Understanding Your Results
A guide to interpreting your diagnostic results and taking action
Whether you completed the Founder Profile Diagnostic, Co-Founder Diagnostic, Equity Calculator, or Responsibility Mapper, this page helps you understand what your results mean and what to do next.
Understanding where you and your co-founder(s) align—and where you don’t—is the foundation of building a resilient partnership. These seven dimensions map to three critical alignment areas.
1. Energy Alignment – How You Work Best
Why This Matters: Role confusion and skill overlap were among the most common breakup patterns. Founders who “felt like employees not partners” or had unclear domain splits cited this as a primary source of resentment.
What Good Looks Like:
- Each founder has clear ownership of specific domains
- Complementary skill sets with minimal overlap
- Both founders energized by their core responsibilities
- Natural division of labor based on strengths
2. Maintaining Trust – What Builds & Breaks Trust
Why This Matters: Trust breakdowns were the single most cited reason for founder breakups. Bank account changes, equity modifications without transparency, and hidden financial decisions destroyed partnerships.
What Good Looks Like:
- Complete transparency about finances and key decisions
- Written agreements in place (not relying on “we’re friends”)
- Regular communication about important company matters
- No unilateral decisions on equity, hiring, or major contracts
3. Goal Setting & Targets – Alignment on Direction
Why This Matters: Misaligned expectations on timelines, commitment levels, and definitions of progress led to numerous breakups. Different visions of how fast to grow and mismatched urgency levels created friction.
What Good Looks Like:
- Regular goal-setting sessions (quarterly OKRs or similar)
- Aligned expectations on pace and urgency
- Matched commitment levels (both full-time or clear agreements)
- Shared definition of what success looks like
4. Conflict Management – How You Navigate Disagreement
Why This Matters: Poor conflict resolution was identified as a primary red flag. Passive-aggressive communication, shutting down difficult conversations, and issuing ultimatums destroyed otherwise strong partnerships.
What Good Looks Like:
- Difficult conversations happen early, not during crises
- Direct communication without passive-aggressive behavior
- Both founders can disagree without defensiveness
- Clear decision-making protocols and tie-breaker mechanisms
5. Feedback Systems – Continuous Improvement
Why This Matters: Many founders cited wishing they had “brought concerns up earlier” or “addressed small issues before they became big ones.” Without formal feedback mechanisms, resentments build silently.
What Good Looks Like:
- Regular co-founder check-ins (weekly or bi-weekly)
- Feedback given in real-time, not stored up for months
- Both founders comfortable giving and receiving criticism
- Issues addressed within days, not festering for months
6. Culture & Hiring – Building Your Team
Why This Matters: Values misalignment surfaced repeatedly: mission-driven vs. money-motivated, visibility-seeking vs. behind-the-scenes. These differences became explosive when hiring and culture-building decisions exposed them.
What Good Looks Like:
- Shared vision of company culture (competitive vs. collaborative)
- Agreement on hiring criteria and process
- Aligned values on recognition and visibility
- Consistent approach to building team culture
7. Exit Planning – Aligned Endgame
Why This Matters: Timeline mismatches destroyed partnerships. One founder wanting to work for 2 years while another envisioned 10+ years. Different definitions of successful exit only surface during strategic decisions—often too late.
What Good Looks Like:
- Discussed how long each person wants to work on the company
- Shared definition of “success” (acquisition size, timeline, terms)
- Aligned post-exit plans (stay vs. leave, start new vs. retire)
- Regular revisiting of exit strategy as company evolves
Your Founder Profile Diagnostic reveals your primary archetype—the core pattern that defines how you approach building. Understanding your archetype helps you identify your superpowers, blind spots, and ideal co-founder matches.
The Visionary
Core Strength: Sees the big picture and inspires others with compelling vision.
Key Strengths:
- Exceptional at seeing future possibilities and articulating vision
- Inspires team and investors with clarity of direction
- Strategic thinking and pattern recognition
Watch Out For: Can struggle with execution details, may overlook operational realities, risk of building without foundation.
