Founder story
How To Find Focus When You Can Build Anything
How To Find Focus When You Can Build Anything
At some point, most early-stage founders hit the same wall: too many ideas, not enough time to execute. You may start on one path and pivot, or prototype a few ideas to test out. But when everything could work, prioritizing the right thing feels like a lot of pressure. For impact businesses, that pressure is even heavier. You’re not just optimizing for growth or profit, you’re carrying the weight of your mission too. I sat down with Ben Wood, co-founder of an upcycling startup, Waste in Progress, that turns wasted textiles into new products. This is how they think about product strategy, prioritizing the right things, and how to focus when you could build anything.
Actions don't always equal impact
Ben and his co-founder could take the business in any number of directions:
Direct-to-consumer bags and gear
Corporate gifting
Textile repair and donation programs
DIY educational kits
They’re even pulled into side projects through inbound requests.
One client wants industrial covers, another could need bespoke event gear.
Optionality like this looks like success, but it can be paralyzing without a way to prioritize.
It could also distract you from building for the future.
Don't get me wrong, new projects are great, but if incoming work slows down, having a scattered mix of jobs can make it harder to position yourself and your business.
Here's how they're thinking about it.
Build in loops
Instead of betting everything on one vertical, they work in loops.
Consumer products become portfolio pieces that show corporate buyers what type of merch they could create.
Corporate contracts subsidize the time and resources to create DIY sewing kits.
DIY kits extend the product lifecycle, deepen community engagement, and provide education opportunities for customers.
It’s not a straight line from “idea” to “scale.” It’s more like a spiral.
It's nonlinear, but still moves forward little by little.
Experimenting becomes the north star in the business.
Small, intentional bets create momentum and open new doors they may never have thought of.
Optimize for leverage
When you can’t do everything, do the thing that makes other things easier.
For Waste in Progress, that’s looked like:
DIY kits → revenue + brand storytelling + community skills
Consumer bags → credibility for corporate partnerships
Corporate gifting → resources for education R&D
They’re building with a portfolio in mind, not chasing one “big win”.
This is similar to building in loops but serves a different purpose.
If building in loops is about experimentation to find what works, leverage is about making sure everything you do is able to be stretched further.
It's a great example of how Waste in Progress lives their sustainable values.
They are creating products that have longevity and whose value multiplies over time.
The impact founder reality
Of course, having a clear system doesn’t remove the emotional weight of this work.
Impact work can feel lonely, slow, and is often messy.
The highs are amazing, but the lows really hurt, especially when the work feels like an extension of who you are.
Ben admits that the road is long and hard, but he’s also hopeful that the long road is worth it.
The goal isn’t just to move more textiles. It’s to build community, shift public perceptions, and help people build skills that will last a lifetime.
If you’re staring at 100 ideas and can’t choose, start with the one that makes something else easier.
Waiting until you have the perfect plan leads to indecision, and indecision is still a decision to not take action.
Start small and take action that opens bigger doors.
With how connected we are, how easy software is to build with AI, and the amount of free education you can get online, the truth is you could build anything.
The real challenge is building the thing that works for you.
Actions don't always equal impact
Ben and his co-founder could take the business in any number of directions:
Direct-to-consumer bags and gear
Corporate gifting
Textile repair and donation programs
DIY educational kits
They’re even pulled into side projects through inbound requests.
One client wants industrial covers, another could need bespoke event gear.
Optionality like this looks like success, but it can be paralyzing without a way to prioritize.
It could also distract you from building for the future.
Don't get me wrong, new projects are great, but if incoming work slows down, having a scattered mix of jobs can make it harder to position yourself and your business.
Here's how they're thinking about it.
Build in loops
Instead of betting everything on one vertical, they work in loops.
Consumer products become portfolio pieces that show corporate buyers what type of merch they could create.
Corporate contracts subsidize the time and resources to create DIY sewing kits.
DIY kits extend the product lifecycle, deepen community engagement, and provide education opportunities for customers.
It’s not a straight line from “idea” to “scale.” It’s more like a spiral.
It's nonlinear, but still moves forward little by little.
Experimenting becomes the north star in the business.
Small, intentional bets create momentum and open new doors they may never have thought of.
Optimize for leverage
When you can’t do everything, do the thing that makes other things easier.
For Waste in Progress, that’s looked like:
DIY kits → revenue + brand storytelling + community skills
Consumer bags → credibility for corporate partnerships
Corporate gifting → resources for education R&D
They’re building with a portfolio in mind, not chasing one “big win”.
This is similar to building in loops but serves a different purpose.
If building in loops is about experimentation to find what works, leverage is about making sure everything you do is able to be stretched further.
It's a great example of how Waste in Progress lives their sustainable values.
They are creating products that have longevity and whose value multiplies over time.
The impact founder reality
Of course, having a clear system doesn’t remove the emotional weight of this work.
Impact work can feel lonely, slow, and is often messy.
The highs are amazing, but the lows really hurt, especially when the work feels like an extension of who you are.
Ben admits that the road is long and hard, but he’s also hopeful that the long road is worth it.
The goal isn’t just to move more textiles. It’s to build community, shift public perceptions, and help people build skills that will last a lifetime.
If you’re staring at 100 ideas and can’t choose, start with the one that makes something else easier.
Waiting until you have the perfect plan leads to indecision, and indecision is still a decision to not take action.
Start small and take action that opens bigger doors.
With how connected we are, how easy software is to build with AI, and the amount of free education you can get online, the truth is you could build anything.
The real challenge is building the thing that works for you.
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200+
thinkers, builders, and investors
Get Field Notes straight to your inbox each week
200+
thinkers, builders, and investors
Get Field Notes straight to your inbox each week
200+
thinkers, builders, and investors
