Your job title is a cage. Losing it is liberation.
For six years, "Founder" defined me. It was my identity, my worth, my answer to "what do you do?"
Then I deleted it from my Twitter bio.
What happened next surprised me: I became more free, more authentic, and ironically more successful than when I was desperately trying to live up to the label.
Here's why your job title might be the biggest obstacle to becoming who you actually are.
The Identity Trap I Fell Into
"Founder" became my prison:
Whenever I used the word to define myself, it became my entire identity. Every time I said "founder," I thought: "Okay, I just started something. I need to build something."
The label created obligations:
- "Founder" → must be actively founding or building companies
- "Software engineer" → must be writing code and solving technical problems
- "Content creator" → must be constantly creating and publishing content
When the activity stopped, the identity crisis began.
My specific trap: When I didn't have a company or active product, I got anxious because my label was "founder." If I don't have anything I'm building, how can I call myself a founder?
This created a destructive cycle:
- Adopt the "founder" label
- Label creates expectation to always be building
- Activity stops or changes direction
- Identity feels threatened
- Anxiety spikes about who I am
- Force new activity to preserve identity
- Activity isn't authentic, doesn't work well
- More anxiety about not living up to label
I was building companies to maintain my identity, not because I had genuine conviction about what to build.
The Universal Version of This Trap
This isn't just a founder problem. It's everyone:
The senior software developer: "If you've been a senior software developer for the past 10 years, then yes, you'll feel the same threat I do. If I'm not a software developer, then who really am I?"
The marketing manager: Whose campaigns get automated by AI and suddenly questions their entire professional identity
The product manager: Whose role shifts dramatically and no longer fits the traditional PM mold
Want the full playbook? I wrote a free 350+ page book on building without VC.
Read the free book·Online, free
The data analyst: Whose analysis AI now does better and faster
The question "who am I without this?" is terrifying when your entire identity is wrapped up in a job title.
Modern examples of identity crises:
- Journalists whose industry got disrupted by social media
- Taxi drivers displaced by ride-sharing apps
- Retail managers as stores close and commerce moves online
- Financial advisors as robo-advisors handle basic portfolio management
The pattern is always the same: When your identity = your job title, and your job changes or disappears, you face an existential crisis.
The Anxiety Cycle in Detail
Here's exactly what the founder identity trap looked like for me:
Phase 1: Identity Attachment
- Twitter bio: "Founder of [Company]"
- Introduction at events: "Hi, I'm George, founder of..."
- Self-concept entirely built around building companies
- Worth measured by whether I was actively founding something
Phase 2: Activity Disruption
- Company shuts down or pivots significantly
- Between projects with no active company
- Not actively building anything foundable
- Identity suddenly has no activity to attach to
Phase 3: Identity Threat
- "Am I still a founder if I'm not founding anything?"
- "What do I put in my bio now?"
- "How do I introduce myself without seeming like a failure?"
- Anxiety about legitimacy and professional identity
Phase 4: Forced Activity
- Start building things just to have something to be "founder" of
- Rush into new projects without proper validation
- Choose projects based on what fits "founder" identity, not genuine interest
- Force entrepreneurial activity to preserve self-concept
Phase 5: Authentic Misalignment
- Projects don't work because they're identity-driven, not value-driven
- No genuine passion or conviction behind the work
- Stress about maintaining facade of successful founding
- Imposter syndrome about not being a "real" founder
Phase 6: More Anxiety
- Failure reinforces inadequacy feelings
- More pressure to find new project to legitimize identity
- Cycle repeats with increased desperation
- Identity becomes more fragile, not more secure
I was trapped in this cycle for years without realizing it.
The Liberation Experiment
After I ditched the word "founder" from my Twitter bio, after I ditched it from my identity, my life became more free because now I'm not being labeled. I don't have a label I have to adhere to.
What my bio became: Just my name. Sometimes interests. No job title. No identity claim.
What happened immediately:
- Stopped feeling pressure to always have a "company" to point to
- Reduced anxiety about what to work on next
- Started exploring activities based on interest, not identity preservation
- Felt permission to try things that didn't fit "founder" mold
What happened over months:
- Started discovering what I actually enjoy doing
- Began identifying genuine strengths vs assumed strengths
- Stopped forcing entrepreneurial activity when it wasn't authentic
- Developed more honest self-assessment
What happened over a year:
- Built better businesses because they came from genuine conviction, not identity need
- Formed better relationships because I wasn't performing a role
- Made decisions based on what creates value, not what maintains identity
- Found work more sustainable and fulfilling
What I Found Underneath the Label
Without "founder" defining me, I had to ask: What is my actual strength? What is my weakness?
Discovered genuine strengths:
Presentation and Communication:
- Natural ability to explain complex ideas clearly
- Comfortable speaking to groups of any size
- Good at translating technical concepts for business audiences
Building Connections and Trust:
- People feel comfortable sharing problems and challenges with me
- Good at finding common ground between different types of people
- Able to maintain relationships across different professional contexts
Confidence (maybe excessive):
- High school teacher once said I was "extremely confident for no reason"
- Willingness to try things I'm not qualified for
- Comfort with uncertainty and ambiguous situations
Building Software (as one skill among many):
- Capable of building products from idea to implementation
- Understanding of technical trade-offs and constraints
- But this is a capability, not my entire identity
The realization: These strengths exist independent of any job title. They transfer across contexts and activities. They're pieces of who I am, not my complete identity.
The Reframe That Changed Everything
Instead of thinking "the past six years are useless," I realized they taught me things that are helpful moving forward.
