Maxwell Bonnie is a company builder and operator who co-founded Saltbox, a national network of flexible logistics and workspace for growing ecommerce businesses. Over six years, he helped scale the business to thousands of customers and multiple U.S. locations before transitioning to a board role in 2025. A former operator at FullStory and manager at Bridgewater Associates, Maxwell now advises first-time founders and is exploring new ventures while serving as an OG Atlanta chapter lead.
Could you start by introducing yourself and sharing a bit about your role and background?
I’m Maxwell Bonnie, a company builder at heart.
I’ve always been drawn to hard problems and believe most of them can be solved with enough curiosity and optimism. Most recently, I co-founded Saltbox, a company focused on democratizing access to logistics and building community for small e-commerce operators.
We scaled to a few thousand customers and $25+ in revenue before I stepped down last December. Now, I sit on the board and spend my time advising first-time founders while exploring ideas for what I want to build next.
What made you decide to launch your own business?
I realized early on that I wasn’t a big-company person. I love the white space and the speed of execution of fast-growing startups. But equally, I love shaping cultures. For me, it’s about finding the balance between doing good things, being excellent at them, and creating outsized returns by rallying great people around a clear mission and strong values. You can join a company that does that — or you can create one yourself.
What role have mentors and peers played in your journey?
Early in my career, I didn’t lean on mentors enough, and I kept running into the same mistakes.
Over time, I realized how critical it is to have people who’ve already solved the problems you’re facing — or made the mistakes you’re about to make. Now I rely on mentors and peers to help me navigate situations where I can be truly vulnerable and receive brutal honesty. It’s reduced the chances of repeating old mistakes, helped me make better decisions, and allowed me to learn much faster when dealing with complex problems.
As an operator, what do you think separates good operators from great ones?
Two things:
- Clarity in chaos. Great operators can bring structure and confidence to uncertainty, making the “what, why, and how” clear.
- Understanding the machine. They can step back and see the broader system — how the business creates value, how the parts work together, and where to push or pull. If you can do those two things consistently, you elevate from good to great.
Those two skills — clarity and systems thinking — are what elevate someone from good to great.
Any advice for first-time operators?
Invest the time to deeply understand how your organization creates value and how your function ties into that. If you can connect your day-to-day work to the bigger picture, it makes prioritization clearer and your impact stronger. You’ll know you’re there when you find yourself thinking in-line, or even a step ahead of your boss, which at times can create tension. That’s okay. If you’re grounded in first principles and focused on value creation, the results speak for themselves.
What do you do to keep growing professionally?
I focus on creating time.
Every day, I record a short voice note to reflect on what I learned, what I got wrong, and what I want to accomplish tomorrow. Then I do weekly reflections on Fridays. I also carve out at least an hour and a half each week for pure learning, whether that’s reading about the industry I’m in or experimenting with a new skill. With AI, I can now slice those voice notes to see patterns, track my logic, and pull out themes. It’s become a powerful way to measure growth over time.
What made you become a chapter lead for OG?
If I’m part of something, I want to help shape it.
Atlanta has strong engineering and go-to-market talent, but I believe the operating talent is what will truly help the ecosystem thrive. With investors eyeing the Southeast and Atlanta positioned as the hub, I see OG as a way to help local operators grow, develop, and ensure the city’s startups are in good hands.
Why is Atlanta the best chapter?
Atlanta is big enough to have a thriving ecosystem but small enough that you’re two degrees away from anyone you want to meet.
That makes it incredibly easy to connect nodes across the city, whether that’s members who didn’t realize they were already customers of each other, parents whose kids go to the same school, or neighbors living blocks apart. That connectivity makes things move quickly here.
What’s one of your favorite things about OG?
The caliber of people. Everyone is confident but generous with their time and ideas. Operators often carry a mix of confidence and humility, and OG brings together people who embody that balance. It creates a culture where you can ask for guidance, but are inspired to give even more than you receive.
Any advice for someone thinking about joining OG — or a community in general?
At the broadest level, being in community is essential for us as humans. Unfortunately, we don’t have as many organic communities anymore, so finding one where you can invest and grow is deeply valuable.
For OG specifically, know where you want to go (from a career and skills perspective), but don’t overly prescribe how to get there. The current environment is dynamic — tools, frameworks, fundraising, hiring, all of it is changing — so staying open and actively learning lets you get the most out of it.
What’s been one of the most tangible benefits you’ve gotten from OG?
It’s been a way to level-set my understanding of talent. Talking with other operators across functions has sharpened my instincts for what “great” looks like at different roles and company stages. It’s improved my ability to spot excellent talent inside my own companies and given me a stronger sense of what the bar should be.