One of the most strategic founders I’ve ever met almost flew under my radar.

I always thought Atomic Object was a solid software agency and Carl Erickson a kind leader. But when I worked closely with him in 2019, I realized just how sharp and intentional he really is about building both a company and a culture.

Atomic turned out to be far more impressive than I ever imagined. Not just in the work they do, but in how they’ve sustained it for decades.

Excited to share their story and the lessons every founder can take from it.

Here's this week's deep dive:

Most professors stick to the safety of tenure. They enjoy the predictable schedule, the job security, and the comfort of academic life.

Carl Erickson was different.

After 10 years as a tenured faculty member at Grand Valley State University, Carl made a decision that seemed crazy to most academics: he left his secure teaching position to join a startup. When that startup failed just months later, instead of returning to academia, Carl decided to start his own software development agency from scratch.

Today, that decision has led to Atomic Object earning over $25 million in annual revenue as a bootstrapped software development agency. Yes, you read that right. There is no decimal there. I'll spell it out to make sure you saw it: twenty-five million dollars as a bootstrapped software agency.

In this deep dive, I cover why Carl left his tenured position, how he built Atomic Object, their unique multi-city culture strategy, and the growth strategies that took them from $0 to $250k.