Most startup founders think speed is their advantage.In this episode of Keyboard Samurai, I sit down with Baxter Lanius, CEO of Alternative Payments to unpack why moving fast often hides the real problems that quietly derail startups.

We talk about founder psychology, pressure-driven decision making, and the patterns that repeat long before a company fails. Not because founders aren’t smart, but because stress, ego, and urgency change how leaders think and act.

This conversation explores:

• Why smart founders repeat the same mistakes

• How speed can lock bad decisions into a startup’s foundation

• The difference between momentum and real progress

• How pressure alters leadership behavior

• When advisors help and when founders stop listening

• Early warning signs founders usually miss

If you’re a startup founder, operator, or advisor, this episode will change how you think about growth, leadership, and what actually causes startups to break under pressure.

This isn’t about hustle or tactics.

It’s about the decisions that quietly shape everything that comes next.

Find Baxter:

LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baxterlaniusiv/

Email: baxter@alternativepayments.io

Phone: 917-744-6597 (text or call)

startup founder psychology, why startups fail, startup decision making, founder leadership pressure, early stage startup mistakes, scaling a startup