The Fine Line Between Founder and Fraudster | Traction

Fake it till you make it is a phrase founders hear early and often.

Ambition can drift past honesty faster than most founders realize. This episode looks at how pitching and fundraising expectations shape the stories founders tell and the pressure to appear further along than reality.

Lloyed Lobo and Melissa Kwan unpack the pressure behind projections, user claims, and the instinct to present a version of the company that is not fully real yet.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Fake it till you make it and where it breaks

04:46 Values, joy, and building the company you actually want

11:06 Realistic projections and the truth about TAM

33:44 Investor updates that create real accountability

35:53 Leading through communication and alignment

38:34 The Wizard of Oz phase and early-stage shortcuts

39:10 Confidence vs pretending you are further along

42:06 Values, consequences, and building without collateral damage

Lloyed Lobo:

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lloyedlobo

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lloyedlobo