Founder's Framework

By Ninety.io

Tune in to hear Ninety founder, Mark Abbott, talk with other company leaders and entrepreneurs about key business-building frameworks and concepts. You'll learn strategies for overcoming obstacl

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FAQs about Founder's Framework:

How many episodes does Founder's Framework have?

The podcast currently has 63 episodes available.

Founder's Framework episodes:

July 13, 2026Family Business, Built to Last — feat. Sara Stern
Most people meet a family business with a raised eyebrow, assuming nepotism, dysfunction, and the kind of dinner-table drama that makes for good television. Mark Abbott sits down with family business expert Sara Stern to make the opposite case: family businesses are among the most enduring and value-creating institutions on the planet, and the very thing critics mock is often the reason they last. Sara walks through the three-circle model of family, business, and ownership, the underrated role of the "chief emotional officer" who protects a family's traditions, and why holding relatives to the same standard is an act of love rather than favoritism. Mark connects it to his own work on rituals, artifacts, and the long game, including a simple framework for the four kinds of conversations every leader has and why mixing them up is where things break down. It adds up to a wide-ranging talk about culture, leadership, and playing a hundred-year game in a world obsessed with the next quarter.
Key topics:
Why family businesses endure, and why the stigma gets it backwards
The three-circle model and the "chief emotional officer"
Rituals, traditions, and artifacts as the real fabric of culture
Holding family members to the same standard as everyone else
The four types of conversations: coaching, managing, training, and social
Playing the long game: 100-year thinking and legacy
About Sara Stern:
Sara Stern is a family business expert and EOS Implementer who has built her career helping family enterprises thrive. Before becoming an implementer she spent roughly a decade with a family business institute, and she is known in the EOS community as the person who champions family businesses rather than groaning about them. Find her at sarahbstern.com and on LinkedIn.
Mentioned in this episode:
The Three Circle Model of the Family Business System (Tagiuri & Davis, Harvard, 1978): johndavis.com
Elliott Jaques, time span of discretion, from "Requisite Organization": Amazon
The Drama Triangle (victim, persecutor, rescuer) and The Empowerment Dynamic (creator, challenger, coach), from "The Power of TED*" by David Emerald: Amazon
Radio Flyer (a multi-generational family business example)
LVMH and Warren Buffett (durable, enduring-asset examples)
Connect:
Follow Mark on LinkedIn
Follow Sara on LinkedIn
Sara's website: sarahbstern.com
Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
...more
1h 5min
June 26, 2026Building Alongside a Founder — feat. Michelle Rose
When Mark Abbott posted a Craigslist ad for a part-time assistant back in 2015, he had no idea he was hiring one of the people who would help define the soul of Ninety. In this special episode, Mark sits down with Michelle Rose to retrace more than a decade of building the company from a one-person coaching practice and a rotating cast of assistants into a platform that helped thousands of organizations survive and grow through COVID. They talk candidly about the messy early years of fractional leadership and outsourced engineering, the farm outside Atlanta where every quarterly planning session ended around a six-hundred-pound cast-iron fire pit, and the hard-won lesson that culture is built by the people who care enough to solve the problem behind the problem. At the center of it all is a simple idea Mark keeps coming back to: your job is never just to do your job, it is to help the team win.
Key topics:
The Craigslist hire and the earliest, scrappiest days of building Ninety (90)
Why fractional leadership and a "different company every six months" are so hard to scale
Building a culture of service that was never written into the core values
"Your job is to help the team win": the mindset that separates who thrives from who struggles
COVID as the turning point that made both the platform and the relationships matter more than ever
Mission versus job, and the real cost of a founder stepping out of every interview
About Michelle Rose:
Michelle Rose is one of Ninety's longest-tenured team members, joining Mark Abbott as a part-time assistant more than a decade ago and growing alongside the company into a leader across its implementer and client relationships. She is known internally for a deep commitment to service, relationship-building, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
Mentioned in this episode:
Kolbe A Index (the assessment Mark references in the hiring process): https://www.kolbe.com
Connect:
Follow Mark on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/MarkAbbott
Follow Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleerose
Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
...more
1h 8min
June 12, 2026Building Ninety: 10 Years Through the Eyes of Our First FTE — feat. Christine Watts
Ninety almost didn't get to build the software that now runs thousands of companies. Mark Abbott marks the company's 10-year anniversary with Christine Watts, Ninety's first full-time employee, tracing the journey from a $500-a-month marketing budget and two college-age engineers to a platform used by roughly 4,000 organizations. They get honest about the years when every feature and every blog post needed EOS Worldwide's approval, the "beautiful mess" of bringing technology into a world that resisted it, and the ultimatum that pushed Ninety to build its own Plan B. Christine explains how customer experience became the company's north star without anyone ever formally deciding it, why COVID turned into the unexpected tipping point behind nearly 200% growth, and what a decade of constant role changes taught her about ambiguity, humility, and herself.
