The Illusion of Founder Readiness (Part I)

This reflection is for founders in motion:  Those steering their ships while still learning how to navigate.

If that’s you — this one’s for you.

Most founders start with a spark — a product idea, a market insight, a sense of urgency.
Being passionate about production execution is not enough.
You need to be passionate about founder execution as well.

A common founder blind spot is basing / defining their venture’s “readiness” on their product launch while being unaware that it’s their founder readiness that most critical: your entrepreneurial journey needs a qualified skipper at the helm.

Here’s one perspective for first-timers on founder leadership:

1. You can “practice” as an entrepreneur without formal training, certification, or licensing, which ensures high and enforced standards of minimum performance.

2. You (or anyone) can start a business and learn by doing — without certification. That’s the upside.

3. The flip side is you can set off on your venture even if you lack skills and qualifications. Your only assurance is what you know and what you can do. What you don’t know can delay, or worse, derail you.

4. Leading an operation requires an entire different skill set—without which, can tank the venture pretty quickly. You wouldn’t want to get on a plane without a qualified pilot, or on a train without qualified conductor; nor would you want to embark on your entrepreneurial voyage if you are not a competent skipper.

Take this to heart and assess your founder qualifications.

Next time, I’ll share a Taoist-inspired scroll I created for first-time founders on LinkedIn — a reflection on how to navigate leadership before you’re tossed into high seas.

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