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 

Key links

Learn more about Chris and Yaniv

Credits

Lovingly handcrafted for the global startup community by:

Editor: Justin McArthur

Associate Producer: Aidan Cousins
Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang