About
Sean help founders go from idea to launch with clarity and speed.
Clarity. Execution. Momentum.
Sean Callahan builds products and helps teams do the same with more clarity and speed. He has spent over two decades shipping and scaling technology across startups and Amazon.
He founded Plixi, a real-time photo sharing platform that reached over thirty million monthly users. At Amazon, he led product work across Amazon Photos, Login with Amazon, Amazon Go, and AWS, helping teams move faster and serve customers better.
Today, Sean runs Solana Beach Labs and works with founders and product teams on product strategy, AI leverage, and early traction through advisory, focused sprints, and workshops.
Highlight Reel
A few highlights from what I’ve built, launched, and learned.
Book
Startup Field Guide (Revisited): How to Build Something Real in a Noisy World
Startup Field Guide (Revisited) is the revised and updated edition of Startup Field Guide, written for builders who want to create something real in a world that rewards noise. It is a practical, modern playbook for turning a raw idea into a product people use, a business that grows, and a life you are proud to live while you build it.
Sean Callahan has lived the full arc: scrappy early bets, painful wrong turns, and the discipline of building at Amazon scale. In this book, he pulls the signal from two decades of startups and leadership and gives you the clearest path through the part nobody can see yet, the messy middle between excitement and traction.
You will learn how to choose the right problem, validate it fast, and ship the first version without overbuilding. How to find early users, earn trust, and turn feedback into direction. How to build momentum before you feel ready, make decisions when information is incomplete, and keep your team aligned as complexity rises. Most importantly, you will learn how to build with integrity, so growth does not cost you your center.
This book stays focused on what actually moves a startup forward: choosing well, building fast, listening closely, and improving with discipline.
Inside you will learn how to:
- Spot ideas worth pursuing and test them with speed and honesty.
- Build the first version that teaches you the most, not the one that impresses the most.
- Get your first users, listen deeply, and translate signals into product decisions.
- Create simple operating, product, and people systems that scale without chaos.
- Lead through uncertainty with calm, conviction, and clear next steps.
- Avoid the mistakes that quietly burn years, cash, and confidence.
Each chapter blends story, strategy, and practical exercises, so you are not just reading, you are building. Whether you are starting from zero or starting again, Startup Field Guide (Revisited) will help you move with focus, learn faster than your fear, and keep showing up long enough for the work to compound.
Download
Amazon (Kindle) and please leave a review.
ePub (seancallahan.com)
Bonus Materials
Free companion resources that keep the tools and worksheets alive: The Modern Founder Stack, Legal and Finance Essentials, and the Field Notes Workbook.
Download Bonus Materials (PDF)Consulting
I work with founders and product teams to clarify direction, ship the next version, and build momentum with real users. Engagements are available as advisory, focused sprints, or workshops.
Product Strategy
Get to a clear plan: the problem, positioning, roadmap, and success metrics.
AI and Automation
Find high-leverage AI opportunities, prototype fast, and ship workflows that remove busywork.
Early Traction
Win your first users, tighten onboarding, and turn feedback into product decisions.
Ways to work together
- Advisory: Roadmap clarity, hard decisions, and async reviews between sessions
- Sprint: One focused engagement to ship an MVP, fix onboarding, or unblock a launch
- Build: Concept to shipped MVP, end-to-end, as a fixed-scope project
- Speaking: Keynotes and workshops on product execution, AI leverage, and early traction
Hire
If you’re building a product and want help with direction, execution, or traction, reach out. Share what you’re building, where you’re stuck, and what success looks like. I’ll reply with next steps.
Send an email or text (760) 456-7468 to get started.