From Fog to Focus: What Sets Great Startup Leaders Apart

Co-authored with Ganesh Kumar, a Seasoned Startup coach

Chaos is inevitable. Confusion is necessary. Clarity is earned. The best founders just get there faster.

Early-stage startups often feel like they're sailing into open waters with no map - every direction looks promising, every gust of momentum feels urgent. But some founders, without realizing it, drift straight into a Bermuda Triangle of decisions. They don’t even know they’re lost until the signals vanish - users disengage, the team starts spinning, investor interest cools.

And here’s the thing about that kind of chaos: you can’t hustle your way out of it. Clarity isn’t a byproduct of activity. It’s the result of deliberate discovery - deep understanding of your assumptions and validations that grounds every move.

A stark reminder? 

Around 90% of startups fail, with the majority misjudging market need (Investopedia, 2024). 

These aren't lazy or naive teams - they're often brilliant, but blind to how far they've drifted from what the customer truly values.

What separates great founders is how quickly they course-correct. They earn clarity faster because they make one crucial choice early: they stop guessing.

Too many teams stay stuck in the Bermuda Triangle because they confuse movement with progress. They build, pitch, and pivot based on instinct rather than evidence.

But clarity is only possible when you replace opinion with observation - when you stop asking, “Do they want this?” and start asking, “What’s the real problem here, and how do I know?”

In the founders we have mentored, the turning point often comes quietly.

One unexpected insight from a primary market research. An undervalued customer perspective. One overlooked data point in usage behavior. One moment where assumptions are finally challenged. That’s when they begin to emerge from the fog.

The upside? Once you see the map clearly, everything changes. Prioritization gets easier. Positioning gets sharper. Fundraising conversations shift from persuasion to momentum. Investors don’t need convincing when your clarity speaks for itself.

Even amid shifting markets and unpredictable headwinds, clarity gives you control over how you respond. You can’t steer away from every storm but you can spot the patterns - and act early.

Founders often ask us, “How do I know if I’m stuck in that triangle?”

Our answer: if you’re making big bets without fresh signals, critical milestones or if your team debates the same questions week after week, you’re probably there.

That’s not failure - it’s fog. And the fix isn’t about working harder. It’s about shifting your perspective.

The hard truth? You don’t control when the fog lifts. But you do control how fast you recognize it, and what you do next.

• You control whether your product strategy is grounded in today’s data or last year’s assumptions.
• You control how often you talk to customers - and whether you actually listen.
• You control whether you treat clarity as a luxury or a prerequisite.

Because in startup land, clarity isn’t just nice to have - it’s how you survive long enough to win.

So if you’re feeling the fog right now, here’s one simple step: challenge one critical assumption with real data. Whether it’s your ICP, your pricing or your onboarding flow - seek out a truth that makes you uncomfortable. That discomfort is the doorway to clarity.

That’s where a coach or outside lens matters. Not because they have magic answers but because they’ve seen the patterns. They help you spot what you’ve normalized - so you can course-correct before it costs you more time, capital or conviction than you can afford.

Not sure if you're stuck in a 'Bermuda Triangle' of your own? If you'd like to figure that out and get on the right course, DM us - B Gopalakrishnan or Ganesh Kumar. We are always up for helping founders assess their situation, move from lost to laser-focused - faster and with fewer bruises.