The Question That Sparked It All
During a recent fundraising conversation, an investor asked me something that stopped me cold:
"Will you be moving toward 996 to compete with the younger AI founders?" Like any good founder, I smiled, nodded—and then looked it up. For the uninitiated, "996" refers to the grueling Chinese tech-industry schedule: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. A lifestyle glorified as hustle—and criticized as humanly unsustainable.
That question got me thinking: Is nonstop grind still the only way to build something great?
A Different Kind of Drive
As a "mature founder," I think about building differently. At Boomband, our team—our band—is made up of deeply experienced players who've lived through multiple cycles of building, scaling, and reinvention. We've seen hype waves come and go.
What drives us now isn't just growth. It's sustainable greatness—building something meaningful and maintaining the energy to enjoy it.
We're not here to burn out. We're here to build in rhythm.
Route 66: Our Operating Philosophy
Our schedule is simple: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.
We call it Route 66—and it's plenty.
We work across three time zones, structured yet flexible, aligned on clear goals and energized by focus. Within those 12 hours, we're on fire: iterating, connecting, shipping, and learning.
After that? We log off, reset, and live life.
Because creativity doesn't come from exhaustion.
It comes from recovery.
007: Always On (But Not Always Working)
There's another label floating around the founder world: "007"—always on, always connected, always on point. In a way, that one feels closer to home.
As founders, the mind never fully shuts off. Ideas come during workouts, dog walks, or late-night scrolling sessions. The mission hums quietly in the background. But here's the key: it's not mandated.
We build in pause moments—family, friends, sleep, self-care, reflection. Because performance depends on presence.
Even James Bond had to refuel the Aston Martin.
Remote, Real, and Relational
Boomband runs as a remote-first company, and it works beautifully. Our rhythm looks like this:
- Weekly cadence: Monday check-ins to plan the week, Friday check-outs to reflect and laugh.
- Face time: "Cameras on" for connection, not control.
- Gatherings: Every 6-8 weeks, we meet in person for creativity, culture, and camaraderie. The result?
A team that's distributed but deeply connected.
Autonomous yet accountable.
Remote doesn't mean distant—it means deliberate.
Leaving a Little for Tomorrow
People often ask if our rhythm is "enough."
The truth?
It's never enough. That's the point.
We leave a little fuel in the tank for tomorrow—because startups aren't sprints. They're marathons with moments of sprinting.
Route 66 isn't about doing less.
It's about doing better, together, and for longer.
The Future of Work Is Choice
So, are you 996, 007, or Route 66? There's no right answer—only what keeps your spark alive.
For us, Route 66 is a reminder that speed without sustainability is a dead end. That great work doesn't come from exhaustion, but from alignment. And that building something extraordinary doesn't mean losing yourself in the process. At Boomband, we're choosing our route—balanced, bold, and human.
