
The Founder Bottleneck: Why We Don't Have Enough New Unicorns - Dgetman
Everyone has great ideas, but what&#x27;s holding them back from success? How do we deal with founder motivation and mental health?
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Dgetman
I came to a realization to why there are not enough founders out there, and
it's not because there's not enough $1B ideas out there. Loads of people get
that AHA moment with an incredible idea one night that infects their mind. At
some point, that particular excitement will die away. You will reach a period
(3, 6, 12 months) where you will start to feel like a toddler toying with
their food: confused, lost, stressed and under pressure from your parents and
loved ones to get a fucking job already.

What Melissa Bernstein, the co-founder of the Melissa and Doug toy company,
tells Duke students is essential to a successful founder's DNA is optimism and
determination. Talk to enough people and you will eventually piece together a
new AHA moment - the feasible plans of executing your idea. If you thought the
feeling of euphoria from coming up with the next big thing was amazing, wait
until you have the feeling of knowing not only the idea but the way to really
bring it to the world. Most people give up way before this point due to the
lack of physical resources, mental resources, or patience. This is the major
bottleneck of the founding of new unicorns.

I'm too early to say for a fact that I've reached this end so check in with me
again in a few years, but I want to leave you with this: If you're feeling
down and unmotivated, as long as you continue to hustle you will eventually
reach the end of the tunnel and into the wide expanses of opportunity. For
those of you currently living on the high of your idea, just you wait because
the next AHA will be 10x better.

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sigmaprimus
I think it is more a matter of perspective than not having enough new
unicorns. Every "Unicorn" looks like every other startup until it doesn't,
that being said there are a few things all successful startups have in common
and a plurality of things holding startups back from succeeding.

Rather than make a list of things that I am no means an expert in, I will just
say that YC seems to find a lot of startups with potential and if your a
founder looking for motivation maybe this book might help?

[https://www.dummies.com/business/fundraising/venture-
capital...](https://www.dummies.com/business/fundraising/venture-
capital/venture-capital-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/)

~~~
Dgetman
I started this discussion because I watched this podcast and one of the
questions was "why we don't have enough founders in the world" which spurred
the thought.

[https://www.spreaker.com/user/10197011/breaking-down-
common-...](https://www.spreaker.com/user/10197011/breaking-down-common-
startup-tropes-
with?utm_medium=widget&utm_source=user%3A10197011&utm_term=episode_title)

~~~
sigmaprimus
Looks like an interesting podcast, I will queue it up in my bedtime listening
list. Thanks for the link! :)

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gshdg
How many unicorns is “enough”? What makes unicorns a good thing?

