It starts well. A founder is in season. Press coverage is generous. Investors return calls within hours. Boardroom conversations carry the warmth of momentum. Recognition has finally caught up with years of quiet building. Awards arrive. Panels invite. Partners want proximity.
And then, sometimes without warning, the wind shifts. It might be economic chaos pulling revenue out from under projections. A personal choice an editor decides to amplify. A rivalry that finds an opening. A political association that ages badly.
