I’d like you to pause for a second and think about your favorite superhero. Who is it?
Spiderman?
Batman?
Punisher?
Deadpool?
Superman?
Wonder Woman?
Captain America?
Wolverine?
Jessica Jones?
Well, maybe you think James Bond or Rambo instead. I get it. I really do. Let’s think about how they all interact with the world. They all have or do something that clearly separates them from the rest of humankind. And you might think - AHA! I’m doing something new and I’m clearly wanting to make the world a better place, so…. Am I superhero? Am I a Wonder Startup? A unicorn? Against-all-odds and rags-to-riches? And yes you are! Until you are not.
It is amazing how intermixed the superhero phenomena is. You take an outsider, or an outlier, or an off-beat person, make them special and set up their inner compass straight to GOOD. They may be driven by many motives, from revenge and outright insanity to high morale standards and black-and-white perception. But they are outcasts that separate themselves from the world - being both different and better than common folk (which of course makes them being hated by general public should their usefulness decline).
And then you release these socially awkward and mostly weird individuals into the wild. Reality bites back pretty quickly (looking at you, mutants).
So where does the startup part come in?
Bear with me. To build your company you have to pursue a very different behavior.
When was the last time that you saw superheroes work on something? Most of the time it’s villains who are on a quest to change the world. Superheroes only respond passively to the fruits of their making. With a few notable exceptions (Black Panther and our all-time fav Tony Stark - who was intended to be evil by the way) they act alone or in the best case form a temporary alliance that quickly falls apart after the arch-nemesis is defeated. Do you want a co-founder who is brilliant in some very special way but fails to collaborate and who’s ego is through the roof or to the contrary hates himself?
Villains are evil by canon, true. But they are just so much better in putting things together. Their organizational skills are excellent. Think Lex Luthor. They run successful companies - as a facade, granted, but nevertheless. Imagine being able to run a multi-billion dollar business just a means to cover up your evil plans.
Villains are active and disrupt the reality - or aim to. They create followership. Superheroes have to fight armies of LOYAL minions before they get to their leaders. Villains are very productive and creative. They are always on the move. They are successful leaders and are oftentimes very well integrated in society (unless physically hindered or visibly mentally sick, like Joker). Even if they are not, they are connected to underground and thrive surrounded by their teams.
It is very compelling to associate yourself with someone with good intentions. It is very compelling to also fall to the power of Dark side (they have all the cookies).
What is - or should not be done - is to position yourself as a chosen one on a mission to save the world. As a startup founder, you must be the best of both worlds - empathetic to the needs of others, adding value and solving the real world problems. On the other hand, you need to build your brand, actively move to change the world and create followership and communicate your agenda. You need to be able to build sustainable business while treating your team and customers with respect. You need to listen and hear what others are telling you - and you must do what’s right for the company even if it may upset someone.
Being a good person does not grant you superpowers. Being a bad person does not mean you are successful.
And remember, taking Thanos as a co-founder is a 50% success rate.