1. I'm not a psychologist. I'm a founder obsessed with how founders think, feel, and act. 

2. Why? Startups feel heavy when founder psychology isn't understood. I learned this the hard way.

3. I coach ambitious founders 1:1 daily and share what tactics actually work in practice.

4. I also invest in green tech; audited hundreds of founders from that perspective.

5. My belief... founders have 2 core jobs: making great decisions + building great relationships.

6. Everything else? Prevent the 3 killers a founder can control: burnout, loss of focus, conflict.

7. Random: The padel hype got me. Learning Portuguese now. Cara, não é fácil...

Want my free resources? Start here: tillaugner.com

Here's the one (crazy) habit I'm betting on for 2026: 
15-minute morning walk. Talking to myself. Recording it. 

I have my best thoughts in the morning and while walking. 
Speaking out loud helps me to remember and regulate. 
Labeling what's happening inside actually calms the noise. 
(Evidence backs that. It’s a core mechanism used in therapy.) 

So I open Granola, put my phone in my pocket, and just talk like I'm calling a friend. It's like verbal journaling. 

Best part: everything is in one folder. I can prompt summaries later or filter thoughts when I'm back at my desk. 

It worked so well, I added a post-lunch walk too. 
Turns out walking after eating reduces blood sugar spikes… less midday lows. 

Call me crazy, or try it for a week.

Till Augner

We spent 3 years studying founder decision-making under uncertainty, so you can implement it in 15 min. 

A 9-figure founder once told me:
"As a founder, you are a decision instrument... you better understand and clean that instrument."

But we see founders...
- trusting their gut when they need data.
- with no framework when pro/con lists fail them.
- overthinking the "big" calls that have simpler paths.
- taking 3 weeks on decisions that should take 3 hours.

I became obsessed with decision-making and the psychology behind it. After going through endless books and research papers, I noticed the best decision-makers all use the same underlying system.

Over three years Uplift Founders, Yannick and I applied these findings in 1:1 sessions and turned them into a protocol.

It helped founders we work with to
→ cut decision time in half
→ kill the second-guessing loop
→ build real decision-making muscle (not just speed)

We use a gateway process, precise reflection questions to ask yourself, and proven methods for high-stakes moments.

It also changed how I approach every decision. Big ones, small ones, all of them.

Want the decision-making protocol?

👉 Comment below, and I’ll send it your way.

PS: make sure we’re connected so I can get it to you fast.

Wenn „lass uns das später klären" nie passiert… bis es zu spät ist.

Deshalb ist unser monatlicher Founder Sync (Run) das wichtigste Meeting in unserem Kalender. 

Die härtesten Cases mit dem höchsten Risikofaktor für das Startup, die ich bisher gesehen habe?

Fast immer Co-Founder Konflikte.

Konflikte, die so groß und komplex wurden, dass sie nur noch sehr schwer und mit viel Energieaufwand zu lösen sind.

Wir achten immer auf einen Indikator: das „emotionale Delta".

Das Delta zwischen dem, was du fühlst, und dem, was dein Co-Founder denkt, dass du fühlst.

Manchmal frage ich in 1:1 Coaching Sessions:

→ „Wie überrascht wäre dein Co-Founder, wenn er das hören würde?"

Wenn die Antwort „sehr überrascht" ist, haben wir ein hohes emotionales Delta.

Wenn ich Dinge höre wie…
- „Er sollte mehr Ownership übernehmen…"
- „Ich weiß nicht, wie es um ihr Commitment steht…"
- „Er setzt nicht um, was wir vereinbart haben…"

und diese Sätze bleiben ungesagt? Dann erhöht sich ein sehr relevanter Risikofaktor für das gesamte Venture.

Dieses Delta kostet Kraft. Energie. Zeit und viele inneren Konflikte.

Die besten Co-Founder Beziehungen halten dieses Delta nahe 0. Sie gehen es direkt an. Viele Mikro-Konflikte statt eines großen Makro-Konflikts, der alles zerstören kann.

