Founders Start Up Investment

You Can’t Want It For Them: The Frustration of Backing Someone Who Won’t Push Themselves

Why hunger must come from within – —and how painful it is when it doesn’t

There’s nothing more frustrating than believing in a founder more than they believe in themselves.

I’ve backed hundreds of entrepreneurs. Some were raw but relentless. Others were polished but passive. The hardest part of early-stage investing isn’t the risk. It’s the emotional cost of giving time, capital, belief—only to realise the founder won’t meet you halfway.

You can give someone every opportunity. But you can’t give them hunger.

The Silent Stall

This doesn’t usually happen with a loud failure. It happens quietly:

  • The founder stops updating you.
  • Weeks go by with no traction, no pivot, no urgency.
  • They respond, but never initiate.
  • They’re always “thinking about” next steps—but never executing.

From the outside, they still look active. But inside, the drive is gone. They’re waiting for the business to push itself forward.

You can offer support. But you can’t light the fire.

Why This Hurts to Watch

As an investor, mentor, or advisor, this is the most painful part of the job. You see the potential. You know what’s possible. You’re ready to back them all the way.

But they won’t move.

And slowly, you realise: you’re dragging someone who should be driving.

It drains you. Not because they failed—but because they never truly tried. Not at the level that builds anything lasting.

Hunger Can’t Be Installed

I’ve learned the hard way: you can’t transfer urgency. You can’t force ambition. You can’t coach someone into caring more than they already do.

Hunger has to come from within. It shows up in how they use time, how they make decisions, how they show up when no one’s watching.

Founders who want it badly enough make it obvious.
The ones who don’t eventually reveal that too.

What I Look for Now

Before I invest, I don’t just ask what the founder is building—I watch how they behave without incentives.

  • Do they follow up without being chased?
  • Are they building when no one is clapping?
  • Have they taken risks before funding arrives?
  • Do they own outcomes—or always have a reason why something didn’t happen?

I want to work with people who already move. Who already push. Who already carry weight without needing applause.

Final Thought

The hardest lesson I’ve learned in this game is this:

You can mentor, guide, fund, support, and believe.
But if the founder won’t push themselves—none of it matters.

Because in the end, you can’t build for someone who won’t show up for their own vision.

Founders Start Ups

False Hustle: How Some Founders Work Hard at the Wrong Things

Insights into effort doesn’t always equal progress

Founders love to talk about how hard they’re working. Long days. Late nights. Constant movement.

But movement isn’t the same as momentum. And effort doesn’t always mean progress.

I’ve worked with enough startups to spot the pattern: some founders work incredibly hard—just not on what matters. They confuse being busy with being effective. And that’s where false hustle begins to quietly kill a business.

What False Hustle Looks Like

It’s not laziness—it’s misdirected intensity. The founder is grinding, but the business isn’t growing.

  • They’re tweaking the website—again—instead of talking to customers.
  • They’re posting on socials daily—but haven’t figured out acquisition strategy.
  • They’re in endless planning mode—but not testing anything real.
  • They’re focused on perfecting the product—while ignoring market feedback.

To the outside world, it looks like progress. But behind the scenes, nothing fundamental is moving forward.

Why It Happens

False hustle is comfortable. It lets you stay “productive” without being vulnerable. No risk of rejection. No brutal feedback. No uncomfortable pivots.

It’s safer to keep refining than to launch.
It’s easier to stay busy than to face the unknown.

Real entrepreneurship demands exposure.
False hustle protects ego, not progress.

What I Watch for Now

When I work with founders, I pay attention to what they spend time on—and what they avoid.

  • Are they speaking to users—or hiding behind product dev?
  • Are they solving customer problems—or building what excites them?
  • Are they focused on the few inputs that drive growth—or scattered across 20?

Founders stuck in false hustle rarely make hard trade-offs. They want to do everything—except the thing that actually moves the business forward.

What Real Progress Looks Like

Real hustle is boring. It’s repetitive. It often means doing the same unglamorous task—over and over—until you crack something open.

It’s not about checking boxes. It’s about getting closer to something that works:

  • Clarity on customer pain.
  • A validated, repeatable sales motion.
  • A product that solves a clear, monetisable problem.
  • Systems that reduce chaos, not just busyness.

Progress isn’t built in motion. It’s built in direction.

Final Thought

Hard work isn’t rare in startups. Smart work is.

If you’re grinding nonstop but nothing’s changing, ask yourself:
Am I building—or just staying busy?

Because no one builds a great business on false hustle. They build it by doing the real work—even when it’s uncomfortable, invisible, or slow.

Founders Mentoring

The First Setback Breaks Them: Why Most Founders Aren’t Built for the Long Game

Lessons from watching promising ideas fall apart under pressure.

Some founders look unstoppable—until they hit their first real wall. Then everything unravels.

I’ve seen this pattern too many times: a promising idea, strong pitch, early traction… then one deal falls through, one launch underperforms, or one investor pulls out—and the founder spirals. Not because the problem was fatal. But because they weren’t built for it.

Resilience isn’t optional in this game. It’s the baseline.

Startups Break You First

Everyone celebrates founders when they’re pitching. But the real test comes when things go wrong. And they always do.

Here’s what I’ve seen break people:

  • A funding round that drags on longer than expected.
  • A co-founder disagreement that turns personal.
  • Negative customer feedback that hits harder than anticipated.
  • A product launch that flops—after months of work.

Most founders aren’t prepared for this emotionally. They expect a tough road, but not this kind of toughness. Not the kind that challenges your identity, your self-belief, your stamina.

That’s when you find out who’s playing the long game—and who was just hoping it would be easier.

False Confidence vs. Real Resilience

Early-stage founders are often overconfident. They believe their passion will carry them. But passion is fragile. Resilience isn’t.

Resilient founders don’t just survive setbacks—they expect them. They’re ready to regroup, reframe, and rebuild when things go sideways. They don’t need the room to clap for them to keep moving forward.

Confidence is loud at the start.
Resilience is quiet and consistent through the middle.

What I Look for Now

When I meet founders, I want to know: how do they respond to pressure? Not in theory. In practice. So I look for signals:

  • Have they failed at something meaningful—and come back stronger?
  • Do they take ownership when things go wrong?
  • Are they emotionally steady—or constantly chasing highs?
  • Do they ask for feedback—or just validation?

The ones who last aren’t the most excited—they’re the most stable. They can hold discomfort without breaking their direction.

What Founders Need to Understand

If you’re building a company, here’s the truth: you will fail—at something. A plan won’t work. A hire won’t stick. A customer will churn. That’s normal.

The question is: what will you do in that moment?

  • Will you panic—or will you adjust?
  • Will you look for someone to blame—or take control?
  • Will you shut down—or start again with more clarity?

Success comes to the ones who keep solving, even when it hurts.

Final Thought

Most people can pitch. Few can persist.

The first setback isn’t the end of your startup. But it might reveal whether you were ever serious about the long game.

Don’t just build a product. Build the resilience to lead when the product, the plan, or the team breaks—and you’re the one who has to keep going.

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