Founders Operating Manual: The 4-Week Accelerator That Gives Consumer Founders What Business School Won't

At Female Founder Collective's The 10th House, we've seen the pattern countless times: founders buried under operational chaos, stretched impossibly thin, and running their businesses on gut instinct instead of systems. In our candid conversation about the newly launched Founders Operating Manual (FOM), CEO Alison Wyatt and Head of Programming Avary Bradford revealed why they created a four-week accelerator specifically for early-stage consumer founders who need foundational clarity—not more inspiration.

The stats speak for themselves. FOM brings together expert operators like Reshma Chamberlain (founder of Somersault who exceeded every investor benchmark), Erica Moore (former CFO of Goop), Robin Ward (advisor to Tower 28, Home Court, Ritual), and Sapna Shah (prolific angel investor and retail expert). These are founders and operators who've built, scaled, and sold businesses through COVID, tariffs, and recessions. They know what actually works when you're bootstrapping with limited resources.

With founders constantly asking "Where's my money going?" "Why am I growing but still broke?" and "What does success even look like for my business?"—understanding how to establish foundational systems, define your founder role, and build scalable go-to-market strategy has never been more critical for consumer founders trying to make it past the three-year mark without burning out.

Introducing the Foundations Most Founders Skip

Most founders start businesses because they had a vision... not because they wanted to drown in spreadsheets or guess their way through hiring decisions. But here's what Allie and Avery see repeatedly: the same pain points, the same questions, the same roadblocks across hundreds of founder conversations.

The patterns are undeniable. Founders are unclear on their role and spending time on everything except their superpower. They have no benchmarks and can't tell if their numbers are good, bad, or catastrophic. They're running businesses on Google Sheets (please stop doing that) without proper financial planning. And they're throwing marketing dollars at walls hoping something sticks instead of having a structured go-to-market strategy.

FOM was built to solve these four critical gaps with operator-led expertise, not generic theory. This isn't inspiration—it's implementation. You walk away with deliverables you can use immediately, not concepts you need to figure out how to apply.

Here's what makes FOM different from every other founder program:

• Operator-led by people who've actually done it—and recently. The experts aren't consultants who left the industry ten years ago. Reshma exceeded every investor benchmark at Somersault by staying laser-focused on marketing (her superpower) while partnering with a CEO. Erica was CFO of Goop and now runs fractional finance for multiple brands. Robin advises Tower 28 and Home Court—brands that scaled to hundreds of millions. These operators understand current realities: tariffs, inventory financing, DTC acquisition costs.
• Stage-specific for early to growth-stage consumer founders doing under $5M. FOM works for founder-led brands or small teams (one to five people plus freelancers). Pre-revenue but past idea stage? This works. At $1M and confused what to change? This works. "When you're feeling buried under your business, something has to change," Allie emphasizes. "You need clarity, you need to hire the right people, you need to cut things out."
• Industry-specific so benchmarks actually matter. This round serves fashion, apparel, jewelry, accessories, beauty, and wellness founders. Specificity matters because you need real answers: what's normal apparel e-commerce conversion? What should my cost structure look like? Am I getting good factory pricing? Other founders in your industry validate assumptions in real time. "The more data you get from other founders, the better."
• You get practical deliverables, not theory to figure out later. Each week delivers something concrete: (1) Founder vision and role clarity with Robyn Ward, (2) KPI framework with Sapna Shah, (3) Financial planning tools with Erica Moore, (4) 30-60-90 day go-to-market roadmap with Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin. You'll know your role, who to hire next, how to measure success, and where to focus marketing spend.

If you’re a 10th House member, click here to watch the replay.
If you’re not a 10th House member, click here to apply today.

Diving Into Live Workshops, Real Q&A, and the Founder Community

Founders Operating Manual is a live 60-75-minute session each week, where experts present blueprints and frameworks, then open for direct Q&A about your specific situation. You get actionable homework to complete for your business, and if you can't attend live, replays are available. The weekly commitment include the live session plus 1-3 hours working on your deliverables. Most importantly, you're going through this program with hundreds of other consumer founders facing similar challenges.

This program works for fashion, apparel, jewelry, accessories, beauty, and wellness founders building DTC, retail, or omnichannel brands—ideally founders doing pre-revenue to $5M with small teams or stretched thin doing everything yourself. The program kicks off in February 2025 after the holiday season and runs for four weeks, with applications closing December 22nd for the fashion, beauty, and wellness cohort.

Watch the full FOM event replay with Ali and Avary here. 

Your Invite to 10th House: A Community that Fuels Your Journey

At Female Founder Collective’s 10th House, we exist to democratize access to the strategies, insights, and connections that have traditionally been locked behind closed doors. Our community fosters authentic connections, celebrates victories, and shares honest advice, creating a space where founders can grow together.

As a member of The 10th House, here’s what you can unlock:

• Direct access to industry leaders who meet you where you are and give candid, real-world advice.
• Supportive workshops, resources, and frameworks you can apply the same day.
• Opportunities to connect with founders who celebrate your wins and help you through setbacks—with zero judgment, just true understanding.
• Front-row seat to future events like our intimate fireside chats, founder cohorts, and exclusive pitch demos.

Apply now below to join our vibrant community and unlock the resources, insights, and connections you need to scale your entrepreneurial journey. Let’s build the future, side by side 💌

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Become a part of a community of like-minded female founders. Inside The 10th House, you’ll find fellow founders, investors, and above all, a community.