Founder IQ Starts with Seamanship

You’re not just building a product.
You’re learning to captain a ship.

HOW FOUNDER IQ (AND COMPETENCIES) TOOK CENTER STAGE
I started writing about founder challenges over 15 years ago — back when I noticed how many early-stage ventures were quietly collapsing, not because of bad ideas, but because the founder wasn’t equipped to lead.
My earliest posts became a document called Startup Insights, which evolved into two books: one on starting a business, and another called The Navigator, focused entirely on founder skills.

A USEFUL METAPHOR: THE FOUNDER AS CAPTAIN
Both used the metaphor I return to again and again — that the founder’s journey is a sea voyage. The founder is the captain. And seamanship matters.
By the mid-2010s, I began shaping the idea of Founder IQ — long before it entered coaching or startup vocabulary. I noticed the absence of real conversations around founder competency — and how overlooked this dimension was, even in founder support ecosystems.

These ideas have been part of my coaching landscape ever since.

In my earlier reflection on The Illusion of Readiness, I wrote about how first-time founders often dive headfirst into product development — without preparing for the leadership their role demands. Why? Because there’s no license required to start a company.

THE NUMBER ONE BLIND SPOT
Many founders tell themselves: “I’m smart. I’m creative. I’ll figure it out as I go.” And yes — you might… until a crisis hits that calls for skills you haven’t yet developed.

This is the number one blind spot I see in new entrepreneurs: they overestimate their strengths, underestimate the demands of their founder role, and skip the preparation required to truly lead.

I’ve seen this play out again and again — as a founder, co-founder, core team member, and consultant.

And the numbers reflect this reality: Startup failure rates are highest among first-time founders.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
To reduce your chances of getting caught unprepared, start here:
• Prepare in Advance
• Strengthen Your Founder IQ

Whether you’re building a team of ten or ten thousand, ask yourself: What kind of founder am I becoming? What roles will I need to perform across the venture’s life cycle?

If you’re still in the early stages, this is the ideal time to begin. Founder IQ isn’t like academic intelligence. Unlike the IQ we’re each born with, this one can be built. You can build on your natural talents — maybe you’re strong in communication or strategy — and develop the competencies you don’t yet have: presenting, selling, operational fluency, hiring.

You Don’t Need to Master Everything. But you do need to prepare.

Too many founders believe the strength of the idea will carry the venture.
But a product doesn’t lead a company.
A founder does.

NO LICENSE REQUIRED, BUT SEAMANSHIP STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
You don’t need to go back to school. And yes — much will be learned on the job. But before you set sail, you should know how your ship works.

You don’t need to be a rigging expert. But you do need seamanship.

At the top of that list is self-management.
Beyond bringing your product to life, seamanship means developing the intangible, operational, and strategic skills required to lead a venture;
• Attract, develop, and lead talent
• Cultivate clients and partnerships
• Allocate and monitor resources
• Respond to crises
• Navigate uncertainty
• Steer the venture toward port

STEP INTO THE FOUNDER ROLE
This is your role to step into — not by title, but by practice.
Assume the inner responsibility to build your own competency base — through skill acquisition, grounded awareness, and lived experience — especially before the storms hit.

This isn’t about waiting to be qualified.
It’s about qualifying yourself — deliberately, inwardly, patiently — to meet what’s coming.

Because building a startup isn’t just about iteration.

It’s about readiness.

Product development is a skill.

Foundership is seamanship.

What skills are you cultivating right now?

The sea is wide.

If this helped you steer, pass it on to fellow founders navigating their own course.

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© My-Tien Vo – July 24, 2025