The Invisible Challenge Leadership lessons from early-stage founders

In the high-stakes world of start-ups, the rush to scale, raise funds, and build a brand often overshadows the quieter but more vital question: who is the founder behind the business? Rebecca Sutherland, investor and founder of HarbarSix Ltd, a London based company that empowers emerging businesses, has worked closely with early-stage BIZ Experiencess and noticed a recurring blind spot - one that doesn't lie in their products or market knowledge but in a much more personal space.

"The biggest blind spot I see in most founders is themselves," Sutherland explains. "It's rarely about their business knowledge or experience; it's that they don't truly understand who they are. What are they great at, and what isn't in their zone of genius? More importantly, they don't realise that they're not meant to do everything." For many founders, this lack of self-awareness leads to building a business model that centers exclusively around their own capacity, with the expectation they should be managing all facets and excelling at them. "Which, honestly, is impossible."

In a world that prizes grit and self-reliance, the willingness to admit vulnerability is a strength, not a liability. Yet founders often neglect the foundational questions about identity and values that should anchor their enterprise. "A lot of founders haven't taken the time to ask, 'Who am I as a business owner? Who am I as a leader? What do I stand for, and what do I want the business to stand for?'" Sutherland says. While many launch ventures because they excel at something or simply out of passion, few pause to consider the deeper "why" behind their work - the purpose, values, and definition of success. These are often deferred, or worse, overlooked. "These questions usually get answered later, if at all, but in my view, they should be front and centre from the beginning because that's what your business foundations are truly built on."

For Sutherland, coaching is an invaluable tool - not just when things go wrong, but as a preventative measure. Like a personal trainer helping an athlete stay healthy, "Founders would benefit massively from being open to advice early on. The sooner they are the stronger and more resilient their business becomes."

When scaling isn't ready to scale
In her work, Sutherland often encounters founders eager to accelerate growth - but whose businesses lack the necessary groundwork. "The first red flag is when the business foundations just aren't there." She often hears ambitions to scale, raise funding, or launch new products, but a closer look reveals a shaky internal structure. Founders might not have clear control over their numbers, cash flow forecasting is unreliable, and crucially, they don't fully understand their current position or why. "There's usually a goal in mind, like raising funding, but there's no clear roadmap or deeper rationale behind it."

At the heart of the issue is a failure to articulate and embed core values - a problem that ripples through culture, leadership, and operational decisions. "When founders don't know their values or don't have the right team, scaling simply doesn't work. It just exposes what's missing." Sutherland's advice is unambiguous: before trying to scale, founders must build solid, flexible systems and clarity around purpose. Without these foundations, they will be stuck chasing their own tails. "So, in my experience, the best place to start is always with structure before scaling."

The leadership shift to build culture
One of the most practical yet overlooked leadership moves a founder can make is simply to ask a candid question: "Am I the right person to lead this team right now?" Sutherland explains the tension many founders face: "Are you a visionary, are you an integrator, or are you a visionary trying to be an integrator? Do you maybe need to take a step back?"

It's common for founders to assume their presence alone is enough to foster a healthy culture, but the reality from the team's perspective can be very different. She recounts hearing teams say, "We love the founder's energy and ideas, but honestly, we'd prefer it if they weren't in the office every day." That disconnect is telling. "A real shift starts with role clarity. Are you working in the business or on it? What's your actual job description?" If a founder views themselves as indispensable but the team feels stifled or unheard, the culture will suffer. Values are also critical: if innovation is professed but daily routines don't reflect change, "you're limiting the very thing you value."

For founders, the hardest leadership shift is self-honesty: "Am I really in the right position within this business, and what should I be doing?"

Investors see more than just numbers
Founders often misjudge what investors are really looking for beyond the bottom line. Sutherland highlights a common misconception, especially in tech circles: "Founders often assume investors only care about metrics. So they focus on numbers, growth, and innovation, but they completely ignore culture."

When she probes founders on values, the response tends to circle around commercial potential, leaving out the human element. "When I invest, I'm investing in people. I want to know who they're building with, whether that team is in it for the long haul, and if they're going to grow together."

If a founder never mentions their team or culture, it speaks volumes about their vision. While some might include a perfunctory culture slide in a pitch deck or a biannual satisfaction survey, that's a far cry from truly embedding values into the company fabric. "Sure, not every investor will prioritise this, but many of us do. And if founders recognised how powerful culture is to the right kind of investor, they'd start building it into their pitch, not treating it as a side note."

The reality of being a female founder and investor
Sutherland's reflections on the subtle gender bias she's encountered are both sobering and instructive. "Honestly, it's the quiet disrespect. The kind that's not said out loud but is very much felt." She recounts moments where she's been dismissed or undermined for reasons that make no commercial sense. The surprise or skepticism when she owns her business, the shift in energy when it's clear no man is involved, and the patronising tones or offhand comments - all part of an unspoken, persistent culture.

"It hasn't changed much in the last 20 years, and I'm not convinced it will any time soon. But I've learned to use it as fuel. If someone doesn't take me seriously, I'll show them exactly why they should." Despite the challenges, she finds strength in the difference women bring to leadership. "Women-led businesses often foster a better culture. Teams remember the leaders who remember their kids' names or ask how their weekend was. It's not about being better than men, it's about offering a different lens." She highlights this as a unique advantage rather than a disadvantage.

"We bring something else to the table. And even if the landscape hasn't caught up yet, that difference is a strength, not a disadvantage."

The future of founder leadership
Looking ahead, Sutherland sees leadership evolving away from the traditional "front-and-centre" model towards something more nuanced and empathetic.

"It's going to come down to empathy and people." She notes a shift in her own style - preferring to operate from the background, lifting others up, and making sure the founders she supports get the visibility and support they deserve.

Her vision aligns with the servant-leadership philosophy, where success is measured by how well a leader enables others to thrive. "The focus is on getting the right people in the right places, helping them grow, and building success through their success." Sutherland believes this style will become more prevalent, especially as diverse and emotionally aware younger leaders enter the scene. "If that continues, I think we'll finally see leadership become less about being the star of the show and more about building a stage where everyone shines."

Leadership beyond the founder
Sutherland's insights offer a timely reminder that the future of BIZ Experiencesship depends as much on self-awareness, culture, and empathy as it does on product-market fit or funding rounds. The most successful founders, she suggests, are those willing to look inward before scaling outward - to understand their own strengths and limitations, to clarify their values, and to build teams and cultures that reflect those truths.

For founders ready to listen, the message is clear: leadership is not about doing it all or being the hero. It's about knowing yourself well enough to build something that can grow beyond you.