From $5 Billion Exit to Unstoppable Ambition: The Hidden Blueprint This TV Star Swears By to Dodge Founder Burnout and Skyrocket Success

Daniel Lubetzky knows firsthand how quickly ambition can become all-consuming and destructive. Before selling Kind Snacks for $5 billion in 2020, he built the snack company into a multibillion-dollar business while regularly getting just four or five hours of sleep a night.

The Shark Tank investor recently told Business Insider that his pace of work left him looking like a “phantom raccoon.” He spent little time sleeping, seeing sunlight or working out as he focused on growing the company. Lubetzky said the experience showed him why setting limits matters.

“You have to work hard, but you need to find the balance between working hard and also reminding yourself that it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” Lubetzky told the outlet.

That challenge may be even more pronounced in the AI era. AI gives founders more capacity to juggle projects and handle work they once would have handed off to others. However, AI tools are always available. They make it easier to stay plugged in constantly and split attention across too many priorities.

Lubetzky’s tips for founders to avoid burnout

Lubetzky said that startup founders will likely face stretches of time when work demands their full attention, particularly during a company’s earliest stages. Still, his experience leading Kind taught him that nonstop intensity eventually takes a toll unless founders create room to reset. 

For him, that sometimes meant carving out a small break after an especially demanding period, even if it was only a single morning away from work.

“I would work like crazy, but then sometimes I would just take that morning off, and I would just decompress,” Lubetzky said.

He also encouraged founders to build a regular time into their schedules to put away both work and technology. The point, he said, is not merely to be less available but to fully disengage.

“At some point in your week, you need to find a time to disconnect,” he said. “And truly disconnect.”

Lubetzky urges founders to take back control of their time

He suggested finding simple moments without a screen or other distractions: taking a walk without a phone, meditating, showering without music or sitting quietly with no agenda. Those breaks can feel unproductive in the moment, but Lubetzky said they give the mind time to sort through what it has already taken in rather than immediately adding another stream of information.

“The amount of inputs we’re throwing into our bodies is so much greater than the amount of processing of those inputs,” he said. “Increase your digestion rate instead of just input, input.”

He also urged founders to take more control over notifications. Apps are built to bring users back frequently, he said, creating a habit of checking messages and updates over and over throughout the day, often without realizing how much time they’re losing.

“Turn off all of your notifications,” he said. “Regain control over your lives by deciding when you want to check and don’t check 3,000 times a day.”

Daniel Lubetzky knows firsthand how quickly ambition can become all-consuming and destructive. Before selling Kind Snacks for $5 billion in 2020, he built the snack company into a multibillion-dollar business while regularly getting just four or five hours of sleep a night.

The Shark Tank investor recently told Business Insider that his pace of work left him looking like a “phantom raccoon.” He spent little time sleeping, seeing sunlight or working out as he focused on growing the company. Lubetzky said the experience showed him why setting limits matters.

“You have to work hard, but you need to find the balance between working hard and also reminding yourself that it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” Lubetzky told the outlet.