What 1,200 founders taught us about growth

In this edition of the Business Insights Series, we sat down with James Sutcliffe, founder of The Founding Network (TFN), a vibrant support community built specifically for startup founders. With over 1,200 founders engaged, mostly venture-backed and largely London-based, TFN has become a platform where ambitious entrepreneurs find timely solutions to their biggest challenges, and a sense of belonging among peers facing similar hurdles.

James brings years of experience in marketing, partnerships, and community development, having held leadership roles across FTSE 500 companies, golf tourism, AI startups, and even rugby organizations. That eclectic path wasn’t accidental. It gave him the kind of well-rounded, people-first insight that’s essential when building something as nuanced as a founder-focused ecosystem.

His journey reflects what many founders experience: a non-linear, curiosity-driven career that eventually makes sense in hindsight. That’s part of what makes TFN so compelling. TFN is more than a group; it exists as a hands-on response to the unpredictable and often chaotic nature of startup life. And it’s a space where founders can find the right guidance at the right moment, without needing to go it alone or break the bank.

His ability to connect founders with experts, and to make those introductions timely, targeted, and low-cost, makes TFN one of the most accessible and impactful founder communities in the market today.

When Everyone Expects You to Know Everything

Many founders start with deep expertise in one area, maybe they’re technical geniuses, visionary marketers, or masters of operations. But once they step into the founder role, the entire game changes. Suddenly, they’re asked to be a lawyer, an HR manager, a product strategist, and a brand storyteller, all rolled into one. That overwhelming pressure, James noticed early on, was stalling progress for even the most capable entrepreneurs.

“When it came to their own business, suddenly they were expected to be an expert in everything, and it’s just not realistic.”

We hear this a lot. Business owners are brilliant at what they do, but the expectation to know every tool, tactic, and trend causes overwhelm and inefficiency. It’s like being handed a plane’s cockpit and asked to fly with zero training.

James’ response was refreshingly practical: don’t teach every founder every skill, instead, connect them to someone who already knows. By bringing together a wide range of specialists across industries and growth stages, TFN created an environment where no question was too niche and no challenge had to be faced alone.

Research on entrepreneurial support organizations confirms that networks facilitate access to knowledge and resources, increasing the chances of success for start-ups. The key insight is that the mechanisms that facilitate the creation of business ties within communities are what truly matter, exactly what James has systematised through TFN Connect.

TFN Connect is the program that puts this idea into motion. Each month, founders are invited to share their top-of-mind challenge, what’s really keeping them from moving forward. Then, TFN steps in to make an expert introduction, one-on-one, that’s tailored, current, and actionable. Whether it’s hiring advice, legal structure, or building a go-to-market strategy, someone in the network has been there before and is ready to share.

That approach avoids the generic panels and cookie-cutter content that dominate many startup spaces. Instead, it gives founders what they actually need: fast, specific, and tested insight from someone who’s done the thing they’re trying to do right now.

Just-in-Time Mentorship that Hits the Mark

Long-term mentoring programs often lose steam. That’s why TFN created TFN Connect, a monthly matchmaking process that pairs founders with the right expert, at the right time.

“Once a month, we reach out to all of our founders and ask them what their biggest challenge is right now. Based on their responses, we go into our network and find the right people to connect them with, people who’ve already solved that exact problem.”

This model solves a deep pain point. Generic advice or six-month coaching programs often don’t match the urgency of what founders face day to day. What makes a difference is a timely, focused conversation that tackles their current challenge head-on. TFN Connect strips out the friction and replaces it with speed and focus. It allows founders to bring a fresh, real-world challenge to the table and walk away with expert insight they can apply immediately.

It’s an elegant answer to a chaotic reality: business challenges don’t follow a calendar. James and his team designed the system to work like a quick unlock, not a slow burn. That level of precision can mean the difference between hitting a wall and pushing through. It also builds trust. When a founder feels truly seen and supported in a moment of stuckness, that changes the game.

I found this especially relevant for our audience, because strategic conversations at the right moment can completely change your path. We’ve seen it ourselves: sometimes all it takes is the right person saying, “Here’s what I did when I was in that exact spot.”

