What Makes the Difference Between a Good Founder and a Great Founder- Cleve Langton
I’ve been deeply involved with 11 startups and early stage companies (c-suite, director, significant investor), and through volunteer organizations such as the Columbia Angel Network and others, I have worked with and or sat through over 60 investor presentations. I’m often asked by startups, and in classes where I’ve lectured, what makes the difference between a good founder and a great founder. I thought about it a lot and then, like a good, time efficient entrepreneur, asked ChatGPT. I was fascinated by Chat’s response, and I totally agree with the points. I would just add two: 1) Great founders have developed a strong network of advisors and investors that speeds up the funding process that’s critical to success. 2) Great CEOs have developed a strong EQ that they project to team members and investors. IQ without EQ takes a great to good, or lower.
The difference between a great early-stage founder and a goodone often comes down to a few key traits and behaviors that set them apart. Here’s what makes a founder truly exceptional:
1. Obsession Over the Problem, Not Just the Solution
• Good founders build a product they believe in.
• Great founders deeply understand the problem they’re solving and adapt their solution as needed. They’re customer-obsessed and iterate quickly based on real needs.
2. Relentless Execution & Speed
• Good founders work hard and make steady progress.
• Great founders move at an insane speed, constantly shipping, testing, and iterating. They get things done with urgency while keeping quality high.
3. Extreme Resilience & Adaptability
• Good founders handle setbacks well.
• Great founders take hits, pivot smartly, and refuse to quit. They treat every obstacle as a learning opportunity and don’t let emotions cloud decision-making.
4. Magnetic Leadership & Recruiting Ability
• Good founders can hire well.
• Great founders inspire top-tier talent to join early, often before they should reasonably believe in the company. They create a vision that attracts A-players.
5. Deep Market Insight & Unfair Advantage
• Good founders understand their industry.
• Great founders see where the market is going before others do. They often have unique insight, network effects, or some unfair advantage that others don’t.
6. Sales & Storytelling Mastery
• Good founders can pitch well.
• Great founders are masterful storytellers who sell their vision to customers, investors, and employees with conviction and clarity.
7. Relentless Focus on Distribution & Growth
• Good founders build a great product.
• Great founders understand that distribution is as important as the product. They think about marketing, partnerships, and scalable growth strategies from day one.
8. High Conviction, but Open to Feedback
• Good founders take advice from mentors and investors.
• Great founders filter feedback wisely, balancing conviction with adaptability. They know when to ignore bad advice and when to pivot based on the right insights.
9. Financial & Strategic Resourcefulness
• Good founders raise money and manage cash flow.
• Great founders are scrappy and extend runway creatively. They use capital efficiently and always have a plan B for survival.
10. Ability to Build a Strong Culture Early
• Good founders focus on hiring well.
• Great founders define company culture early and lead by example. They set norms that attract like-minded people and scale culture effectively.
At the core, great founders combine speed, resilience, vision, and execution in a way that makes their startup feel almost inevitable.
What do you think — any particular aspect of greatness that stands out to you?
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