + marketing skills + husband's production expertise (unique stack)

• Desire to improve the alcohol industry for independent producers and consumers (values)

5. Test and Research Without Quitting Your Job

Once you've identified potential convergence points, begin researching and testing while maintaining your financial stability (aka don’t quit your job quite yet). This might include:

• Conducting informational interviews with people in the space

• Building a minimum viable product you can test with friends

• Starting a side project that allows you to explore the concept

• Taking relevant courses to fill knowledge gaps

• Joining communities related to your area of interest

This period isn't about delay—it's about de-risking your eventual leap through methodical preparation, and funding it for as long as possible with your existing income.

Now’s The Time

If you have the entrepreneurial bug, you're probably never going to feel fully satisfied in a traditional job. And the itch doesn't typically fade with time or promotions. At some point, you’re probably going to have to give it a shot. And if you’re worried about the economy or fearing layoffs, I’d argue that now is a smart time to start exploring ideas for alternative sources of income.

And there is good news: The barriers to entry for new businesses are lower than ever. Building a digital product costs a fraction of what it did just a few years ago. Online tools make research, networking, and testing easier than at any point in history. Remote work has created flexibility that can support your side explorations.

You don't need to quit your job tomorrow. But you do need to start the process of observation, alignment, and preparation that will eventually lead to whatever it is that you end up building. Eventually, it’ll all add up.

As always, if you’re looking for 1:1 support, get in touch.

Until next time,

H