In this episode:
The early years: product-market fit inside the EOS implementer community with almost no marketing
Building product under EOS Worldwide's approval, and the tension that came with it
COVID 2020 as the tipping point that finally proved the product
Customer experience as a core value no one ever formally decided on
The "Plan B" ultimatum and navigating the license fight without burning bridges
What 10 years and constant role changes taught Christine about leadership and ambiguity
About Christine Watts: Christine Watts is Ninety's first full-time employee, joining in January 2017. Over nearly a decade she has led marketing, client success, and product, served as chief of staff, and now serves as Ninety's Head of Professional Services. Connect with Christine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wattschristine/
Mentioned in this episode:
"Traction" by Gino Wickman
"The Discipline of Market Leaders" by Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema
Try Ninety free: https://www.ninety.io/
Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
...more
1h 3min
May 29, 2026Why Leadership Is Never Aligned — feat. David Meyer
Every leadership team thinks they're aligned. David Meyer, founder of Spoke Marketing, has run alignment exercises with over a hundred companies across 17 years, and not once have two leaders written the same answer when asked their company's single most important message. That discovery led David to develop what he calls "thresholds of change": the inflection points where a company's old story stops matching reality, whether driven by new technology, shifting buyer behavior, leadership transitions, or market disruption. In this conversation, Mark and David unpack why alignment breaks down, why emotion (not logic) is the true driver of change, and how founders can use a simple "now, next, later, never" framework to keep their teams pointed in the same direction during turbulent times.
Key topics:
Why 100% of leadership teams fail the alignment test
Thresholds of change: recognizing when your brand story no longer fits
The "now, next, later, never" framework for prioritization
Why founders get emotionally attached to what got them there
How throwing more tactics at misalignment makes it worse
About David Meyer:
David Meyer is the founder of Spoke Marketing, a brand strategy and positioning agency he started nearly 18 years ago. With some team members who've worked together for over 30 years, Spoke helps companies figure out not what they want to say, but what their customers want to hear. Their mantra: "You haven't told your story until someone else can tell it."
Website: spokemarketing.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/admeyer/
Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
...more
1h 1min
May 15, 2026How to Build a Good Life While Building a Company — feat. Charles Lee
What does it take to build a good life, not just a successful company?
In this episode of Founder's Framework, Mark Abbott sits down with Charles Lee, founder of Ideation and author of Design Your Good Life. Charles shares how growing up as the child of immigrant entrepreneurs shaped the way he thinks about work, creativity, and what really matters.
In this episode:
Why your greatest strength may be the thing you take for granted
How curiosity helps people move through transition
Why competence and confidence are not the same thing
What Kobe Bryant taught Charles about success and family
How to stay connected to what matters while building something meaningful
If you're building a company and trying to build a life you're proud of, this conversation is worth your time.
Resources:
Get Design Your Good Life by Charles Lee: https://www.charlestlee.com/design-your-good-life-book-landing-page#preorder-the-book
Subscribe to Mark's Founder's Framework Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3JiAaXT
Try Ninety free: https://www.ninety.io/?utm_source=youtube
Connect:
Follow Charles on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlestlee/
Follow Mark on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/MarkAbbott
Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
...more
54min
April 24, 2026Why Your Weekly Meetings Don’t Work
Mark and Cole unpack a simple but uncomfortable truth: if your weekly meetings aren’t working, your company probably isn’t either.
This conversation breaks down why so many teams dread meetings, what’s actually going wrong beneath the surface, and how those patterns reflect deeper issues with alignment, leadership, and discipline.
They walk through real scenarios inside leadership teams, from visionaries disrupting focus mid-quarter to teams avoiding the hard conversations that actually move the business forward.
At the center of it all is one idea: the weekly meeting is not just a meeting. It’s a signal. And if you learn how to read it, it will tell you exactly what’s working and what’s not inside your company.
You’ll Learn:
Why most meetings feel like a waste of time
How misalignment shows up in weekly meetings
The role of the visionary in breaking or strengthening focus
Why teams avoid the issues that matter most
How great meetings create clarity, accountability, and momentum
How are your meetings? Take the Rate Our Meetings Quiz to find out
Do you like this content? Get our latest book, Meetings Kinda Suck

