Trevor Goss

Zero to One Thinking. 10x Execution.

Hi, I’m Trevor. For a long time, I’ve tried to come up with the right words that accurately describe what I do. I suppose some of the challenge is due to having spent a fair bit of time as a startup founder.

Question: What exactly does a founder do?

Answer: We do a lot of things, but the simpler answer is we do everything. When you do a little bit of everything—even if you do it well—it can be hard to describe yourself to others, simply or succinctly.

…

I’m not a designer, but I’m pretty good at design.

I’m not a developer, but I have built several apps from scratch.

I’m not a copywriter, but I’ve written a lot of web copy and blog posts.

I’m not an interior designer, but when I ran Moovin people thought I was one.

I’m not a CFO, but I’ve built a lot of complex financial models.

I’m not a salesperson, but I’ve done a LOT of selling—of things that existed already and the opportunity to create things that didn’t exist yet.

I’m not a logistics expert, but at Moovin I built logistics software that surpassed what the experts use.

I’m not a recruiter, but at Varsidee I designed software that helped other recruiters do their jobs better and find better candidates.

…

Professionally, I’ve led marketing at 3 startups that have raised more than $200M in equity (one acquired), and I’ve led product development, and I’ve worked as a salesperson, customer support agent, and consultant too. At Moovin, I created software, raised money, and built relationships with customers, and I also hung pictures and assembled furniture too.

Being a founder involves a little bit of each of these activities (and a lot more soft skills not listed here) with a heavy emphasis on getting things done. But we don’t have a direct word or label for that. What do you call someone who, no matter what the task is, and no matter if they have any experience in it at all, just figures it out, and often pretty well? How do you describe someone where their impact is not only the work they do, but also the work they inspire and coach others to do?

Our instinct to label people and put them into buckets forces us to describe others we meet in a certain way—doctor, lawyer, investor, real estate agent—where the label has defined parameters of the work each of these people do. Being a founder is just the opposite: there are no boundaries, just an ill-defined opportunity. And within that opportunity (after you’ve spent a lot of time deciphering what it even is), there are things that need to get accomplished that will move the opportunity forward.

At the end of the day THAT is what I do… whatever is necessary to move an opportunity forward.

And, in many cases, I’ve had a hand in coming up with the opportunity in the first place.

If this sounds interesting, click the button below and let’s chat.