Theory: Why Not Enough Designers Become Founders

Theory as to why we do not see enough companies founded and led by designers:

Having a gift of creativity can come at a cost: focus.

Creatives have the gift of rethinking things, of seeking the new, and exploring many alternate versions of reality at once.

They are gifted with a flood of ideas, but that flood can distract and overwhelm the mind if not controlled.

A founder needs intense focus: focus on a single vision he or she is committed to, and is optimising for.

Focus for a founder not only needs to be intense, but sustained.

It needs to be sustained for the insights and efforts to compound.

A founder may be creative, but if too far on the spectrum, can be tempted to drift from one idea to another, and lose on the compounding effects of focus.

As a result, every distraction for a founder comes at a cost.

For the creative brain, distraction does not come at a cost.

It is the opposite:

The compounding effect does not come from focus, it comes from distraction.

Distraction compounds to expand creativity.

It exposes the mind to a greater diversity of inputs, and grows the number of variables the brain can process and create from.

As a result, the natural instinct of the creative is to seek stimulation and inspiration from distraction, and to free itself from constraints.

From observation, that seems to explain why the most creative minds are drawn towards multi-disciplinary (think Virgil Abloh) or thrive in freelance work.

This is not necessarily the case: I have seen many designers succeed in leadership, and I hope to see many more.

but the opportunity cost of focus for a designer may be letting go of the creative exploration that feels so rewarding to them. (and for many years)

and that might not be the best compromise for all.