Founder mode is talk of the town these days after Paul Grams new essay. In the world of startups and technology, we’ve developed a curious blindspot. We extol the virtues of disruption in every industry, yet we rarely stop to examine the ways in which our own working patterns might benefit from fundamental reimagining. At Best of Bhutan Tours, we’ve been thinking deeply about one particular aspect of the startup world that seems ripe for disruption: the cult of constant connectivity.
The Connectivity Paradox
It’s a familiar scene in every startup hub from Silicon Valley to Singapore: founders hunched over laptops, phones buzzing incessantly, Slack notifications piling up faster than they can be addressed. We’ve come to associate this constant digital immersion with productivity, with being on top of things, with the speed and agility that startups pride themselves on.
But what if this assumption is not just wrong, but actively harmful to the very qualities that make founders effective?
The most valuable asset a founder has is not their network, or their ability to code for 72 hours straight, or their mastery of the latest marketing automation tools. It’s their ability to see things differently. To spot the opportunities that others miss. To make the non-obvious connections that lead to truly innovative products or services.
This kind of seeing – this founder’s vision – doesn’t happen when you’re in reactive mode, bouncing from email to Slack to Zoom and back again. It happens in the spaces between. In the quiet moments. In the long walks and the daydreams and the conversations that meander without a predefined agenda.
In other words, it happens when you disconnect.
The Science of Disconnection
This isn’t just philosophical musing. There’s hard science behind the benefits of disconnection. Studies have shown that even the mere presence of our smartphones – even when turned off – reduces our cognitive capacity. Other research suggests that our addiction to digital stimulus is rewiring our brains, making it harder for us to focus, to think deeply, to be present.
For founders, whose success depends on their ability to see clearly and think differently, these findings should be alarming. If our digital habits are literally diminishing our cognitive capabilities, how many opportunities are we missing? How many innovative ideas are failing to emerge because our minds never have the space to wander and make new connections?
Enter Bhutan
This is where Bhutan comes in. When we at Best of Bhutan Tours first started thinking about the idea of “Founder Mode Unplugged,” we knew we needed more than just a nice resort with spotty Wi-Fi. We needed an environment that would challenge founders’ assumptions not just about connectivity, but about success, progress, and what it means to lead.
Bhutan, it turns out, is almost perfectly suited for this task.
For those who haven’t been keeping up with their Himalayan kingdom current events, Bhutan is a country that famously prioritizes Gross National Happiness over Gross Domestic Product. It’s a place where the government mandates that at least 60% of the country remain under forest cover – forever. Where development is measured not just in economic terms, but in spiritual, social, and environmental terms as well.
In other words, it’s about as far from Silicon Valley – physically and philosophically – as you can get. And that’s precisely why we believe it has so much to teach the founders who visit us.
The Founder Mode Unplugged Experience
Our Founder Mode Unplugged retreats are designed to leverage Bhutan’s unique environment to provide a truly transformative experience for founders. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Deep Disconnection: We start by guiding founders to some of Bhutan’s most remote valleys – places like Bumthang, Phobjikha, or Haa. These aren’t just places with poor Wi-Fi. They’re places where the very rhythm of life is fundamentally different from what most founders are used to.
- Mindfulness Immersion: Bhutan’s Buddhist traditions offer powerful tools for developing focus and clarity. We arrange sessions with local monks and meditation experts, not as tourist experiences, but as practical training that founders can take back into their professional lives.
- Nature as Teacher: The stunning natural beauty of Bhutan isn’t just a backdrop. It’s an integral part of the experience. We organize treks and nature walks designed to reconnect founders with the physical world and create space for the kind of unstructured thinking that often leads to breakthroughs.
- Cultural Perspective Shift: We facilitate deep engagement with Bhutanese culture, not just through observation, but through dialogue. Conversations with local leaders about Bhutan’s approach to development and progress can offer fresh perspectives on what it means to build a successful organization.
- Structured Reflection: While much of the retreat is about creating space for unstructured thought, we also include structured sessions for journaling, strategic thinking, and reimagining one’s approach to leadership and innovation.
- Gradual Reintegration: Returning to the connected world can be jarring. We end each retreat with a carefully designed reintegration process, helping founders figure out how to take the insights and practices they’ve gained in Bhutan back into their daily lives.
The Potential Impact
While we can’t predict exactly how this experience will affect each founder who participates, we believe the potential impact is profound. By stepping out of the always-on, high-speed, digitally-saturated environment that most founders operate in, participants have the opportunity to:
- Rediscover their core purpose and vision for their company
- Develop new approaches to problem-solving and innovation
- Gain fresh perspectives on leadership and organizational culture
- Learn practical mindfulness techniques for maintaining focus and clarity
- Reimagine their relationship with technology and connectivity
A New Paradigm for Founder Development
What we’re proposing with Founder Mode Unplugged is more than just a nice vacation or a meditation retreat. It’s a fundamentally new approach to founder development. One that recognizes that the skills and mindsets needed to lead innovative companies can’t always be developed in conventional ways.
In a world where every startup is trying to move faster, to be more connected, to process more information, we’re suggesting that the path to true innovation might involve slowing down, disconnecting, and creating space for deep thought.
It’s a counterintuitive approach. But then again, the best founders have always been those willing to question conventional wisdom and try things that others dismiss as crazy.
An Invitation to Unplug
If you’re a founder feeling caught in the hamster wheel of constant connectivity, if you sense that there might be bigger ideas and opportunities that you’re missing in the daily grind, we invite you to consider a radical step: come unplug with us in Bhutan.
We can’t promise that you’ll return with the next billion-dollar idea. But we can promise an opportunity to step out of your usual context, to challenge your assumptions about work and leadership, and to rediscover the kind of deep thinking and clarity that inspired you to become a founder in the first place.
In a world that increasingly values speed and constant connection, the ability to disconnect – truly disconnect – might just be the most valuable skill a founder can cultivate. And there’s no better place to develop that skill than in the serene valleys of the last Himalayan kingdom.
Ready to unplug and potentially unleash your next big innovation? Contact us at Best of Bhutan Tours to start planning your Founder Mode Unplugged retreat. Your next breakthrough might not be in your inbox or your Slack channels. It might be waiting for you in Bhutan.