Best Complement: The Technical Superstar or Systems Builder
The Technical Superstar
Core Strength: Deep technical expertise and ability to build innovative solutions.
Key Strengths:
- Builds robust, scalable technical solutions
- Solves complex problems others can’t
- Credibility with technical talent and investors
Watch Out For: May prioritize technical elegance over business needs, can undervalue non-technical contributions.
Best Complement: The Visionary or Community Builder
The Domain Insider
Core Strength: Deep expertise in the target industry and customer knowledge.
Key Strengths:
- Unmatched market and customer knowledge
- Strong industry relationships and credibility
- Spots opportunities others miss
Watch Out For: May be too close to see transformative changes, can dismiss outside perspectives.
Best Complement: The Technical Superstar or Serial Tinkerer
The Systems Builder
Core Strength: Creates order from chaos through processes and frameworks.
Key Strengths:
- Builds scalable systems and processes
- Brings structure and discipline to execution
- Makes companies run smoothly
Watch Out For: May over-systematize too early, can be rigid when flexibility is needed.
Best Complement: The Visionary or Serial Tinkerer
The Community Builder
Core Strength: Attracts and energizes people, builds cultural momentum.
Key Strengths:
- Exceptional at hiring and team building
- Creates strong company culture
- Builds passionate user communities
Watch Out For: May prioritize relationships over hard decisions, can avoid necessary conflict.
Best Complement: The Systems Builder or Technical Superstar
The Serial Tinkerer
Core Strength: Rapid experimentation and comfortable with ambiguity.
Key Strengths:
- Generates many ideas and tests quickly
- Thrives in uncertainty and pivots
- Creative problem-solving approach
Watch Out For: May lack follow-through, can chase shiny objects, risk of never committing long enough.
Best Complement: The Systems Builder or Domain Insider
The Solo Operator
Core Strength: Self-sufficient and effective working alone.
Key Strengths:
- Gets things done without dependencies
- Comfortable wearing many hats
- Self-motivated and disciplined
Watch Out For: May struggle with delegation and trust, can be resistant to bringing on co-founders, risk of burnout.
Best Complement: Another Solo Operator with complementary skills
Understanding Equity Splits
The Equity Calculator helps you think through fair distribution based on contribution, not just gut feeling. Here’s what the key factors mean:
Time Commitment (40% weight)
What it means: Full-time founders bear more risk and opportunity cost.
Alignment connection: Maps to Energy Alignment and Goal Setting. Mismatched time commitment is a top predictor of breakups.
Idea + Capital + Expertise + Responsibilities (60% combined)
Idea (15%): Who originated the concept—but remember, execution matters more long-term.
Capital (15%): Cash invested directly. Treat like investor capital—document it.
Expertise (10%): Depth of relevant experience. Accelerates progress and attracts talent.
Responsibilities (20%): Who owns critical functions. Clear ownership prevents resentment.
The 4-Year Vesting Schedule (1-Year Cliff)
Why it matters: The cliff ensures commitment before equity fully vests. Monthly vesting after the cliff rewards sustained contribution.
Alignment connection: Maps to Exit Planning and Trust. Protects all founders if someone leaves early.
Responsibility Mapping: Energy + Expertise
The Responsibility Mapper helps you visualize who owns what, where you have gaps, and where someone might burn out.
What E + X Means
E = Energizes: Tasks that give you energy, that you’d do even if unpaid.
X = Expertise: Tasks where you have deep skill and experience.
The ideal zone: Both E and X checked = sustainable, high-quality work.
The danger zone: X but not E = burnout risk. Plan to hand off within 6-12 months.
What Gaps Tell You
Gaps aren’t failures—they’re clarity. Every unfilled task is either:
1. An outsourcing opportunity (hire contractor/agency)
2. A future hire (build into hiring plan)
3. Not actually necessary (eliminate or defer)
Alignment connection: Maps to Energy Alignment, Culture & Hiring, and Feedback Systems.
What to Do With Your Results
Start with the diagnostics that match where you are, then explore the kits for deeper work.
Ready for deeper work?