Founders are the linchpin of a startup.

They are the central foci, the lifeblood.

The buck stops with them.

But how can you tell the difference between a good and a bad founder? And how can you avoid being a bad one?

Don’t worry, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are here this week to discuss 9 differences between good and bad founders, based on a recent article Chris wrote.

The differences are:

🔍 Good founders focus on solving important problems for customers while bad founders mainly concentrate on fundraising and profits.

🧠 Good founders hire smart people who challenge them, while bad founders like to be the smartest person in the room and just give orders.

🔮 Good founders have a vision as well as pragmatism. Bad founders either have no vision or cannot execute pragmatically.

🎯 Good founders put customers first, clearly communicate their vision to investors and choose investors who believe in them. Bad founders change plans to please investors.

❤️ Good founders treat employees with empathy but make tough decisions when needed. Bad founders don't care about their people.

🏛️ Good founders build a culture where the right decisions can be made without them. Bad founders micromanage everything.

🚀 Good founders aim for growth and scale. Bad founders just focus on short-term survival.

Listen to the full episode to hear the other 2 differences!

The Pact

Honour The Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:
Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app
Subscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early-access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/
Follow us on YouTube
Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following

Key links

Learn more about Chris and Yaniv

Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/
Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/
Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/

Credits

Lovingly handcrafted for the global startup community by:

Editor: Justin McArthur

Associate Producer: Aidan Cousins
Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang

Edu: Good Founder, Bad Founder - 9 Huge Differences And Why They Matter

The Startup Podcast

Edu: Good Founder, Bad Founder - 9 Huge Differences And Why They Matter