Yannick und ich sind sehr gut befreundet. Wir kennen uns inzwischen in- und auswendig. Dennoch: Der monatliche Founder Sync Run ist ein System, das nicht verhandelbar ist.

Wir klären immer die Frage:

→ "Was ist gerade die härteste, unangenehmste Realität in unserer Co-Founder Beziehung?"

Wer das ohne Angst angehen kann, hat wirklich "psychologische Sicherheit".

Und es bleibt nicht nur ein Buzzword.

Der größte Fehler, den ich bei solchen Terminen sehe: Das falsche Setting. 

Ein Meeting während oder zwischen operativen Themen. Geht fast immer nach hinten los.  

Wie sieht euer Founder-Sync aus?

Reading this book, I realized that most bad decisions come from asking the wrong question. And we don’t even notice. 

Psychologists call this Attribute Substitution. Swapping a hard question for an easy one, because the brain wants to conserve energy.

→ Hard question:
“How likely is this candidate to succeed in their role at our company?”

→ Easy question:
“Do I like this person?”

A hard question I’ve been sitting with for the past few days:
"What would future me thank me for, even if it’s uncomfortable now?"

Writing it down helps ... talking to sparring partners helps ... taking time helps ...
... to NOT swap the hard question for the easy one.

A 15€ investment solved my most expensive problem: analysis paralysis. 

A timer.

Don’t ask me why, but I need a visual one.
My iphone is either my zoom camera or nowhere near my desk.

Sometimes I feel like Denzel Washington in the equalizer.

That little device does one thing incredibly well: it forces me to start (and challenge myself)

- writing a linkedIn article... 15 min.
- brainstorming a video format... 30 min.
- morning reading... 20 min.
- answering all emails... 30 min.

The technical term is “implementation intention.”
If the timer starts, then I execute [priority].

In simple terms: the timer is my trigger for execution.

Same accounts for our coaching sessions. 
Insights alone don't do the job.
They can even reinforce analysis paralysis.

What I learned last year again and again... 
a founder must leave with a concrete execution trigger and a clear accountability setup.

What has been your best ROI investment?

Ich habe 18 Monate verschwendet, weil ich den Unterschied nicht kannte: Strategie vs. Plan

Ich dachte, ich wäre strategisch.

→ Hatte OKRs für jedes Quarter 
→ Hatte einen detaillierten Roadmap 
→ Hatte wöchentliche Team-Meetings

Aber als ein Mentor fragte: "Wie genau willst du damit gewinnen?"

Ich redete 5 Minuten. Er unterbrach mich: "Das ist keine Strategie. Das sind ToDos."

Heute stelle ich dieselbe Frage anderen Foundern. 
Die gleichen Antworten.

Viele Pläne. Aber keine klare Theorie, wie sie gewinnen.

Bei Partners in Clime haben wir die 1-Page Strategy entwickelt:

Eine Seite. Keine 40 Slides. 
Keine Verwirrung im GP Kreis.
Nur die Antwort auf: "Wie gewinnen wir? Und wo?"
Visuell schnell verständlich. 

Wir nutzen sie für alle Companies bei Uplift Founders.
Jetzt gibt es ein komplettes Workbook dazu.

Kommentiere "Strategie" und ich schicke es dir direkt.

Sonst sage ich immer, Website bauen ist eine Ablenkung…

War aber an der Zeit für eine neue Website. Lovable hat mich gepackt und ich habe in 5 Stunden meine persönliche Website neu aufgebaut. 

War komplett im Flow, bis mich meine Verlobte um 23:30 Uhr fragte, ob's jetzt reicht? 😅

Also wenn du dir meine Ablenkung anschauen willst...

...alle freien Ressourcen inkl. 15 min-Sprint Kurs
...mein Coaching-Ansatz visualisiert 
...und viele kleine Spielereien 
...alles auf 🇬🇧 und 🇩🇪

here we go: https://tillaugner.com/
(bin sogar bisschen stolz...)

