Key Facts
- ✓ Charles Swann is the 44-year-old founder of Forage, an AI startup based in Boulder, CO.
- ✓ He employs one full-time 24-year-old growth specialist with less than two years of experience.
- ✓ Using Gemini 3, the employee reduces the time to write product requirements documents from 8-10 hours to 4-5 hours.
- ✓ Swann estimates the AI now generates 60% of the final product output, up from 30%.
- ✓ Swann uses prompt starters to mitigate risks like AI hallucinations.
Quick Summary
Charles Swann, the 44-year-old founder of Forage, has adopted a unique management strategy using artificial intelligence. Based in Boulder, Colorado, Swann runs his marketing technology startup with just one full-time employee. This employee, a 24-year-old growth and brand specialist with less than two years of experience, utilizes AI tools to bridge the gap between junior and senior capabilities.
Over the last six months, specifically since the launch of Gemini 3, the AI has transitioned from a tool for refining work to a full co-creator of product strategy. This shift has allowed the employee to draft complex technical documents in 4 to 5 hours instead of the typical 8 to 10 hours required by a skilled product manager. Consequently, Swann spends less time supervising and reviewing details, allowing him to focus on broader strategic questions. Swann views this technology as a way to prioritize raw intelligence and ambition over traditional years of experience when hiring.
The 'Tiny Team' Philosophy
Forage was founded approximately 18 months ago. Charles Swann hired his only full-time employee eight months ago to help brands understand social media trends. The employee possesses a deep, intuitive understanding of modern culture and influencer relationships, which Swann identified as a critical need for his business.
The primary challenge with hiring junior talent is often the inability to translate intuition into a structured business strategy. Swann noted that young professionals frequently miss the strategic perspective required for high-level tasks. However, by integrating AI into their workflow, Forage has been able to bypass these traditional limitations.
The company operates in the marketing technology space, helping brands navigate the rapidly changing landscape of social media. Swann believes that despite the rise of AI, the ability to authentically understand and reflect culture remains a uniquely human trait that is vital for brand survival.
"I would rather have those mistakes come up, and we have to course correct, than not be able to move at the pace we are."
— Charles Swann, Founder of Forage
From Refinement to Co-Creation 🤖
The evolution of AI usage at Forage has been rapid. Initially, the employee used ChatGPT to refine rough ideas and write out details. While effective for polishing concepts, the workflow shifted significantly with the introduction of Gemini 3.
Swann describes the strategic capabilities of Gemini 3 as a "significant step forward." The tool now assists in producing the majority of the final output. Swann estimates the contribution ratio has flipped: previously, the team created 70% of the product while AI generated 30%. Now, AI generates approximately 60% of the work, with the team contributing 40%.
Specifically, the AI helps with the heavy lift of writing product requirements documents. These documents serve as the initial blueprint for new features, translating business ideas into technical instructions. Without AI, this process is a significant time sink, but with it, the junior employee can execute these tasks with the speed and precision of a veteran.
Reducing Supervision, Increasing Output
One of the most tangible benefits for Charles Swann is the reduction in direct supervision. He notes that as his employee became more sophisticated in using AI, the need for detailed review decreased. Instead of micromanaging the execution, Swann now spends his time focused on big-picture strategy.
Swann hesitates to credit AI alone for this efficiency. Rather, he views AI as the "middle layer" that helps the employee level up their work. This dynamic has triggered a professional "light switch" for the junior employee, allowing her to take ownership of projects and run with ideas more confidently.
The result is a lean operation where a two-person team can achieve output previously requiring a much larger, more experienced staff. Swann emphasizes that this efficiency allows them to move at a pace that would otherwise be impossible.
Risks and Hiring Mindset Shift
Relying on AI to teach a junior employee comes with inherent risks. Swann acknowledges the potential for hallucinations and feedback loops. To mitigate this, he has created a collection of prompt starters that include detailed background information on the platform's features and definitions. This context helps keep the AI focused and relevant.
Despite the risks of potential errors, Swann believes the speed is worth the trade-off. He prefers course-correcting mistakes quickly rather than moving slowly due to a lack of resources. This philosophy has fundamentally changed his hiring criteria.
Swann is no longer focused on candidates with 10 years of industry experience. Instead, he looks for:
- Raw intelligence and ambition
- Deep understanding of the problem to be solved
- Strong connection to modern culture and social media
He believes this hiring mindset will become the standard as AI continues to transform the workforce.
"It's probably 40% us and 60% Gemini, simply because it's so good at expanding and expediting."
— Charles Swann, Founder of Forage
"I'm less concerned with whether my employee has been in the marketing industry for 10 years and more concerned with whether they have a deep understanding of the problem we're trying to solve."
— Charles Swann, Founder of Forage
