We do not see reality. We see reality through a lens.
Every person carries a paradigm — a mental map built from experience, fear, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves about how the world works. This map is not reality but a filter that decides what we notice and what we ignore, what feels like opportunity and what feels like threat, what seems reasonable and what seems absurd.
The map feels like the territory, but we don't experience our paradigm as a lens — we experience it as truth. And so we never think to question it.
Founders are not immune to this but they are especially vulnerable.
Every founder carries these paradigms built from past success, past failure, and the fears they've never named.
- These models feel like wisdom, they operate like ceilings.
- The founder who demands protection believes security comes from structure, not performance.
- The founder who perfects endlessly believes reputation matters more than learning.
- The founder who cannot take feedback believes past success guarantees future competence.
- The founder who retreats to comfort believes productivity equals progress.
None of these beliefs announce themselves. They hide behind reasonable language: "smart safeguarding," "high standards" "playing to strengths" "staying focused".
I think founder mental models are the most overlooked factor in startup success. This is a series about the mental models that kill startups not from the outside, but from within.