Every Startup Should be a Attempt to Create a Religious Cult
You might not want to admit it, but it’s true. You’re not just building a product or service—you’re building a belief system. And if you’re not, you’re already losing. Yes, only a select few will evolve into the hallowed halls of worldwide, universalist established religions.
Think about it. The most successful startups don’t just sell stuff; they sell a worldview. They create disciples, not customers. They inspire devotion, not just loyalty. They don’t just want your money—they want your soul. And if you’re a founder who isn’t thinking this way, you’re leaving your potential empire on the table.
Beloved Brands function like religions. Academic stydies revealed striking parallels between cult tactics and modern marketing strategies that every founder needs to understand. Marketing scholars argue successful brands—Apple, Nike, Tesla—don’t just dominate markets, they dominate minds. They create rituals, symbols, and stories that people buy into, literally and figuratively. They don’t just sell products, they sell meaning.
You're not just building a company; you're building a belief system. Every startup, at its core, is a tentative cult. You have your gospel – the problem you’re solving, the vision of a better future. You have your disciples – your early adopters, the true believers who evangelize your product. You have your sacred texts – your white papers, your pitch decks, your carefully crafted "About Us" page. You even have your iconography – your logo, your brand colors, the visual language that distinguishes you from the infidels.
Startups and Religions: The Shared DNA
Think about what religions do. They aren’t just about spirituality—they’re about creating a system of meaning, a shared identity, and an unwavering sense of belonging. Religions build tribes of believers, people willing to dedicate time, energy, and sometimes money to a cause that feels bigger than themselves. Now think about startups. What is your ultimate goal as a founder? You’re not just selling a product or service. You’re building a movement. You want people to believe in your vision so deeply that they’ll evangelize for you, defend you, and stay loyal even when there are better, cheaper, or faster alternatives out there.
The Cult of You and Your Startup
You might think you're just disrupting an industry or solving a problem, but wake up. You're employing the same psychological tricks used by cult leaders to amass devoted followers. First off, what makes a cult? It’s about creating a strong, cohesive community around a central, often charismatic figure. It’s about fostering a sense of us vs. them, a unique identity that sets your followers apart from the mainstream. Great startups do this all the time by crafting a sharp narrative, a vision so compelling that people are willing to buy into it, literally and figuratively.
Let's break it down:
Charismatic Leadership: Religions have prophets, gurus, or spiritual leaders. As a founder, you're not just a CEO; you're the High-Priest of your startup religion. You’re not just a founder, you’re a Prophet. You’re selling a vision of the future that’s so compelling, so irresistible, that people will follow you into the unknown. Steve Jobs didn’t just sell computers, he sold a way of life. Elon Musk doesn’t just sell cars, he sells salvation from climate doom. What are you selling? And more importantly, why should anyone care?
A Core Team (your apostles & disciples): people who sacrifice everything to follow your vision.
A Sacred Mission: Your mission statement isn’t just a bunch of buzzwords on your website. It’s your gospel. It’s the reason your cult exists. It’s what separates you from the heretics (aka your competitors). If your mission doesn’t inspire a level of radicalism, go back to the drawing board. Your sacred mission should transcend the seek mere profit. « We want to kill cabs because they're evil! - Uber »
The Sacred Texts (Your Branding and Messaging): Religions have texts like the Avesta, Rigveda, Torah, New Testament or Quran. Startups have their pitch decks, manifestos, and marketing copy. Your brand story—crafted with precision by your marketing team—is your scripture. It’s what converts non-believers into followers. It’s what keeps people coming back when competitors try to lure them away.
The Promise of Salvation (Your Value Proposition): Religions promise salvation, enlightenment, reincarnation or eternal life. Like any religion, you’re selling a promise. Startups promise a better life—whether that’s through convenience, connection, productivity, or status. Your product is the holy grail, the bridge that will bring your customers to a better life. Salvation through your product. A better life, a more connected world, a more efficient way of doing things. You're asking people to believe in your vision, to invest their time, money, and energy into something that, let's be honest, might just vanish. You're not just selling a widget, you're offering a path, a solution, a belief.
Targeting the Vulnerable: Just as cults prey on the emotionally fragile, your startup targets pain points and unfulfilled needs.
Increasing Dependence: Your goal is to make your product indispensable, creating an ecosystem that's hard to leave.
A Distinct Culture with Vocabulary, Rituals and Symbols that separates you and your believers from outsiders. Every religion has its Culture. Your startup needs its own. Maybe it’s the way you onboard new users. Maybe it’s the way you celebrate wins (or failures). Maybe it’s the way your product becomes a daily habit. These rituals create a sense of belonging, of being part of something bigger than yourself. Rituals and practices reinforce your group identity.
