Hi there, Remote Work Tribe, and welcome back to another Weekly Roundup! As your go-to source to help leaders build better remote teams, the Remote Work Tribe spends a large chunk of our week browsing social media for the latest trending posts on leadership, biz ops, and dispersed companies. This week, we stumbled across an interesting thread about what turns a regular founder into an amazing founder.
Spoiler alert: The answer to becoming an amazing founder may not be what you think. For a better idea of what we mean, check out this recent tweet from Jai Malik, General Partner at Countdown Capital.
Let’s be honest, this tweet gave us a good laugh! Just like us, we know you’ve also seen posts from former big tech execs spread across your LinkedIn and Twitter. In these posts, many like to share what we call “fortune cookie wisdom” — content that sounds cool, but really could apply to just about any scenario, regardless of industry or role.
More often than not, these posts also center around leadership. How founders should conduct themselves, the “perfect way” to scale, how founders can secure VC funding… you get the drift. But are the people spilling the advice on how to be an amazing founder actually successful founders themselves?
The Truth About Amazing Founders
So, does working in big tech for a few years automatically make you an amazing founder? On first glance, you would think that even an expansive tech background would still leave room for a substantial learning curve.
I agree. Perhaps most notably, getting to market with a small team and small budget takes an entirely different mindset.
— Catherine Thomas (@CatherineT_HIT) July 12, 2021
As Catherine points out, big tech often means big budgets. A transition into a startup company means budgets are drastically slashed — and the need for capital becomes more urgent. Plus, with a smaller team, the size of a founder’s workload also dramatically increases.
However, as Steve above points out, a great deal of amazing founders do come from big tech backgrounds. With this history in mind, it becomes a bit more difficult to count out certain individuals simply because of the path they were previously taking.
So, maybe the answer to what makes an amazing founder is best left to Joel here.
How to Judge a Founder
"Past performance is not indicative of future success".
— Joel Ifill (@JoelIfill) July 11, 2021
Controversial opinion people over index on credentials as indicators of success.
Let’s not immediately judge founders on their past performance, or where exactly they’ve come from. Instead, let’s take a look at how they treat their employees, their vision and values, and how they show up to work each day. Truly, the small gestures at the heart of operations and company culture are what determine an amazing founder.
Do you have an amazing founder you want to shout out? Hit us up on Twitter so we can include them in our next spotlight! Until then, check out what else the remote work community was up to this week.
The Tribe’s Weekly Vibes
1. This awesome opportunity for kids to become amazing founders themselves.
2. These words of wisdom about hybrid teams from our own amazing founder.
3. This reminder to be kind to fellow business owners.
4. This gorgeous remote work spot.
5. This CEO-inspired call for work-life balance.
6. This lesson that knowledge sharing >>> follower gaining.
7. This actionable tip to de-stress daily.
8. This *undeniable* offer to make your profile less successful (see thread for details!).
9. This all-too-relatable look at an introvert’s calendar.
10. This push to remain vulnerable, as others are likely dealing with similar stressors.
11. This perfect (and hilarious) example of risk vs. reward.
12. This reminder to speak in public about the people you admire privately.
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What do you want to be discussed by the remote work community? Tag us over on Instagram, @TheRemoteWorkTribe, or on Twitter, @RemoteWorkTribe, for a chance to be featured on our next weekly thread!
