There is such a thing as being too much of a founder. And it’s not a good thing.
 
Founders are known for many things, being balanced individuals is not one of them. Imagine then what hell breaks loose when the founder DNA, unlike the right amount of salt in a meal, is sprinkled generously, too generously, onto one’s constitution. 
 
Fear not. The first step to correction is diagnosis; and I, dear gentle reader, step up to the task. 
 
Here is a list of bizarro statements - par for the course in founder-land, naturally - that exemplify the confounding founding life. 
 
Give yourself a point for every statement you resonate with, and then add up your score. 
 
  • You have stayed up for 24-hours at a stretch
  • Your ownership is off the charts, you haven’t met a problem you didn’t want to solve
  • You have worn your clothes inside-out for a full day, without noticing 
  • You are often seen in a back-pack and sneakers (not applicable to founders in fashion)
  • Free-trials are your best friends 
  • You will dance for views 
  • You find friends to stay in every city you travel to
  • You stop yourself from speaking too much founder-babel at parties
  • Distraction is your go-to mental-health strategy 
  • You comb your hair, sometimes 
  • Networking is your Olympic sport 
  • You look at folks earning 10x your salary and somehow deem yourself better-off
  • Your friends & family have become..a round 
  • Pivot, pivot, pivaaaottt is not funny anymore 
  • You write (or talk) about the founding experience unendingly 
         
 
Your Founder-Quotient score
 
0 - Nah, you’re not a founder 
 
1-5 - There is hope for you yet. Run if you can, because it will get worse
 
6-10 - Not gonna lie, you are in pretty deep. Do you still remember you are a human being too? Perhaps. But for how much longer?
 
11-15 - You’re a goner. Beyond the veil. Your epitaph shall read - She got a good exit.