Most startup founders have never failed at anything, and that doesn't prepare them for the role of CEO, aka "tackle whatever the company sucks at."
If grades were important, they got a 4.0 at college. If sports were important, they were the captain of the team. They got promoted faster than their peers in early jobs. Success feels easy, if not preordained, because founders tend to be 1) super smart and 2) judicious with where they focus their attention.
And then they get punched in the face when they can't figure out how to achieve product/market fit. They have a product that people seem excited about, but sales are stalled. Their life experience has not prepared them for this moment.
One of my clients recently learned they are in the bottom quartile of their investor's portfolio.
I texted, "I bet you previously haven’t been in anyone’s bottom quartile in your entire life."
Their reply, "No fucking shit."
This CEO, and every founder in their shoes, is at a crossroads. Take their ball and play a different game, or lean into the discomfort of sucking at something until they figure out greatness.
Too many founders opt for the first choice. Hell, *I* opted for that first choice at several startups. It's one of the things I'm least proud of about myself.
I believe in this founder, but more importantly, they believe in themselves. They're already leaning in with renewed conviction, curiosity, and maybe even a little anger about being in someone's bottom quartile.
As Robert Frost once wrote, the best way out is always through.