Ich kann gut verstehen, warum wir uns immer wieder damit "ablenken". Man sieht direkt das Resultat und den Fortschritt...

PS: Bug-Reports gerne per DM. Ship fast, they said...

Das Startup Playbook verändert sich in den nächsten 3 Jahren komplett... (oder nicht?)

Yannick und ich nehmen freitags einen Podcast unter uns auf, um die größten Learnings aus den Sessions mit Foundern zu reflektieren. Diesmal sind wir komplett in Zukunftsthesen abgedriftet.

3 Thesen, die uns beschäftigen:

1. Aus zwei Pillen werden drei 

Bisher war es gefühlt binär: rote Pille (VC Game) oder blaue Pille (Bootstrapped).

Das alte Narrativ: "Einmal die rote Pille geschluckt, kein Weg zurück."

Was wir beobachten: Founder, die ursprünglich VC-backed waren, kaufen Anteile zurück. Reduzieren Team-Size. Fokussieren auf Profitabilität über Wachstum.

Beispiel aus dieser Woche: Ein Founder überlegt, ob er die Hälfte des Tech-Teams wirklich noch braucht. Sein Sales läuft. Die Software wird durch AI schneller iteriert als je zuvor.

Und eine dritte Option wird sichtbar: 
→ Die lila Pille = klein, Nische, hochprofitabel, manchmal "boring"

Wir glauben: Die rote Pille wird zur viel bewussteren Entscheidung. Nicht "Ich muss", sondern "Ich will das große Winner-takes-all-Spiel spielen." oder "Ich bau eine hoch profitable Software-Lösung für alle lokalen Dachdecker mit einem kleinen Team." 

2. Die Startup-Phasen verändern sich

Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A,B,C,... das sind historisch Funding-Marker gewesen.

Was wir sehen: Die Benchmarks verschieben sich radikal. Die Abhängigkeit von externem Kapital sinkt für bestimmte Geschäftsmodelle. 

Das heißt für uns nicht, dass das VC Funding stirbt. Aber die Phasen könnten sich neu definieren oder reduzieren: 

→ Seed = Du suchst das wiederholbare Geschäftsmodell 
→ Scale = Du skalierst es mit oder ohne externes Kapital

3. EQ > IQ

Mehr Founder. Mehr AI-Tools. Schnellere Zyklen. Die technische Eintrittsbarriere sinkt. Die psychologische steigt.

Die Frage wird nicht mehr nur: "Kannst du bauen?" Sondern: "Kannst du in Unsicherheit schnell iterieren und loslassen? Kannst du ehrlich reflektieren, welches Spiel du wirklich spielen willst?"

Vielleicht ist das alles Recency Bias. 
Vielleicht sehe ich nur Patterns in unserer Coaching-Bubble. 

Jede Generation dachte, ihre Zeit ist die unsicherste.

Mein finaler Gedanke aus unserem Podcast:
Die Founder, die ihre eigene Psychologie verstehen...ihre Trigger, ihre Kapazität, ihren wirklichen Fit zum Spiel...die haben einen großen Wettbewerbsvorteil in einer Zeit, die sich wirklich exponentiell anfühlt und massive Gelegenheiten für Founder bietet.

Dein Take? 

PS: In 3 Jahren werde ich vermutlich über diesen Post lachen, weil ich die Beschleunigung massiv unterschätzt habe...

How to kill your startup faster...

Loss of focus
- Think of strategy like a plan to execute, not a theory to iterate.
- "Playing business" instead of validating the hypothesis.
- Compare yourself to others at different stages.
- Listen only to your gut feeling for "tattoo" decisions.
- Take your time to make "haircut" decisions.
- Take care of every single fire. Don't let them burn.
- Ignore the harsh truths. 

Conflict
- Hire the first person who "feels nice and ambitious."
- Don't address micro conflicts, wait for the macro.
- Pitch what sounds fundable, not what's true.
- Treat every investor question like a pivot signal.
- Keep co-founder syncs tactical. Never emotional.
- Wait until you're sure before you address the tension.

