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Thomas Knoll

Thomas Knoll

6x founder, executive coach, and leadership mentor

thomasknoll
Minneapolis-St. Paul Area, Minnesota
Joined January 2025
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Network

12.5K connections

Summary

Thomas Knoll is a seasoned entrepreneur with a track record of founding six companies, achieving two successful exits, and acting as a pivotal leader in fostering online communities. His early work as a Community Architect at Zappos.com laid the groundwork for his deep understanding of building engagement and connection. thomasknoll+4
With extensive experience in mentorship and coaching, Thomas has guided over 1200 founders and leaders through programs like 500 Global and Techstars. He transitioned his passion for helping others into a dedicated career as an Executive Coach, emphasizing 'self-healing leadership' and practical guidance for growth and transformation. thomasknoll+4
He is driven by a core mission to 'increase the quality and quantity of curiosity in the world' to foster compassion and empathy. This philosophy underpins his work at Eleven, an app designed to enhance one-on-one communication, and his role as founder and host of the Self Healing Leaders community. thomasknoll+2
Known for his pragmatic and tenacious approach, Thomas advocates for principles like 'done is better than best,' focusing on building trust within teams, and constantly seeking improvement. His leadership style encourages deep inquiry and challenges conventional thinking, as reflected in his advice to 'murder micromanagement' and 'never automate anything you haven’t mastered manually.' ideamensch+1

Work

Education

Writing

Executive Advising, Not Startup Advice-ing

February 1, 2016

An article discussing the difference between giving advice and providing executive advising, reflecting on his transition from a founder to a coach and joining Revelry. He emphasizes the importance of being a trusted advisor who helps founders discover root causes and build new habits rather than just spouting generic advice.

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How should I decide what to work on?

A reflection on decision-making, particularly in early-stage companies, advocating for a 'done is better than best' approach and focusing on impactful work.

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Hobbies

Thomas enjoys dancing. ideamensch

Notes

TFTim Fallssaid they've been impressed by
TKThomas Knoll
's impact in corporate venture capital or innovation initiatives.

Feb 11, 2026