Resources
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free: https://www.ninety.io/?utm_source=you…
Connect:
→ Follow Mark on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/MarkAbbott
→ Follow Cole on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ColeAbbott
Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
...more
45min
March 20, 2026The Hidden Cost of Too Many Ideas
Growth creates options, but it also creates complexity.
In this Founder’s Framework episode, Mark Abbott and Cole Abbott unpack why so many companies get stuck doing more instead of doing what matters most. What starts as experimentation, ambition, or a flood of good ideas can quietly turn into friction, confusion, and wasted effort across the business.
This conversation is about discipline. It’s about keeping the main thing the main thing, resisting the pull of novelty, and building organizations that value fewer, finer, better decisions over constant motion.
You’ll hear:
Why too many ideas create drag across teams
How founders accidentally add complexity to the business
Why “fewer and finer” is a better operating principle
The difference between projects and programs as companies grow
If your company feels busy but not clear, this episode will help you rethink what’s actually moving the business forward.
Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
Resources
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
→ Stages of Development Quiz
Connect:
→ Follow Mark on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/MarkAbbott
→ Follow Cole on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ColeAbbott

Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
...more
39min
March 06, 2026Should Founders Rebuild for AI? feat. Audra Stanton
Mark Abbott sits down with Ninety’s head of product, Audra Stanton to discuss how founders should think about AI in their products and operations.
As AI becomes part of nearly every business conversation, founders are facing real pressure from investors, customers, and competitors to incorporate it. The question is not whether AI matters. The question is how to approach it thoughtfully without losing focus on what actually makes a company strong.
This episode explores the tension between innovation and discipline. It is a conversation about judgment, timing, change management, and keeping humans at the center of the company.
They reference examples including Netflix and Blockbuster, Intercom’s decision to lean heavily into AI despite short term pain, and Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology as a reminder that innovation does not always equal product market fit.
In this episode:
How founders should think about AI in product versus operations
The fear of being left behind and how to evaluate that risk
Why most companies using AI are not yet seeing meaningful ROI
How to navigate change without losing your core customer
If you are building a company meant to endure, this conversation will help you think more clearly about how and when to evolve.
Resources
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3JiAaXT
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter: https://www.ninety.io/impact-moments
→ Try Ninety free: https://www.ninety.io/?utm_source=you…

Connect:
→ Follow Mark on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/MarkAbbott
→ Follow Audra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audra-stanton/

Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
...more
51min
February 20, 2026Introducing Impact Moments: A Podcast for the EOS Community
Mark Abbott sits down with Kris Snyder and Christine Watts to introduce Impact Moments, a new podcast from the team at Ninety, the EOS software platform companies have come to know, love, and trust for the past ten years.
This show is all about the real stories that shape culture, build clarity, and test leadership. These are the turning points inside EOS sessions and quarterlies that reveal what teams actually believe.
Created for EOS leaders, implementers, and teams, Impact Moments brings to life the moments that challenge alignment and strengthen culture when handled well.
Why now?
After years of working with more than 18,000 clients, the Ninety team wanted to share what they’ve seen up close. This podcast is a way to share those stories and support the broader EOS community.
In this episode:
What an “impact moment” looks like in the room
Why EOS success depends on how teams handle truth and tension
How storytelling preserves culture and accelerates growth
What to expect from the new show and who it’s built for
If you're running on EOS or helping others do it well, this is a podcast you’ll want to add to your queue. .
Resources
→ Subscribe to Impact Moments
→ Explore EOS support at Ninety: https://www.ninety.io/professional-services
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3JiAaXT
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter: https://www.ninety.io/impact-moments
→ Try Ninety free: https://www.ninety.io/?utm_source=you…
Connect:
→ Follow Mark on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/MarkAbbott
→ Follow Kris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krsnyder
→ Follow Christine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinemwatts
Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
...more
30min
January 30, 2026AI Doesn’t Replace Thinking. It Demands It
AI is changing how we work, but not by replacing people. It’s raising the bar for how we think.
In this Founder’s Framework episode, Mark Abbott explores what AI reveals about our habits, clarity, and decision-making. It doesn’t remove the need for good judgment. It makes the gaps more obvious.
This isn’t about fear or hype. It’s about learning how to think with AI in the loop and what that means for founders, teams, and culture.
You’ll hear:
Why founders are still responsible for making hard calls
How clear inputs lead to better AI outputs
What it takes to build thinking teams in an AI-driven world
If AI feels destabilizing, it might not be the tech, but what it’s showing us about how we work.
Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.

Connect:
→ Follow Mark on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/MarkAbbott
→ Follow Cole on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/ColeAbbott
Subscribe for more founder-first conversations every other week.
→ Subscribe to Mark’s Founder’s Framework Newsletter
→ Subscribe to Ninety’s EOS Newsletter
→ Try Ninety free for 30 days!
...more
34min

FAQs about Founder's Framework:

How many episodes does Founder's Framework have?

The podcast currently has 63 episodes available.