Field Notes
Field notes from David Aferiat on the founder bottleneck, decision rhythm, and building companies that move without waiting on you.
Urgency always has a voice; importance needs a room. How founder-led teams turn the weekly leadership meeting into a Decision Factory — where the right issues appear, get owned, and stop coming back.
As Georgia's film spending contracts, the companies that come out stronger will have a better operating rhythm between projects — around who owns what's next, what gets reviewed weekly, and which decisions should no longer need the founder.
“I've got this” can quietly become the sentence that keeps a company dependent on its founder. Real perseverance is building the leadership rhythm that keeps decisions from routing back through you.
On the eve of his daughter's graduation, David reflects on presence, no-regret building, and the shift from being the person every decision depends on to a team that carries decisions together.
The Braves launched a TV network in 30 days because Opening Day wasn't moving. The leadership lesson: name the field of play, make decisions permanent, and move ownership close to the work.
Founders keep reaching for AI to fix what's really a workflow-clarity problem. AI doesn't fix chaos — it scales it. Start by mapping the process, not automating it.
