Founder or Teammate? Pick Your Poison

Becoming a founder is like jumping out of a plane with a backpack full of IKEA parts and hoping it turns into a parachute before you hit the ground.

Working for someone else? That’s staying in the plane, complaining about the snacks, and wondering why the destination never really changes.

Neither path is wrong. But pretending they’re the same is.

So how do you choose?

Let’s break it down.

Do you want control, or do you want clarity?

Founders want full ownership. Of the vision, the direction, the wins, the mistakes, and every 2 a.m. decision that lands somewhere between brilliant and reckless.

Employees want clarity. They want to know where the company is headed, what the goals are, and how they can make an impact without rewriting the business plan every six hours. One is freedom through chaos. The other is structure with purpose. Choose based on what actually gives you energy, not what looks cooler on LinkedIn.

Do you want to own the chaos, or execute with focus?

Founders are responsible for everything. Product. Sales. Hiring. Culture. Fundraising. Customer support when someone leaves a one-star review at 3 in the morning.

Employees get to focus on mastering their craft. Great ones take ownership, drive results, and build serious value inside someone else’s ecosystem. They don’t carry the full weight, but they help build the machine. You either thrive in spinning plates, or you want to spin one and make it world-class.

Do you want to build alone, or belong to something bigger?

Founding is lonely. Even with a team, the weight sits on your shoulders. You celebrate wins quietly and take hits loudly. It’s not for everyone, and it doesn’t need to be.

Being part of a team doesn’t mean you’re hiding. It means you’re contributing to a mission that isn’t solely yours, but one you believe in enough to help push forward. Some people build the company. Others build the part that makes the company great. Both are builders.

Here’s the thing no one tells you.

There is no trophy for being a founder. There is no shame in not being one.

Both paths can make you wealthy. Both can make you miserable.

One will demand every ounce of your ambition. The other will reward every ounce of your consistency.

The key is knowing which game you’re wired for before the game starts playing you.

So ask yourself honestly:

Are you building the plane while falling through the sky?

Or are you reading the manual, keeping it in the air, and making sure it lands?

Either way, pick your poison. Then own it.

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Curious: Are you on the right path right now, or have you been faking it for the algorithm?

If this made you pause, I write more like this on LinkedIn. Real talk for founders, teammates, and everyone in between.