592: (Solo) The Truth About Originality: What Great Founders Really Do

Most founders think they need a completely original idea to succeed. The truth? Great businesses are often built by borrowing brilliance — and putting your own spin on what already works. In this episode, I break down the concept of “good artists copy, great artists steal,” and show you how to apply it in your business. From how I grew Foundr’s Instagram to how I built and exited my ecommerce brand, Healthie, this approach has helped me create traction faster without reinventing the wheel. Here’s what you’ll take away: • Why borrowing proven strategies beats starting from scratch • Real examples of how top brands like Canva, Airbnb, and Dollar Shave Club modeled what worked • How to ethically “steal” ideas, put your own twist on them, and win in your market If you’re stuck thinking you need the next revolutionary idea, this episode will free you to focus on what matters most: finding what already works, making it better, and making it your own. This is a brand new solo series I’m testing, and I’d love your feedback. Email me directly at [email protected] — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it. SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://your.omnisend.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get started. HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+ Start your $1 trial → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING? → Starting from scratch? Apply here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → Already have a store? Apply here → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ BOOST REVENUE WITHOUT MORE ADS We use Aftersell for simple post-purchase offers that lift sales fast. ⁠⁠⁠https://try.aftersell.app/ptiz4gnmvff7⁠⁠⁠ to get started. CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES YouTube → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitter.com/foundr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.foundr.com/podcast⁠