"This is the profile paradox that sums up the life of a founder. To be a brave captain setting sail on the vast sea of the unknown, to build a ship armed with nothing but a vision. The journey is filled with seas that are treacherous, the winds that are fickle, and the ever-present threat of foundering, of sinking beneath the waves. Yet every founder knows that to reach new horizons, they have to take this risk. Failure isn't as possible. It's probable. It's likely. Yet it's only true in the prospect of foundering that true resilience emerges as the strength to rise from the depths of failure." - Jeremy Au
Jeremy Au:
Have you ever pondered the word founder? What do we call those who sparked new ventures by this name?
For a long time, I thought that the definition had to do with the word " finding" to find something that was lost, to find a new idea, to find a new business. But as I delve deeper into the word's roots, a richer story unfolded.
The word founder takes us back to the 14th century from the Anglo-French “fundur”, old French “fondeor” which means founder or originator, and that comes from the Latin word “fundator”, an agent noun from “fundare” which translates to, "to lay a foundation".
In essence, a founder is someone who lays the groundwork, who builds from the ground up, shaping a robust structure that serves as a launching pad for others, yet architects of tomorrow's world, forming a strong base upon which dreams transform into reality.
Yet here's the intriguing twist. The term founder also links to foundering, a nautical term that describes a ship filling with water and sinking within one word, we encapsulate the joy of building, of laying a foundation, and yet the terrifying possibility of destruction, of sinking beneath the waves.
This is the profile paradox that sums up the life of a founder. To be a brave captain setting sail on the vast sea of the unknown, to build a ship armed with nothing but a vision. The journey is filled with seas that are treacherous, the winds that are fickle, and the ever-present threat of foundering, of sinking beneath the waves. Yet every founder knows that to reach new horizons, they have to take this risk. Failure isn't as possible. It's probable. It's likely. Yet it's only true in the prospect of foundering that true resilience emerges as the strength to rise from the depths of failure.
Therein, lies the true beauty of the title founder. It's a word that celebrates the daring to build, the audacity to venture into unknown territories, and the grit to rise again and again from the abyss of failure.
So if you are a founder or if you dream of one-day laying foundations of your own, take this to heart. Embrace the paradox. Set sail a journey, brace for the storms, and know that even if your founder and sink, it's merely a stepping stone towards your ultimate goal. The essence of a founder embodies both creation and destruction, success and failure, and it's this juxtaposition that forms the very heart of entrepreneurship.