However, if you look closely there are many companies that start with one mission and pivot to a completely new one. For example, Slack started as a g

Sustainable founder motivations

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2021-07-23 12:00:05

However, if you look closely there are many companies that start with one mission and pivot to a completely new one. For example, Slack started as a gaming company and then became a messaging app. YouTube started as a dating website and then became a video hosting service. If the core motivations of their founders was a mission, how did they change so drastically? It seems that, at least at the beginning, these founders were motivated by building a company at all.

Founders need to be motivated by things that will keep them going no matter what obstacles are put in their way. This means there are good and bad motivators, as some motivators won't stand the test of sufficiently large obstacles. Good motivators are sustainable, while bad motivators eventually hit a wall.

Good founder motivations are things which 1) The founder really wants, and 2) the founder can only get by building their business. These could include things such as 1) a strong personal attachment to a specific mission (e.g saving the climate, or ending poverty), 2) never wanting to work for someone else, or 3) a genuine interest in the problem they're solving (regardless of impact).