In the beginning, all businesses are simply people playing out an idea. It's never the other way around—there is no technical idea so big that it doesn't need people to make it succeed. Investors know this, hence the saying, Bet on the jockey (founder), not the horse (technical idea). A great jockey is a great entrepreneur role model.
Like it or not, everyone looks to the entrepreneur to be the jockey role model in their new business. Typically, this energizes new startup founders, but some struggle trying to live up to their own as well as everyone else's expectations. In reality, nobody really expects anyone to be superhuman, but it can feel like that.
We certainly wouldn't expect superhuman behavior from the people looking to us for guidance, nor would we want them to expect flawless behavior from us. If not flawless behavior, what characteristics and actions do they look for? Here are some frequently mentioned ones:
Demonstrate...