The past isn't wasted skill. It's pieces of you that transfer:
From founding companies:
- Know how to build software from beginning to end
- Understand how to maintain and operate businesses
- Learned how to work with different types of people
- Developed tolerance for uncertainty and risk
From technical work:
- Problem-solving approach that transfers to non-technical challenges
- Systems thinking about complex processes
- Attention to detail in implementation
From relationship building:
- Understanding of how trust develops over time
- Communication skills that work in many contexts
- Network of people across different industries
The key insight: Pieces of you ≠ Your identity
You're not "a founder." You're someone who has done founding, among other things.
You're not "a software engineer." You're someone who can engineer software, among other capabilities.
You're not "a marketer." You're someone who understands marketing, along with other skills.
What Freedom Actually Feels Like
Without a constraining label, here's what became possible:
Exploration Without Identity Threat:
- Could try consulting without questioning if I'm "still a founder"
- Could focus on writing without needing it to be a "company"
- Could take time to research and learn without productivity guilt
Decisions Based on Value, Not Identity:
- Choose projects based on impact potential, not what fits founder role
- Say no to opportunities that look founder-y but don't create real value
- Pursue interests that don't fit any professional category
Authentic Relationships:
- People respond to genuine interests rather than performed identity
- Networking becomes conversation rather than role-playing
- Collaborations form around shared problems, not shared titles
Sustainable Motivation:
- Work comes from curiosity and conviction, not identity preservation
- Less burnout because not constantly maintaining facade
- Projects succeed because they solve real problems, not identity needs
Better Business Building:
- Only start companies when genuinely convinced of opportunity
- No pressure to always be "founding" something
- Better judgment about what's worth building vs what maintains image
The Industries This Applies To
This identity trap is everywhere:
Technology:
- "Senior Software Engineer" becomes identity, makes career transitions difficult
- "Product Manager" label creates pressure to always be managing products
- "Data Scientist" identity makes business roles feel like step backwards
Creative Industries:
- "Writer" identity creates pressure to always be writing, even when not inspired
- "Designer" label limits exploration of other creative expressions
- "Content Creator" becomes treadmill of constant content production
Professional Services:
- "Consultant" identity makes it hard to take full-time roles
- "Lawyer" label constrains thinking to legal frameworks
- "Investment Banker" identity makes other finance roles feel like failures
Traditional Careers:
- "Teacher" identity makes career changes feel like abandonment of calling
- "Doctor" label creates pressure to practice even when burned out
- "Manager" identity ties worth to having people to manage
The pattern: The more prestigious or specific the title, the stronger the identity trap.**
How to Escape Your Job Title Cage
Week 1: The Bio Experiment
Remove job titles from your online presence:
- Delete job title from Twitter/LinkedIn bio (keep for professional necessity, but minimize)
- Experiment with describing yourself by interests or values instead
- Notice anxiety about how people will perceive you without the label
- Practice introducing yourself without leading with your title
Week 2: The Identity Audit
Ask yourself these questions:
- What activities do I do only to maintain my professional identity?
- What interests have I avoided because they don't fit my job title?
- When I imagine changing careers, what fears come up?
- What skills do I have that transfer beyond my current role?
Week 3: The Strength Discovery
Identify capabilities independent of job title:
- List skills that would be valuable in multiple contexts
- Ask friends what they see as your strengths (outside of your job)
- Notice what activities energize vs drain you
- Identify patterns in what you're naturally good at
Week 4: The New Framework
Build identity around capabilities, not roles:
- Describe yourself as "someone who [capabilities]" rather than "a [title]"
- Make one decision based on interests rather than identity preservation
- Try one activity that doesn't fit your professional identity
- Evaluate opportunities based on growth potential, not title advancement
What Others Experienced
I'm not the only one who found freedom by ditching labels:
Former "Serial Entrepreneur" (now just builds things):
- Stopped feeling pressure to start new companies constantly
- Built one sustainable business instead of chasing founder identity
- Reduced anxiety about always having a "next big thing"
Ex-"Senior Marketing Director" (now helps businesses grow):
- Left corporate role to do fractional work without identity crisis
- Combines marketing skills with operations and strategy
- No longer confined to traditional marketing manager expectations
Previous "Full-Stack Developer" (now solves problems with code):
- Does technical work without needing "engineer" validation
- Comfortable with business strategy and user research
- Uses technical skills as tools rather than identity anchors
The pattern: People become more effective when they stop trying to fit a label and start leveraging their actual capabilities.**
The Counterintuitive Results
What I expected from dropping the founder label:
- Less professional credibility
- Confusion about how to position myself
- Difficulty networking and building relationships
- Reduced opportunities for interesting work
What actually happened:
- More authentic professional relationships
- Clearer communication about actual capabilities
- Better fit opportunities because people understood my real strengths
- More interesting work because I wasn't constrained by role expectations
The paradox: Giving up the prestigious label made me more successful, not less.**
Why this works:
- Authenticity is more compelling than performed identity
- Real capabilities are more valuable than title-based assumptions
- Flexibility allows for better opportunity fit
- Reduced identity stress improves decision-making quality
The Harder Question
If you're not your job title, who are you?
This is the question most people are afraid to ask. It's easier to hide behind a label than to do the work of understanding yourself.
But here's what I learned: You are not your job. You are the collection of capabilities, interests, experiences, and values that you bring to whatever work you choose to do.
You are not a founder. You are someone who can found companies, among other things. You are not an engineer. You are someone who can engineer solutions, along with other capabilities. You are not a marketer. You are someone who understands human psychology and communication, plus other skills.