The success of this format led TFN to scale confidently. They now support over 1,200 venture-backed founders and have recently launched TFN Seed, an expansion designed to help early-stage startups navigate the funding maze. TFN’s approach goes far beyond basic matchmaking. It operates as a smart, responsive infrastructure designed to support entrepreneurs who are navigating complex challenges and seeking sustainable growth.

Growth Without Gatekeeping

From day one, James understood that cost is a major barrier for founders. Many early-stage entrepreneurs are bootstrapping their ventures and every dollar counts. Asking them to pay hefty membership fees for access to a community or advice just didn’t sit right. So James looked for another path, one that would offer value without adding financial pressure.

“We work commercially with them. And that drastically reduces and in most cases eliminates the cost to founders.”

Instead of monetizing the founders directly, TFN built strategic partnerships with global powerhouses like Microsoft, TikTok, and Oracle. James leveraged his prior experience in high-level marketing roles to understand exactly how these companies operate: who to approach, how their budget cycles flow, and what kind of value propositions would resonate. That deep insider knowledge shortened the learning curve significantly.

“We knew who we should be contacting within each of the brands. We understood how their budget cycles worked…”

But it wasn’t just about sending emails. James made a point to be present in the environments where real decision-makers gathered. That meant attending marquee industry events like Cannes Lions and Advertising Week, where CMOs, VPs, and innovation leaders mingle. TFN made a deliberate effort to participate in the right places, showing up at events where meaningful connections with decision-makers were most likely to happen.

“Everyone is accessible. And it’s often a case of confidence.”

This confidence-first approach to networking is backed by research on entrepreneurial behaviour. Highly confident entrepreneurs are better positioned to start and succeed because they attract more risk-tolerant teammates and are more likely to undertake creative, decisive and risky work. Studies also show that entrepreneurs have on average twice the number of online network connections as non entrepreneurs, with engagement with a tightly connected subset of that network correlating with startup success.

This is a mindset worth underlining. James’s belief that senior decision-makers are reachable reflects not just optimism, but a skill that he has developed through experience and repeated success. He shared stories of connecting with high-profile people on platforms like LinkedIn, sometimes based on something as spontaneous as watching a Netflix documentary. The approach was always thoughtful, and it worked.

His confidence-first approach to high-level networking is something we could all benefit from. Whether contacting a VP or a Netflix documentary subject, James proves that a thoughtful message at the right time can go far. And this model, corporate-backed, founder-first, relationship-driven,is what’s made TFN not just sustainable, but scalable.

Community First, Fluff Last

Many business communities default to PR-style storytelling. The kind where everything is polished, perfected, and carefully curated to impress. But TFN takes a different route,one that prioritizes honesty and practical value over image. Their events highlight gritty, unfiltered founder stories, with real takeaways you can act on immediately.

“It is not the polished PR stories that we’re telling. It’s the real-life stories of pitfalls, warts and all.”

That willingness to be vulnerable builds trust. It shows founders that they’re not alone in their struggles, and more importantly, that those struggles can lead to growth. The focus isn’t just on what went wrong, but on what was learned and how others can apply those lessons.

“How can we give bits of advice and tips that our founders can go away and implement into their business the very next day?”

This practical mindset is woven into everything TFN does. Whether it’s a fireside chat or a roundtable session, the emphasis is always on relevance, speed, and usefulness. Founders walk away not just inspired, but equipped.

That focus on relevance and action has helped founders keep coming back, and helped TFN grow in credibility and reach. It also positions TFN as a content engine, not just a community.

This resonated with me because at Serenichron, we also believe value is earned through usefulness. Every piece of insight has to land in the real world, not just sound good in theory.

One opportunity that stands out for TFN is to scale their content production. Supporting thought leadership and event materials with a systematized process, or even AI tools, could free up the team while expanding their impact. There’s a real chance to turn these live insights into evergreen assets that support founders far beyond the event room.

