Komini by the Fire

“Be the coach, not the player.” We say it constantly. Then a founder stopped us: okay — but how?

Fair. It’s easy to say and brutally hard to do...especially when you’re the fastest person on the team and jumping in feels faster than teaching.

So this episode breaks down three coaching moments that actually change how someone shows up: the teachable mistake, the mission that reconnects effort to purpose, and the stretch that pushes someone just past their edge.

If you’re trying to step off the pitch, start here.

Still have questions? It doesn’t stop at the episode. Every week we host a live room on Zoom where founders work through real team problems out loud — with people who’ve been in the same water. Join the next one: https://tinyurl.com/bddrd8y5

Arrive. Alive. Together.

How much of your energy goes to the people who are struggling, and how little to the ones quietly carrying the team? We've all done it. Then one day the strongest person on the boat stops rowing, and nobody saw it coming.

Here's the thing nobody tells you: your Rowers are the highest-maintenance people on your team. Not because they're difficult... because they're hungry. They need stretch. They need the standard held. They need to know someone sees them.

In this episode we get into it. Why Rowers slip into coasting. Why "they don't need managing" is the most expensive assumption a founder makes. And what it actually takes to keep your best people in the boat.

If this is a question you're juggling, bring it to the fire. Komini's By the Fire live rooms are where we gather with founders twice a week to solve real problems together, out loud, with people who've been in the same water. Join the next one here: link.komini.co/gGThyg

Arrive. Alive. Together.

We all walk into team-building with assumptions. Some of them are quietly costing us. In this episode, we challenge some of the beliefs we've held and maybe you hold on hiring, growth, and people. Which ones are true and which ones are getting in the way?

At Komini, we coach founders and their teams to build businesses that survive the hardest “island moments”, and grow beyond them.

If you're building with a team, this is for you. The Rowers Program- you can sign up for early access to the August Cohort right here: https://link.komini.co/DxBeuw

Hustle. Sacrifice. "Figure it out." We've built a whole culture around admiring these things as founders, but should we? In this episode, we pull apart a few narratives and ask which ones are actually worth keeping.

At Komini, we coach founders and their teams to build businesses that survive the hardest “island moments”, and grow beyond them.

If you're building with a team, this is for you. The Rowers Program- you can sign up for early access to the August Cohort right here: https://komini.co/

Business is simple, on the surface.
Find something meaningful. Build it for someone who cares enough to pay.

But the path to that moment, what we call Product-Market Fit, is anything but simple. It’s technical, messy, and most businesses never quite get there.

In this episode, we map that journey against our own. Listen in.

Pair this with Ken’s PMF doodle:
https://bit.ly/4crdteG

At Komini, we coach founders and their teams to build businesses that survive the hardest “island moments”, and grow beyond them.

If you're building with a team, this is for you.The Rowers Program (May cohort) is now open:
https://bit.ly/4v29gqi

Pin this for every time you second-guess your pricing. It’s rarely the market- it’s often an unspoken fear. In this episode, we share the simple formula that’s helped founders stop undercharging and start charging what they’re actually worth!

In Komini, we coach and mentor founders and their teams as they build businesses that grow and survive the most difficult "island moments". We here to help you build the business that outlines you.

Currently running: The Rowers Program for your teams- Apply to join the May Cohort: https://bit.ly/4v29gqi

Funding can fuel growth or expose what isn’t ready. In this episode of Komini by the Fire, we explore when to raise, when to wait, and how to choose the right kind of capital for the season you’re in.

This year, Komini is bringing together the full founder experience, and we’re starting with your teams. Moving them from strong contributors to true rowers who think, decide, and carry the business forward with you.

Learn more about The Rowers Journey here: ⁠https://komini.co/

We filmed this episode last year, right after our Partners of Founders fireside chat in November. This conversation sits at the very core of the arrive alive journey. We’ve seen how these moments can either build energy, safety, and clarity, or quietly erode them. We hope the questions shared here help you navigate it with more intention.

This year, Komini is bringing together the full founder experience, and we’re starting with your teams. Moving them from strong contributors to true rowers who think, decide, and carry the business forward with you.

Learn more about The Rowers Journey here: https://komini.co/

We’ve been away for a while. This episode is a tender return- one that holds space for grief, stillness, and the kind of pause that rearranges you. We share a deeply personal season and the quiet reflections it stirred- because sometimes, the most important work happens when nothing seems to be happening.

We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.

If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.

Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.

Walk with others. Build your team. Grow toward mission — and do it without burning out.

👉 Learn more & sign up at https://komini.co

Sometimes we think growth is way out there—somewhere new, somewhere bigger. But often, the real opportunity is already in your garden... if you're willing to mine it. In this episode, we explore ways you can uncover gold right where you're standing.

We built Komini so you never have to walk alone.

If you found this conversation meaningful, there’s a lot more where that came from.

Join a Komini Cycle — a 3-month journey for founders at inflection.

Walk with others. Build your team. Grow toward mission — and do it without burning out.

👉 Learn more & sign up at https://komini.co