A Growing Community of Believers (Your Users/Customers): Early adopters get showered with attention and perks, creating an intoxicating sense of belonging.Your customers aren’t just customers; they’re your congregation. They’re the ones who will spread your gospel, defend your brand, and recruit new members. Build a community that’s so tight-knit, so passionate, that they’ll tattoo your logo on their bodies.
The Power of True Believers
The most successful founders understand this instinctively. They know they're not just hiring employees – they're converting believers. They're not just developing products – they're creating sacred artifacts. They're not just building market share – they're spreading a gospel.
It's about understanding the deep human need for meaning, belonging, and transcendent purpose. Your startup must tap into these fundamental desires if it hopes to transform from a small cult into a universal religion.
The Startup Playbook is the Cult Playbook
Research exposes how modern marketing tactics mirror cult strategies with eerie precision. Your growth hacks, viral campaigns, and community-building efforts? They're all pulled from the same playbook used by cults to indoctrinate members.
Your mission to change the world? That's your all-encompassing worldview. Your company culture? That's your doctrine. Your loyal users? They're your congregation.
Just as Christianity began as a small sect in ancient Judea, or how Buddhism started with one man under a tree, every major company that dominates our lives today started as a small group of zealous believers. Apple wasn't just selling computers; it was fighting for the liberation of human creativity. Amazon wasn't just selling books online; it was building "Earth's most customer-centric company."
The transformation from cult to religion happens when your startup's belief system transcends its original context. When your company's worldview becomes so compelling that it shapes how people outside your organization think and behave – that's when you've created a religion.
Your Startup: The Next Global Religionhood or Just Another Heresy?
Most Paleochristian sects disapeared, one becames the Catholic Church, and not every startup will become Google or Facebook. Why? Because becoming a universalist religion—one that spreads globally and becomes deeply ingrained in the fabric of society—requires more than just a good idea. It needs:
Resilience: The ability to weather crises, both internal and external.
Adaptability: The flexibility to evolve as the world changes without losing your core message.
Scalability: A structure that can grow without losing the intimate, cult-like feel that initially attracted followers.
Luck: Yes, even the most devout religions had a bit of serendipity on their side. Think about the pivotal role of Constantine the Roman general who sponsored an early Christian sectin its successful adempt to conquer the Roman Empire leadership. Without Costantine, Christianity would have surely disapeared in the West.
From Cult to Religion: The Startup Holy Grail
Here's the kicker: most of you will fail. Your startups will fizzle out, joining the graveyard of forgotten cults and failed messiahs But a few—a very few—will become universalist religions. They’ll transcend their origins and become part of the cultural fabric. They’ll be everywhere, shaping how we live, work, and think.
For the chosen ones who make it, the rewards are godlike. You'll transcend mere startup status and ascend to the realm of established "religions" – think Apple, Google, or Amazon.
These tech giants have achieved what most cults only dream of: worldwide acceptance, unquestioning loyalty, and the power to shape society itself. They've become the new churches of the digital age, with billions of devoted followers hanging on their every product release and update.
Google isn’t just a search engine; it’s the way we access knowledge. Facebook isn’t just a social network; it’s the way we connect. Amazon isn’t just a store; it’s the way we shop. These companies didn’t just build products; they built ecosystems. They didn’t just create customers; they created civilizations.
The Price of Divinity
But before you start planning your ascension to startup godhood, remember this: the tactics you use to build your cult, company – come at a cost.
You're not just building a product, you're shaping beliefs, behaviors, and entire worldviews.
So, What Does This Mean for You? If you’re aiming to build more than just a business, if you’re dreaming of creating a movement, remember: you’re on a path paved with the aspirations of countless other would-be religious leaders. To stand the test of time and go global, you’ll need to:
Cultivate a Deep, Compelling Belief System: Your product or service isn’t just a tool; it’s a solution to a fundamental human need or desire.
Build a Community, Not Just Customers: Foster a sense of belonging and shared purpose among your users.
Be Prepared for the Long Haul: Building a religion, a global startup—takes time, patience, and an unwavering commitment to your vision.
The Startup as a War Tribe: Branding, Culture, and the Fight for Survival
Let’s get one thing straight: branding isn’t your logo, your slogan, or your color palette. That’s just the surface—the outer skin of the branding onion. The real core of your branding is much deeper, much more visceral. Branding is your war manifesto. Startups aren’t just businesses; they’re combat units launched into the economic battlefield. Every startup is at war. And like any war, you need a clear objective, a mission, and—most importantly—an enemy. Without an enemy, your fight lacks meaning. Without meaning, your tribe has no reason to rally behind you.
