You Can Do This, IF You Do It Right
Become masters of information, and vassals of no one.
The Founder’s Guide to Cutting Through the Noise
The startup world thrives on information—some of it is gold, but most of it is noise. Every founder is bombarded daily with advice, hot takes, and market "insights" that often contradict each other. The best operators learn to differentiate between credible intelligence and pure sensationalism, training themselves to be the ultimate gatekeepers of their time, energy, and resources. If you don’t control your own narrative, someone else will control it for you. And in this game, that means losing.
For a founder, navigating the startup landscape isn’t so different from how intelligence professionals move through hostile territory. The best intelligence officers don’t just gather information—they analyze it, verify sources, and decide what’s actionable.
In the same way, founders must learn to separate hype from truth, opportunity from distraction, and real relationships from dangers and time-wasters. This requires discipline, skepticism, and a relentless focus on what actually matters.
Own Your Street
In espionage, the best agents don’t wander aimlessly through an unfamiliar city.
They own their street. They know every alley, every hidden observer, every power player operating in the shadows. Founders must do the same with their industry. You need to be the one person in the room who knows more about your space than anyone else. Who’s really driving change? Where is the money actually flowing? Which competitors are playing the long game, and which ones are just making noise?
Most founders fail not because they have a bad idea, but because they don’t understand the landscape they’re trying to dominate. They get paranoid, they demand NDAs, and yet they’re allergic to enforcing due diligence on their own standard operating procedures. Why are you telling that investor “Max Money McProfits” anything in the first place? Why aren’t you learning more about them first? Exactly.
Many founders follow generic startup advice instead of decoding the specific dynamics of their industry and the motives of the people they want to work with. They don’t know the key players, the unspoken rules, or the hidden traps that take down the unprepared — and in many cases, as I’ve written before, this is simply by design.
If you don’t own your street, someone else does. And they won’t hesitate to use your ignorance against you. Every single time.
Protect Your Sources
In intelligence work, sources are everything. A single trusted informant can change the course of an entire operation. But protecting those sources is just as important as cultivating them. The same goes for founders. Your most valuable relationships—mentors, investors, customers, and key allies—must be safeguarded, nurtured, and never exploited recklessly.
Too many founders burn bridges early by sharing too much, too soon, with people who haven’t earned their trust. They treat investor meetings like confessionals, spewing every internal detail without realizing they’re being sized up, not supported. They over-explain to competitors disguised as “collaborators.” They don’t realize that information—especially in the startup world—is currency. You don’t just give it away.
Your investors, advisors, and inner circle are not just resources; they are strategic assets. If you want them to open doors for you, you need to prove that you’re someone worth investing in—not just financially, but with their time, reputation, and trust.
There’s a thin line between paranoia and a solid defense strategy — and knowing the difference is a simple as what my mentor Chris Dube teaches:
Self Efficacy
Situational Awareness
Clarity
Trust a Limited Few (With Maximum Skepticism)
The most dangerous mistake a founder can make is assuming that everyone in the startup ecosystem is acting in good faith. They’re not. Some are. Many aren’t. And the biggest con artists in this world don’t wear masks—they wear credibility.
The startup landscape is full of people who sound like they know what they’re talking about but are really just selling something—whether it’s themselves, a service, or an agenda. Some investors will string you along to gather market intelligence. Some mentors will steer you toward what benefits them, not you. Some competitors will pretend to be allies while extracting everything they can.
That doesn’t mean you should be paranoid. It means you should be selective. Trust a limited few—people who have proven themselves through action, not just words. Build strong, real relationships with a small, trusted inner circle, and treat everything outside of it with a level of healthy skepticism. Ask yourself: Why is this person telling me this? What’s in it for them? If you don’t know the answer, assume there’s a reason you’re not seeing yet.
Anticipate and Know the Game (And Play It Better Than They Think You Can)
The most dangerous founders aren’t the ones who talk the loudest. They’re the ones who sit quietly, observe everything, and make their moves with precision. They know that the startup world is a game of power, positioning, and leverage. The ones who win aren’t always the smartest or the most talented—they’re the ones who understand the game better than everyone else.
And the first rule of the game? Never let them know how well you understand it. Let people underestimate you. Let them assume you don’t see the politics, the manipulation, the ulterior motives. Meanwhile, you’re five steps ahead, gathering intelligence, identifying patterns, and positioning yourself where you need to be.
The best founders aren’t just builders. They’re operators. They don’t just chase opportunities; they create them. They don’t just follow trends; they control narratives. They aren’t just players in the game—they rewrite the rules while everyone else is busy playing by them.
Find Joy, Or You’ll Never Survive
With all this talk of strategy, trust, and skepticism, it would be easy to assume that the startup game is pure warfare. And in many ways, it is. But if you don’t find joy in it—real joy—you won’t last.
Joy isn’t about blind optimism or fake positivity. It’s about finding meaning in the process. It’s about the small wins, the late-night breakthroughs, the camaraderie of building something against the odds. It’s about proving to yourself that you can do something everyone else thought was impossible.
The best founders don’t just endure the grind—they learn to love it. They don’t just chase an outcome; they savor the journey. Because the truth is, most startups don’t end in glory. Most don’t end in IPOs or billion-dollar acquisitions. But if you build something meaningful, something real, something that mattered—you’ve already won.
Never Let Them See You Sweat (Or Cry)
If there’s one unspoken rule in the founder-investor dynamic, it’s this: never let them see you sweat. Investors aren’t your friends, your therapists, or your emotional support system. They’re betting on you, and they’re all very nervous. That doesn’t mean you should be inauthentic—it means you should be in control — always.
Not to an obsessive degree, and not in a silly way — again:
Self-Efficacy: Know yourself, in and out. Know what you must master.
Situational Awareness: Don’t walk into walls (like I used to as a kid, long story) — be prepared for the walls, for the fortresses made to look like founder-friendly “ecosystems”, and for the wilds of the world.
Clarity: Be honest, expect honesty from others, and when deception is indicated — break away. Dumb money is often booby trapped.
And let me be crystal clear: do not believe investors when they say they care about you. They may think they do. They may even like you. But especially in the case of venture capitalists, they are stewards of other people’s money first. Their job is not to nurture your dreams—it’s to multiply their returns. If that aligns with your vision, great. If it doesn’t, they will drop you without hesitation. They will never love you as much as they love their management fees.
Every founder will face moments where the walls feel like they’re closing in. A deal goes south. Cash flow dries up. A competitor blindsides you. The stress builds. But the moment you let that frustration, fear, or desperation slip in front of an investor, you lose leverage. The best founders are masters of emotional discipline. They don’t react. They don’t overshare. They absorb pressure like a prizefighter and make their next move with composure.
That doesn’t mean bottling everything up until you break. It means knowing where to release it. You have a bad investor call? Fine. Vent to a trusted friend. Punch a pillow. Take a long walk. Meditate, journal, scream into the void—whatever it takes. But when you step back into the ring, you do it with your head high and your emotions locked down.
Poise isn’t just about appearances—it’s about power. When you control your emotions, you control the conversation. When you control the conversation, you control the outcome. Investors can smell uncertainty, and they will test you—whether consciously or not. So steel yourself. Find your inner center. And when they try to shake you, smile, nod, and make them wonder if they just underestimated you.
Then go back to work. Because in the end, execution—not emotion—is what wins.