Do you become a founder because you have an idea or do you come up with ideas because you want to be a founder? This is a dilemma that every aspiring entrepreneur faces in 2025.

First of all, you should never become a founder just because you had an idea. You should only become a founder if you have an idea that you cannot not act upon.

When You Know It's Time to Become a Founder

If you're going to be having a tough time sleeping at night until you go build that, that's when you become a founder. Entrepreneurship is hard. It's harder than what anyone describes it to be.

And in today's world, you will likely make more money working for one of the AI companies than starting one yourself. But the call to build something of your own transcends monetary considerations.

The Difference Between First-Time and Repeat Entrepreneurs

Once you've been an entrepreneur and you've proven to yourself and to some extent to the world that you have the grit and the resilience that it takes to actually see things through to some destination, even if that's not a successful outcome, once you've kind of proven that, things work a little bit differently.

First-Time Founders Need Passionate Ideas

If you're a first time founder, you definitely want to have an idea or an idea in which you want to make a big impact. The criteria are clear:

• It keeps you up at night
• You feel extremely drawn to it
• You're passionate about the impact it will create

Repeat Entrepreneurs: A Different Approach

As repeat entrepreneurs, we actually decided that we were going to start a company before we knew what we were going to build. If anything, because of the way things ended in our previous journey, we were even more resolved to start a company to build something again.

But if you're a repeat entrepreneur, and especially if your first journey has not quite worked out as positively as you'd hoped, it's a different story.

The Reality of Entrepreneurship in 2025

The entrepreneurial landscape has evolved significantly. Working for established AI companies often provides better financial rewards than starting your own venture. Yet, the drive to create something meaningful persists for true entrepreneurs.

Making Your Decision

Whether you're contemplating your first venture or your fifth, the fundamental question remains: Are you becoming a founder for the right reasons? The idea alone isn't enough – you need the burning desire that won't let you rest until you've built it.