2 days ago
- The founder of Keygen, Zeke Gabrielse, feels persistent imposter syndrome despite running a successful business for almost nine years.
- Hitting milestones like sustainability, revenue, or customer numbers hasn't alleviated the self-doubt; the goalposts keep moving.
- The main challenge is internal self-doubt, not external criticism, with feelings of not belonging or being lucky ignoring years of hard work.
- Zeke ignored 'fail-fast' trends and focused on survival, redesigning his business for work-life balance while doubting himself constantly.
- Despite success, the imposter syndrome voice persists, whispering 'Who are you to talk about this?' and historically prevented sharing his journey.
- Zeke now recognizes the self-doubt as irrational and normal, even for figures like Neil Armstrong, and sees it as a side effect of growth.
- The real risk is not being 'found out' but letting the voice stop him from sharing and creating; he refuses to wait for permission to belong.
- Imposter syndrome may never fully go away, but Zeke is acting regardless, and he notes that positive feedback from others can be empowering.