Why Every Startup Needs an Enemy
Think about the great rivalries that have defined not just brands, but entire industries:
Apple vs. Microsoft: Steve Jobs needed Bill Gates and Windows as the foil to Apple’s creativity and innovation. Even if the rivalry was exaggerated, it gave Apple a narrative that resonated deeply with its followers.
Tesla vs. Ford: Elon Musk positioned Tesla as the underdog fighting a complacent and polluting auto industry.
Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola: The eternal battle of brands for dominance in the soda wars.
Your enemy doesn’t have to be another company. In fact, sometimes the most powerful enemies are conceptual enemies:
If you’ve developed a revolutionary cancer therapy, your enemy isn’t Pfizer—it’s the suffering caused by outdated chemotherapy treatments.
If you’re a fintech company, your enemy might be the inefficiency and greed of traditional banks.
Your enemy needs to be grandiose enough to inspire and charismatic enough to be memorable. Luke Skywalker’s battle only mattered because Darth Vader loomed so large. Your fight as a founder needs to look just as epic.
The Startup as a Tribe
Startups, in their essence, aren’t just companies—they are tribes. This isn’t some abstract metaphor; it’s rooted in evolutionary anthropology. Humans are tribal beings. We’ve always needed to belong to groups bound by shared beliefs, values, and symbols. It’s in our DNA. When you create a startup, you’re not just building a team—you’re building a tribe of shared faith. And what is a tribe? It’s not just a group of people hanging out or working together. A tribe is bound by a common purpose, a shared vision, and an agreement on what they’re fighting for. Think of your startup team as an elite commando unit. Your early employees aren’t clocking in and out for a paycheck—they’re joining a cause. They’re rallying behind the mission, ready to give their all (symbolically, of course—like sacrificing sleep and weekends).
What Makes a Tribe Stick Together?
To build a tribe, you need a Cult/Religion:
Beliefs and Values: What does your startup stand for? What’s the higher purpose that unites everyone?
Symbols and Rituals: What are the trappings of your tribe? It could be your company hoodie, your in-jokes, or your team traditions.
Enemies to Defeat: Who or what are you fighting against? Without an enemy, your tribe has no reason to fight at all.
This is why culture is so important in a startup. Culture isn’t some fluffy HR term; it’s the glue that holds your tribe together. It’s what ensures that every person on your team is aligned with your mission. And this alignment is everything.
[A bit of semantics: Cult => Cult-ure, and Religion came from the latin word ReLigare which means to ReLink people together]
Why Startup Culture is a Make-or-Break Factor
Here’s the truth: not every talented person belongs in your tribe. You could find the best AI engineer in the world, but if he/she doesn’t align with your startup’s culture—your beliefs, your values, your mission—h/she’ll weaken the tribe. Startups are intense. They’re not for everyone. That’s why culture fit is non-negotiable. The founders and early employees need to share the same vision, the same faith in the mission, and the same willingness to fight to the end. If they don’t, the tribe fractures.Your culture is essentially your startup’s religion. It defines how your team thinks, works, and interacts. It’s what drives your tribe to put in 14-hour days not just because they have to, but because they believe in the cause.
Startups as a Replacement for Tribal Warfare
Humans evolved to live in tribes. We’re wired to band together, to fight for survival, and to wage wars against rival tribes. But in today’s “pacified” world, we’ve redirected these instincts. We can’t fight with swords and spears anymore, so we find other ways to channel our tribal and warlike energy. Startups are the modern battlefield. Your war isn’t fought with weapons—it’s fought with an ideology/religion and arms ie business strategies, product launches, and market domination. Your tribe isn’t out to physically destroy its enemies—it’s out to outperform them, outmaneuver them, and win the hearts and minds of customers. Think of it like football fans in a stadium. They’re not actually going to war, but their tribal instincts are in full swing. They wear their team’s colors, chant their team’s slogans, and revel in the thrill of competition. Startups take this same energy and channel it into the economic arena.
Building a Tribe That Wins
To truly succeed in this economic war, your startup needs to operate like a tribe at its core. Here’s how to do it:
- Define Your Fight: What’s the mission? What’s the higher purpose that gives your tribe meaning?
- Identify Your Enemy: Is it another company, an outdated concept, or a systemic problem? Make it clear, and make it memorable.
- Create a Manifesto: Spell out your beliefs, your values, and your vision. This is your declaration of war.
- Live Your Culture: Make sure your team embodies the mission in everything they do. Culture isn’t just words on a wall—it’s your tribe’s way of life.
- Foster Tribal Belonging: Give your team symbols, rituals, and a sense of identity that binds them together.
