I was burning out as a founder. My summer interns changed everything about the way I work.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bryan Reed, a 24-year-old startup founder based in New York City. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

I was burning out this spring.

In July of 2025, my cofounder and I created Freeport Markets, a trading app that lets people trade international stocks 24/7.

As a cofounder, I spent my days grinding, eating, staying up late, and doing it all again the next day. I was unhappy with my routine and working mostly alone, because my cofounder and I handle separate tasks and I only work with our engineer occasionally.

This summer flipped everything, when we brought in three college-aged summer…