Burnout
- Ignore the anxiety, just push through with willpower.
- Don't waste your time with reflecting.
- No exercise, no boundaries. Just one more push.
- Don't ask for help. Seed stage is supposed to hurt.
- Cancel dinner plans. Again.
- Respond directly to the email that pissed you off.
- Cover long-term doubts with short-term positivity
- You are your business. Everything else is a distraction.

Many startup failures could be prevented. We uplift founders to become the founders their companies need to scale faster. 

If you need support. DM me.

Startups can feel heavy... until you understand founder psychology.

11 things I wish I knew from the start:

1/ Your patterns are solutions to past problems you've already forgotten.

2/ You'll feel intense emotions. That's normal. They're signals you can learn to read better.

3/ Beliefs define your perception of reality. Every trigger is a gateway to your (limiting) beliefs.

4/ Your relentless drive to build a successful company is most likely a trauma response.

5/ Self-worth is the epicenter of your psychology… so the main lever for relationships and decisions.

6/ Complete identity fusion with your business makes you blind. You need to learn to detach.

7/ Your body influences your psychology big time. Exercise and rest are part of your job.

8/ Uncertainty is a given. Always. Your brain won't like it, but you can reframe to operate in it.

9/ When you're stressed, you become narrow-minded and tend to see things as binary.

10/ Resilience isn't constant stability. It's the ability to reset and regulate (quickly).

11/ Vulnerability creates depth and trust in relationships, not the other way around.

What would you add?

The gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it? 

Accountability.

But most founders think accountability is pressure. It's not.

I talked with an 8-figure founder about fitness goals on the weekend. His take: the easiest system for consistency is a personal trainer showing up regularly. You won't miss a session.

Same accounts for everything else as a founder. Systems beat willpower.

So I'm like a personal trainer for founders... holding all 24 founders I currently work with accountable.

Accountability is not a "you need to report to me" system. It's more of a psychological internal ownership.

Accountability only works if the founder trusts me. That's the first part.

I always say the 1:1 session is not about performance. It's just a place for the founder, me, and what's true to them at the moment.

But they will leave with a super specific action step and accountability system.
The performance starts after the session.

Modern organizational psychology (NeuroLeadership Institute) distinguishes between:

- Punitive Accountability (fear-based)
- Growth-Oriented Accountability (learning-based)

Guess which one is proven to be the only sustainable one…

Growth-oriented accountability = Clarity + Support + Challenge

→ Clarity: Does the founder know what "success" looks like?
→ Support: Do they have the tools and psychological safety to fail and learn?
→ Challenge: Is there a high standard and a deadline that matters?

That's how accountability for a founder should look like... 
Best part: They will adapt this in their leadership.

Generic advice: “Comparing is not helpful”… but we do it anyway. So let’s be more precise and honest about it. 

Comparing is a normal mental reflex that helps the brain to reduce uncertainty. 
There's a thin line between helpful inspiration and harmful comparison. 

The harmful one: comparing your inner world with the outside world of a successful founder. 

I’ve seen the inside of many successful founders. The price behind the shiny things. The trade-offs nobody posts about.

You can't pick one parameter of someone's life and benchmark yourself against it.

You have to compare the full package. The full cost. The full life.

- Are you actually willing to pay that price?
- Do you want the result? 
- Or are you truly willing to live the life required to get there?

Also… 

instead of comparing yourself to an exited founder or the NVIDIA CEO, compare yourself to that same person at your current stage. 

My current example: I want to start a YouTube thing.
Comparing myself to veteran YouTubers and their high-end videos? 

Pointless perfectionism.

Going back to their first videos. Seeing how willing they were to just put it out there despite the cringe was way more helpful.

So a more nuanced way to check the comparison: 

Am I comparing my behind-the-scenes to someone else's highlights, or am I comparing full journeys at the same stage?

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