Founder Burnout and Founder Syndrome

Adapted from Podcast Season 2 Episode 10

Hey guys, welcome back. I wanted to talk today about founder burnout, and a new term that I just learned about, which is called founder syndrome.

I kind of went off on a rabbit trail here, and I probably could do another episode—or maybe three episodes—on this topic, because it’s actually a huge thing in the nonprofit world, and probably in the for-profit world as well, especially with small businesses.

I won’t get into all of that today, but I wanted to talk about this because I find myself being drawn—if you haven’t noticed, if you’ve listened to multiple episodes—to systems and structures for sustainability in small educational programs.

That really just means: how do we make programs that last and that are healthy? Not just financially, but structurally—especially in nonprofit programs, where you have the added layer and complexity of being board-governed.

How do you make sure that the founder is well taken care of, but also not so well taken care of that the organization becomes about the founder instead of the mission?
How do you make sure employees are well taken care of?
How do you make sure everyone is well resourced, communication is strong, training is solid, and management is high quality?
How do you make sure your board actually knows what they’re doing?

I find myself being drawn to this because I keep seeing over and over again that when this isn’t handled well, it creates problems. And there are a lot of reasons for that, which I’ll get into—but today I really want to focus on the problem of founder burnout.

Before I get into that, though, I want to say that I’d like to start doing some interviews with other hybrid school founders at various stages of the journey—probably within the first year to four years of running a program, possibly even more.

If you’re interested in sharing your story, shoot me an email. Let me know what kind of program you have and how old it is, and we can talk more about that.

I’d love to dive into stories about founder burnout, sustainability, growth, systems, frustration points that pop up after the first year, or three years, or five years—and how you’ve handled those. Or even if you don’t have a solution yet and you’re just starting to feel it and wondering, What happened? This was working just fine.

One, you’re not alone.
Two, I think it would be incredibly helpful for all of us to hear more of these stories.

We are pioneers in a new venture. While nonprofits aren’t new, and entrepreneurship isn’t new, and even alternative education isn’t new historically—doing this right now, in this legal framework, cultural moment, and educational landscape is absolutely new.

So we’re all figuring it out together. If you’re interested, email me and maybe we can set something up.

Okay, so let’s talk about founder burnout.

Burnout—you probably already know what that feels like. It’s that moment when you think, I don’t know why, but I can’t do this anymore. Something has to give.

Often, you haven’t lost your passion for the mission. You still love what you’re doing. But you’re doing too much.

And usually that comes down to being under-resourced—either financially or structurally.

Sometimes it’s personal. In my case, I didn’t have babysitting for my child for a long time, and I wasn’t paying myself enough—which was kind of my own fault, because I made the budget. We’ll talk about that too. That’s why I’m such a huge proponent of taking care of yourself in your budget. That is not selfish.

But it can also be personal in other ways: lack of family support, another job, multiple kids at different ages, a spouse who works long hours—there are so many factors that can contribute to burnout that aren’t actually about the job itself.

But when you’re pouring your heart and soul into a mission-driven organization, and it’s a business, and people are relying on you—students, families, staff, volunteers—and you’re trying to stay legal, compliant, and solvent… that’s a different level of responsibility.

When you’re a nonprofit founder, you’re usually not doing it just because you need a job. You could get a job somewhere else if that’s all you wanted. There’s something deeper there.

I came across a term called psychological ownership, which really resonated with me. Founders have a unique emotional and mental relationship with what they create—especially when it’s a mission-driven organization meant to serve the public good.

That passion creates a ripe environment for burnout unless the right structures are in place.

Burnout is extremely common. Well over half of founders experience burnout within a few years of starting an organization.

And in education—especially hybrid schools—we’re navigating a brand-new landscape. Many founders have never started a nonprofit before. Some have never worked for one. Others are navigating LLCs or unfamiliar legal structures.

On top of that, hybrid schools, microschools, learning centers—we don’t even have consistent definitions or legal clarity yet. Everyone is figuring it out in real time.

That’s a lot to carry.

So if you’re starting to feel burned out, don’t feel bad. It’s common—but I don’t think it’s inevitable.

This is why I’m passionate about helping early founders put systems and structures in place before burnout hits.

I talk about this in my course. There’s a whole section on the founder themselves—understanding your capacity, your needs, your tendencies. I probably would have skipped that section myself early on. I would’ve said, I’m fine, I love this, I’ll just push through.

But looking back, I can see how passion carries you for a while—and then suddenly you’re exhausted.

This is also where founder syndrome comes in.

Founder syndrome is when the organization becomes overly dependent on the founder—often unintentionally. The founder doesn’t want to let go, or others don’t want to challenge them, because they’re the founder.

This can limit growth, communication, delegation, and sustainability—and it often precedes burnout.

Especially if you’re a helper, a doer, someone who just jumps in and makes sure everything gets done—you’re more prone to carrying too much for too long.

That’s why it’s critical to name the hats you’re wearing. Founder is not the only role. You might also be the curriculum director, operations manager, HR director, administrator—name them so you can eventually hire them out.

If you have to wear eight hats the first year, that’s okay. But do not plan to wear them forever.

Build your budget with the understanding that these roles must eventually be staffed—even if not immediately.

The earlier you understand board governance, operational roles, staffing structures, and executive leadership boundaries, the less likely burnout becomes.

And yes, it’s scary. Nonprofits are legally governed by boards. Boards can technically fire founders. That reality can trigger founder syndrome—but avoiding structure doesn’t protect you. It actually increases risk.

The goal is to build infrastructure so the mission survives with or without you—not because you’re disposable, but because the mission is bigger than any one person.

If you do that well, then by years three to five, instead of burnout, you feel relief. You get to work in your area of strength. And if you ever need to step away, the organization can continue serving families.

That’s the responsibility—and the privilege—of being a founder.

📍 Thanks so much for listening today. Don’t forget to subscribe, and be sure to check out the resources I’m developing at startahybridschool.com.

Send me an email anytime—I would love to hear from you.
Until next time