Why you will never be a great founder (probably)

06/09/2025 - Startup

When it comes to startups, founders are often portrayed as modern heroes: visionaries who change the world, resilient, strong and perfect. But the truth is far from this glamorous image: behind the myth lie extreme, almost obsessive traits that make them a little bit crazy… but pheraps even more legendary.

So, instead of asking “what does it take to become a founder,” let’s flip the perspective: why you will probably never be a great founder.

1. You are not the strange guy

  • you are a normal person, you go out on weekends with friends, watch football just because everyone else does, have no particular passions, and your friends are just like you.

  • You follow the path that’s been laid out for you, instead of creating a new one of your own.

  • You’ll never invent anything: you’ll wait for others to do it for you.

  • You won’t have the strength to go against the current, to challenge what seems impossible or crazy.

  • You won’t work on an idea that no one has even imagined yet.

  • You won’t convince anyone to follow you, because you won’t even be sure you want to keep going yourself.

  • And so, if you’re a normal person, you certainly won’t be the one founding the next unicorn.

2. You are an economist, not a scientist

If you are an economist (even just a student), you know how to read the past and explain what didn’t work or why something was impossible. But here’s the thing: nobody cares. Not the investors who lost their money, not your employees who lost their jobs and reputations, not your parents or friends who believed in you.


Because sometimes, failure is inevitable.

A founder, on the other hand, must think like a scientist. They don’t look at the past; they look to the future. They constantly experiment, searching for the innovation that can change the world, failing 90% of the time. But every failure is just a step: right after, they are already thinking about how to make the next idea work, because they are certain that sooner or later, they will succeed.

3. You don’t have the world-savior syndrome

If you don’t think you can change things, you will never change anything.
It’s not egotism or excessive altruism—it’s the deep conviction that your idea can truly make a difference, solve a huge problem that no one else has solved yet. It’s what drives you to risk your time, money, and reputation, to work yourself to exhaustion, and to keep going even when everyone else says it’s impossible.

It’s not just a desire; it’s a deep necessity of the soul. Not satisfying it would mean wasting your life. This obsession is not blind: it guides every decision, every experiment, every failure, every moment of your life.
Without this radical conviction, without this visionary obsession, it would be impossible to create something that no one has ever imagined.

4. You are not obsessive

I’m not talking about a simple passion or a passing interest: I’m talking about the obsession that takes over your mind, makes you think about your idea while you shower, sleep, or eat, and won’t let you disconnect because the problem constantly calls you.

It means controlling every detail, testing every hypothesis, failing, and immediately starting again—without complaining, without losing heart. It means being so focused that everyone else seems distracted, slow, or simply normal. Because you know for certain that everyone else is doing the same thing, and if you stop, you’ll be overtaken, left behind, defeated.

You are like an elite athlete: you can’t skip a single workout, you can’t get distracted, you can’t take breaks. Every day counts, every detail matters.

5. You quit

Nobody quits when things are going well:

  • You’re advancing in your career.

  • You’re building a reputation.

  • Your friends think you’re a genius.

  • Your parents tell you they’re proud of you.

  • You’re getting rich.

But what happens when things go wrong? Because they will:

  • When your job tomorrow might not exist anymore.

  • When your friends say it was fun, but now it’s time to stop.

  • When your last paycheck doesn’t even cover the rent.

  • When your best employees leave you.

  • When you wish someone would fire you… but no one can, because you’re the founder.

  • When there are no shortcuts, and the only way out is a shootout.

What will you do? Will you quit?