Founder Pain Tolerance

Jason Yanowitz shares his perspective on the constant challenges of entrepreneurship and how founders handle increasing levels of difficulty as their companies grow.

Key Points:

• The Founder's Pain Threshold

  • Entrepreneurs operate at a constant "zone of max pain"
  • When below max pain threshold, founders naturally take on more challenges
  • The difficulty doesn't decrease with company growth - it evolves

• Growth Misconceptions

  • Common belief: "It gets easier when we hit X employees/milestone"
  • Reality: Problems just change form and scale with growth
  • Even successful founders like Patrick Collison (Stripe) still operate at max pain

• Personal Experience at Blockworks

  • Initially thought: "It'll be easier at 10 people"
  • Then thought: "It'll be easier at 30 people"
  • Realized: Each stage brings new, equally challenging problems

• Entrepreneurial Journey

  • Pain threshold is constant but capacity expands
  • Forces personal growth alongside company growth
  • "There's no way blockworks can grow if mike and I don't become better as humans"

• Business Evolution

  • Problems don't get easier - they transform
  • Success requires constant adaptation
  • Growth is a "forcing function to become a better person"

This perspective challenges the common notion that entrepreneurial challenges decrease with success, instead suggesting that founders must continuously evolve to match their company's growing complexity.