Founder Coaching vs Executive Coaching
Most startup CEOs assume coaching is coaching—until they realise executive coaching was never built for founders. While it might boost self-awareness or help navigate corporate dynamics, it rarely addresses the real challenges of scale. Founder Coaching is different. It’s designed by founders, for founders—to help you hire faster, lead stronger, and build a company that lasts.
Most startup CEOs don’t realise there’s a difference between executive coaching and founder coaching—until they hit a wall.
Maybe you’ve already worked with an executive coach. You had good conversations. You felt heard. You gained some self-awareness. But when it came to scaling your business—hiring A-players, communicating your vision, levelling up your exec team—nothing really changed.
That’s because executive coaching isn’t designed for founders. It was built for managers climbing corporate ladders—not entrepreneurs navigating hypergrowth, investor pressure, and the chaos of scale.
That’s exactly why Founder Coaching exists.
I didn’t set out to become a Founder Coach. In fact, I trained at some of the most respected coaching institutions out there—starting with Co-Active, the market leader in personal development coaching. Their methods are powerful if your goal is to lead a more fulfilling life. But my clients—all founders—weren’t asking for fulfilment. They wanted to become better founders.
So I tried executive coach training next. The frameworks worked great if you’re a corporate leader. But once again, I hit the same wall: the founder mindset, pressures, and role are fundamentally different. I kept finding myself adapting the tools, rewriting models, inventing new systems—until I realised what I was doing wasn’t executive coaching at all.
It was Founder Coaching. A new kind of coaching. Built by founders, for founders.
What Is Executive Coaching (and When Does It Work)?
Executive coaching is a type of leadership development focused on helping managers become more effective at work. It typically covers areas like self-awareness, communication, emotional intelligence, productivity, and managing relationships up, down, and sideways.
Executive Coaching might help you:
- Navigate corporate politics
- Climb internal corporate ladders
- Develop executive presence
- Improve 360-degree feedback scores
- Manage stakeholders in a complex organisation
- Refine your performance reviews
Most executive coaches aren’t founders. They’ve never built a company, scaled a team, or raised a round. They offer tools for better performance, not frameworks for growing a business.
For some founders—especially early in the journey—that’s enough. But if you’ve raised money, found product–market fit, or are leading a team of 20+ people, you may find executive coaching stops short of what you really need.
What Is Founder Coaching (and Why It’s Different)?
Founder Coaching is built specifically to help you become a more capable founder.
Not a better people manager. Not just a more self-aware leader. A better founder—able to scale a company, level up your exec team, communicate your vision, and build an iconic business under pressure.
Founder Coaching addresses founder-specific challenges like:
- Designing your role from scratch
- Resolving co-founder conflict
- Hiring A-players fast
- Building culture from zero
- Managing investor dynamics
- Defining clear strategies for growth
Founder coaches don’t just reflect—they transfer systems. They’ve lived through hypergrowth, built high-performing teams, and developed founder-tested frameworks. In my practice, I’ve developed over 400 tools—from CEO Gameplans™ to The Buyer’s Mindset™—to deliver real business outcomes, not just breakthroughs in self-awareness.
And that’s the real difference. Executive coaching helps you feel better. Founder Coaching helps you scale better.
Not Sure Which One You Need?
Before you hire another coach, take the free assessment:
Founder Scan – Discover where to focus to scale yourself and your company.
Founder Coaching vs Executive Coaching: Key Differences
By now, you’ve probably noticed the gap.
Executive coaching and founder coaching aren’t competing services—they’re fundamentally different approaches, built on different assumptions, solving different problems. And while some founders start with executive coaching, many eventually outgrow it.
Here’s how they compare: 
What to Look For in a Founder Coach
Founder Coaching is still a relatively new field—which means not all coaches calling themselves “founder coaches” actually are. So how do you find someone legit?
1. Founder Experience
They should have built a company before. Not just advised. Not just coached. They’ve faced product pivots, fundraising chaos, hiring mistakes, and the emotional rollercoaster firsthand.
2. Founder-Specific Tools
Ask what frameworks or systems they use. Generic coaching questions won’t cut it when your company is scaling and your team needs clarity. A real founder coach brings IP—battle-tested models to help you think faster, decide better, and execute more effectively.
3. Proof of Results
They should be able to point to founders they’ve helped scale. Look for success stories of clients who became better leaders, grew faster, or avoided costly mistakes because of their coaching.
4. Chemistry + Challenge
The best founder coaches build real rapport—but they also challenge your thinking. They hold the mirror and offer alternatives. They meet you where you are—but won’t let you stay there.
Final Thoughts: Choose The Coach Who Specialises In Your Journey
You wouldn’t hire a tennis coach who doesn’t play tennis.
So why hire a founder coach who’s never been a founder?
Founder Coaching isn’t just a new label—it’s a different operating system. One that understands your role, your pace, and your ambition.
If you’re building something that doesn’t yet exist, you need support you can’t find in generic books or theories. You need founder-tested tools built for scale. You need challenge with context. You need coaching that helps you win.
