The Founder's Guide to Flying “SW”
No, it’s not about flying southwest.
It’s about those moments—sometimes subtle, sometimes seismic—when every founder faces the edge of burnout, disillusionment, or defeat. It might be after a failed pitch. Or at 2:00 AM when your product crashes. Or when a team member quits right when momentum is building.
That moment begs the question: Will you give in—or go on?
In our recent ELEVATE: Founder Wellness session, we explored this very moment through the lens of a deceptively simple yet transformative phrase: SW.
Some will.
Some won’t.
So what.
Someone’s (or something’s) waiting.
Stop whining.
Stay willing.
The SW Mindset: A Compass for the Climb
The best founders aren’t the ones who never falter. They’re the ones who develop a response system for adversity. And SW offers just that. It’s not a magic solution. It’s a mindset, a subtle shift that, when chosen repeatedly, builds the muscle of resilience and clarity. When other metrics tell you to stop, SW helps you keep going.
Scott D. Idle, Detroit-based author of “Lift Others as You Climb,” introduced this framework to our group. He shared with us how he originally heard “Some will. Some won’t. So what,” and has since added on through his own lived experience and ways he’s seen the same outlook transform other people’s lives.
Why SW Matters for Founders
Founders operate in a uniquely high-pressure space. The stakes are personal, the margin for error razor-thin. Choosing SW in key moments reframes challenges as invitations:
A failed investor meeting becomes: Some will, some won’t—someone else is waiting.
A launch setback becomes: Stop whining. Stay willing. What’s the next right step?
A co-founder conflict becomes: Can I respond with willingness instead of withdrawal?
It's not about toxic positivity. It's about empowered realism. SW doesn't deny the difficulty—it redirects it into growth.
Wellness Isn’t Passive—It’s a Choice
Wellness isn't just meditation and smoothies. It’s also your decision, in tough moments, to show up with willingness. To reset. To realign. To keep climbing.
As Scott put it: “Willingness lights the path to ability.”
And when you prioritize your mental health, clarity increases. Emotional regulation improves. Leadership becomes more intuitive—and more human.
So we challenged every founder in the room to first reflect on a recent time when they had to make the choice to stay willing, and now we encourage them (and you) spot just one moment this week where you could choose SW—and observe what shifts.
Keep Lifting—Together
At Flying with Founders, we believe in building not just companies, but whole humans. We want every founder to be able to say: I climbed—and I reached back to lift someone else.
That’s why we host monthly meetups like ELEVATE. That’s why we offer retreats, peer cohorts, and real conversations that prioritize the whole journey.
So ask yourself:
Where in your climb do you need to choose SW?
And who might you lift along the way?
For more on this important conversation, be sure to check out Scott’s new book!
Connect with Flying with Founders on social media and reach out for registration information on the January Retreat.