How AI Is Playing Its Part

We couldn’t ignore the rise of AI and its impact on founders. It’s been the loudest drumbeat in business conversations this year, and for good reason. While many startups rush to add “AI” to their decks or products, James offers a grounded take. His focus is on practical efficiency, using AI in ways that make daily operations smoother and more productive. He sees AI as a tool to amplify the output of a lean team, not replace them.

“For us, it’s a case of how can we use it to make the people we’ve got as efficient as possible.”

This is an important distinction. Founders are dealing with limited time and stretched teams. When deployed correctly, AI helps unblock tasks, scheduling, note-taking, CRM entries, meeting prep, so that human talent can focus on what matters most: making decisions and building relationships.

James also points out a common blind spot: many people still approach AI as if it were a smarter Google search bar. That mindset limits its potential.

“There’s still a tendency to use it like Google… people will and need to get smarter with that before we see the real impacts of it.”

There’s a learning curve involved, especially for teams unfamiliar with how to structure prompts or workflows. The early excitement around AI tools often fades once the novelty wears off and users don’t see continued gains. As James observed, AI products tend to attract large numbers early on, only to drop off until they find sustainable use cases.

That’s where the real opportunity lies: not in chasing trends, but in designing AI integrations that serve long-term operations. TFN is already experimenting with AI to improve internal systems, but there’s potential to go even deeper.

Founders looking to explore AI in meaningful ways can start by identifying where it can enhance their existing operations. From streamlining scheduling to creating more personalized user experiences or scaling internal knowledge, AI can act as a silent teammate that helps the business grow with focus. The key is to prioritize workflows that benefit from consistency and speed, without losing the human touch that makes a founder-led business special.

Balancing the Business and the Family

One of the most honest moments in our conversation came when James shared a personal pain point: juggling work and family. The daily balancing act between being a committed entrepreneur and an engaged parent is a constant, complicated dance, and it doesn’t come with a guidebook.

“You feel guilty for not being there more of the time. Then when you’re at home, you feel guilty for not working on the business more.”

This confession hits home for many founders. It’s a silent struggle that rarely makes it into pitch decks or leadership keynotes. The pressure to be “all in” professionally while still being fully present at home leads to a kind of double guilt, an exhausting emotional cycle that doesn’t get talked about enough.

James, the father of a four- and two-year-old, is feeling this firsthand. And it’s not just a passing frustration, it’s a real, ongoing challenge that influences how he thinks about his role as a founder, a leader, and a parent. TFN holds a deep personal significance for James, reflecting the values and priorities he brings into both his professional and personal life. That makes this tug-of-war even more layered.

The fact that more founders are opening up about this, sharing not just strategies, but struggles, is a good sign. It means we’re starting to normalize the conversation. There’s growing awareness that founders need support not only in scaling their businesses but in maintaining their own wellbeing.

Support systems, routines, and perhaps digital tools might be the next area of innovation not just for TFN’s community, but for its founder too. If TFN continues to grow, it might even create space for more dialogue around founder mental health, family dynamics, and the real emotional labor behind building something meaningful.

What We’re Taking Away from This

James Sutcliffe reminded us of something essential: growth doesn’t have to be solitary. Founders often carry the weight of their business alone, believing they must solve every challenge without support. But James’s story shows that it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right timing, network, and mindset, every founder can access the clarity and encouragement they need to keep moving forward.

Whether it’s navigating partnerships, leveraging AI to increase efficiency, or learning how to maintain presence in both boardroom and family life, the lessons from this conversation reach far beyond the tech ecosystem. They speak to something more human: the value of connection, the courage to ask, and the power of showing up with intention.

Founders often underestimate how open people truly are to sharing advice or offering support. Throughout this conversation, James emphasized the importance of reaching out with purpose, of simply starting the conversation, even when it feels intimidating.

That’s one of the clearest takeaways here: meaningful growth starts with connection. Not grand, viral moments, but small, confident steps that lead to real relationships.

If you’re navigating complex decisions or searching for guidance, consider how one well-placed conversation might unlock your next breakthrough. Sometimes, it’s about sending that message, joining that event, or asking that one question you’ve been holding back.