The Silent Startup Killer: Misaligned Motivation

Reverse engineering startup success is a losing game.


Too many variables. Too much noise. Founders themselves can’t remember what worked, or they simply don’t know why it worked.

 
So, trying to copy exactly what worked for someone else? Total waste of time.

There are two deeply underrated variables that make or break a startup: the founder’s profile and the founder’s motivation.

 
Let’s break them down.

1. Founder Profile

Every founder shows up with strengths and weaknesses.

A technical founder might not know how to sell. A sales founder might have no clue how to ship a good product. Doesn’t matter. You start where you are.

But the best founders learn fast. They close the gap themselves. At least on the early days.

Example: I work with technical founders to help them build business instincts it took me 12+ years to develop. Why? Because they don’t have 12 years to figure it out. It needs to work now because time is playing against them.

 

2. Founder Motivation

This one gets overlooked constantly. Why are you really starting this company?

Because your answer to that question will silently dictate:

Who you pick as a cofounder
Whether you raise money, and from whom
What kind of business you build (VC rocketship? bootstrapped?)
Who you hire, when, and why
I've seen founders chase venture money for all the wrong reasons: ego, speed, status. Without realizing what they’ve signed up for. VC math means your $20M exit is a failure. They want $500M+ (if not $1B+). That’s their game. Because if you don’t have this kind of ambition and potential, they won’t make money.

Yours might be different. But unless you’re brutally honest with yourself, you’ll build the wrong business, with the wrong people, for the wrong reasons.

 
Start With Your Cofounder

Here’s the highest leverage move I give every early founder:

1. Open a Google Sheet with your cofounder.

2. Answer these questions. Asynchronously, not sharing the answer for now.

3. Then review and discuss, with full honesty

4. Revisit every 12–18 months. Because people evolve. And misalignment is a silent killer. Even if you already have a cofounder and a working startup, do it, now! It will change everything.

 

Some categories and questions to cover:

Category: Your Situation

Is this your main activity?
How much runway do you have? What’s your timeline for needing personal financial stability?
Are there any upcoming life events (marriage, kids, relocation) that could impact your availability or risk tolerance?
Would you invest your own money?
Minimum salary needed?
Historical/family context?
…
Category: Motivation & Ambition

What motivates you? In which order?
Why do you work?
What would you do if you had $10M?
Do you want to build a legacy company or a quick exit?
$2M EBITDA in 2 years or $100M valuation in 5?
If this company fails, what will success still look like for you?
What’s your real goal?
What kind of entrepreneur do you want to be?
How do you define personal success: money, freedom, impact, recognition? What are the weights?
…

Category: Cofounder Fit

What kind of decisions do you want full autonomy over?
What’s your default conflict resolution style? How do we handle conflict?
Have you ever had a bad cofounder or team experience? Why did it fail?
Can one founder fire another?
What happens if growth stalls?
Who’s CEO? Who’s in the spotlight?
What if the board replaces you?
What are your strengths? Rank yourself in all areas of responsability.
…

Category: Working Style

Do you prefer structured workflows (e.g. Scrum) or loose iterations?
How many hours/week are you committing?
Preferred schedule?
Remote vs office? How?
…
Category: Culture

What’s one company culture you admire? Why?
What kind of culture do you want to build?
Expectations for team performance?
Views on leadership?
How transparent should we be with the team? About money, strategy, and challenges?
…
 

Final Thought
 

Most startup advice is about tactics. But tactics don’t matter if you’re running the wrong race.

Start with the foundation: who you are, what you want, and who’s building with you.

This clarity might not guarantee success. But without it? You’re flying blind.

 

Stay brutally honest with yourself and your co-founders. Stay transparent.

-Guillaume