Winning the Economic War
Startups are not for the faint of heart. They’re for those who are willing to throw themselves into the fight, to rally their tribe, and to wage war against the status quo. Whether you’re taking on taxis like Uber, hotels like Airbnb, or the inefficiencies of banking like Stripe, your mission is the same: to win. And when you win, it’s not just about profit—it’s about creating something bigger than yourself. It’s about building a tribe that believes in you, your vision, and your fight. So, the next time you think about your startup, don’t just think of it as a business. Think of it as a tribe. Think of it as a movement. Because deep down, that’s what it really is. Humans are wired for tribes and wars—and startups are the modern way we fight, survive, and thrive.
The Choice is Yours
You can either embrace this reality or continue pretending you're just "running a business." But know this: your most dangerous competitors have already embraced their role as religious leaders. They're not just selling products; they're selling salvation.
So, ambitious startup founders, ask yourselves: Are you comfortable being a cult leader? Are you ready to wield the power of manipulation and psychological coercion to achieve your goals?
If the answer is yes, then by all means, forge ahead. But don't delude yourself about what you're really doing. You're not just disrupting an industry; you're vying for the souls of your users.
And for the rare few who make it to the promised land of tech divinity, remember: even gods can fall. Just ask MySpace.
The choice is yours. But remember: history doesn’t remember the cults that failed. It remembers the ones that changed the world.
The Provocation
So, here’s my challenge to you, founder: stop thinking small. Stop thinking about “product-market fit” and start thinking about “Narrative/Believe fit.” Stop thinking about “users” and start thinking about “disciples.” Stop thinking about “growth hacks” and start thinking about “conversion experiences.”
Because here’s the thing: if you’re not trying to build a cult, you’re not trying hard enough. And if you’re not trying to turn that cult into a universal religion, you’re not dreaming big enough.
Remember
You are not developping a great product that solves a problem, but a great brand that creates meaning for people. If you want to build something that lasts, people need to believe in you—not just your product. Craft your vision, and start building your tribe. If you’re not building a cult-like following, you’re building something forgettable. So, go ahead—embrace the cult. Build your religion. And who knows? Maybe one day, your startup will be one of the rare few that achieves true, universalist, organized religion status.
So, What’s the Takeaway for Founders?
If you want to build a startup that transcends "business" and becomes a movement, you need to think like a cult leader—or like the founder of a belief system. To help you on that journey, here are 20 provocative, radical, and essential questions every startup founder should ask themselves to build their own "religious cult":
- What core belief or worldview does my company stand for? Hint: It’s not your product—it’s the why behind it.
- What problem am I solving that feels deeply personal to my audience? Religions solve existential problems; your startup should do the same for your niche.
- What emotional response do I want my brand to evoke in people? Love? Awe? Hope? Fear of missing out?How can I make my product or service feel like it’s part of a larger mission? What’s the “save the world” narrative behind what you’re doing?
- Am I embodying the role of a visionary leader for my company and followers? Are you the kind of person people want to follow?
- Who are my early adopters, and how do I turn them into evangelists? How can you make your first users love you enough to spread the gospel?
- What rituals or habits can I create for my customers? How does your product become a daily or weekly practice for them?
- What is my equivalent of a "sacred text"? Your manifesto? Your brand story? The one piece of content that communicates your mission?
- How can I create a sense of belonging and community around my product? People don’t just buy products—they join tribes.
- What symbols or icons can represent my brand? Think of Apple’s logo or Tesla’s T—what’s your version of a sacred symbol?
- How do I ensure that my messaging feels aspirational and transcendent? You’re not just selling a product; you’re selling a vision of a better life.
- What’s my origin story, and how does it inspire belief? Every religion has an origin story. What’s yours?
- Am I positioning my competition as the “enemy” or “non-believers”? Who or what are you helping your followers overcome?
- How do I reward loyalty among my followers? What keeps people coming back and staying committed?
- What kind of language am I using to create a sense of exclusivity? Religions have insider terms. What’s the lingo your followers use to feel like they’re part of something special?
- How do I empower my followers to spread the word about my brand? What’s your version of evangelism? How can they share your message with pride?
- What’s my "heaven"—the ideal future my product promises to deliver? What’s the ultimate reward for being part of your movement?
- How can I use storytelling to make my brand unforgettable? Religions thrive on stories—miracles, heroes, redemption arcs. What’s your brand’s story?
- Am I prepared for criticism and skepticism—and how do I stay true to my vision when facing it? Every religion has doubters. How will you navigate resistance?
- What will my legacy be if this succeeds? If your startup becomes the next Apple or Tesla, what will people say you stood for?
These questions aren’t just intellectual exercises—they’re the foundation for creating something people truly believe in. By answering them, you’ll uncover the deeper emotional and psychological drivers that can turn your startup into a movement.
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