Type 8 Description:
I've been consulting startup founders for over 7 years now, and Type 8 enneagram founders are some of the most intense people I've ever worked with. They walk into the room, and you immediately feel their presence. They're the ones who'll tell an investor "no, that's a stupid idea" in the first meeting, build a company out of pure willpower, and somehow make it work.
Jokes apart, if you're a Type 8 enneagram founder, you've probably already skipped half this intro to get to the actionable stuff.
At Rudvar IT Services, we help founders build their SaaS products, and Type 8s present a fascinating challenge. You're natural-born leaders with incredible drive, but that same intensity can torch your relationships, alienate your team, and sometimes blow up the very thing you're trying to build.
Understanding yourself as a Type 8 isn't some fluffy personality exercise. It's the difference between building a company people want to work for and building one where everyone's terrified of you.
Let me show you what I mean.
Core Motivation: The Fear of Betrayal and the Desire for Control
Here's what drives everything you do as a Type 8: you're terrified of being betrayed, controlled, or made vulnerable. So you respond by taking control first.
I still remember consulting a Type 8 founder back in 2020. Brilliant guy, incredible product vision. But he insisted on having final approval on every single decision—from the color of buttons to hiring decisions to which features shipped. His co-founder eventually quit. He told me, "I can't work with someone who doesn't trust me to make a single decision without his approval."
That's the Type 8 enneagram pattern. You want control because control means safety. If you're in charge, nobody can betray you, manipulate you, or take advantage of you.
Your basic fear:
Being controlled, manipulated, or harmed by others
Being vulnerable or weak
Being betrayed or violated
Losing control of your environment or destiny
Your basic desire:
To protect yourself and determine your own path
To be strong and in control
To prove your strength and resist weakness
To be self-reliant and independent
The problem? This need for control will sabotage your startup if you don't learn to manage it.
The Essential Traits of the Type 8 Personality
Let me be direct about what makes you tick.
At your best, you're:
Decisive and action-oriented (you don't overthink, you just do)
Powerful and commanding (people naturally follow you)
Protective of others (especially the underdog)
Direct and honest (no corporate BS or politics)
Strong-willed and confident (you believe in yourself when nobody else does)
Natural leaders who inspire loyalty
Justice-oriented and fair (when you're healthy)
I've seen Type 8 founders take companies from zero to revenue faster than any other type. You don't wait for permission. You don't need validation. You just build.
But here's your kryptonite:
Domineering and confrontational
Intimidating without realizing it
Controlling and micromanaging
Difficulty showing vulnerability or admitting mistakes
Quick to anger when challenged
All-or-nothing thinking
Difficulty trusting others with responsibility
At Surge Startup, we've worked with Type 8 founders who've built incredible products but destroyed three teams in the process. The product succeeded. The people didn't.
The Vice and Virtue: From Lust/Excess to Innocence/Mercy
Your vice is "lust"—but not in the sexual sense. It's lust for intensity, for more, for excess. You want MORE of everything. More control, more success, more impact, more everything.
I consulted a Type 8 founder in 2021 who scaled their team from 5 to 30 people in four months because "we need to move faster." They burned through their entire Series A in eight months. The lust for MORE destroyed their runway before they achieved product-market fit.
You don't do anything halfway. When you're building features, you build the most aggressive version. When you're hiring, you hire too many people too fast. When you're selling, you push too hard.
Your virtue—when you're healthy—is innocence and mercy.
Healthy Type 8s have this beautiful quality of childlike innocence. You reconnect with your heart. You become protective without being controlling. You're strong enough to be gentle. You lead with compassion instead of dominance.
I've watched this transformation happen. One Type 8 founder I worked with learned to practice mercy with their team. Instead of firing people immediately when they made mistakes, they started coaching them. The team's productivity actually increased because people stopped being paralyzed by fear.
The Three Centers: Why Type 8 is in the Gut Triad
You're in the Gut Triad along with Types 9 and 1. This means you lead with instinct, anger, and body intelligence.
Your anger isn't a problem to fix—it's information. The issue is that your anger is always ON. You have immediate access to it. Someone challenges you? Anger. Someone questions your decision? Anger. Someone moves too slowly? Anger.
Here's what most Type 8s don't realize: your team experiences your anger even when you think you're being calm. Your intensity radiates. Your impatience shows in your body language. Your frustration comes through in your tone.
I've been in meetings with Type 8 founders who insisted they weren't angry while everyone else in the room looked terrified. Your baseline intensity is other people's "extremely intense."
The gut instinct is actually one of your superpowers when you learn to use it right. You can sense when something's off in your business before the data shows it. You know when someone's lying to you. You feel when a strategy won't work.
But you need to learn the difference between gut instinct and reactive anger.
The Direction of Growth: Type 8 enneagram Moving Toward Healthy 2
When you're growing and healthy, you move toward the positive traits of Type 2 (The Helper).
This sounds wrong to most Type 8s. "Why would I want to be helpful and soft? That's weakness."
But here's what actually happens: you learn that true strength includes care, compassion, and connection. You start leading with your heart, not just your gut. You become genuinely nurturing and empowering to your team.
The most successful Type 8 founders I've worked with all made this shift. They stopped seeing care as weakness and started seeing it as a different kind of strength.
One Type 8 CEO I consulted started checking in with his team about their well-being, not just their output. He was shocked when productivity increased and retention improved. Turns out people perform better when they feel cared for, not just commanded.
What integration to 2 looks like:
You become generous and supportive without losing your strength
You empower others instead of controlling them
You express vulnerability without feeling weak
You build people up instead of just pushing them forward
You lead with both power and compassion
This is when Type 8 founders become truly unstoppable.
The Direction of Stress: Type 8 Moving Toward Unhealthy 5
Under stress, you move toward the negative traits of Type 5 enneagram (The Investigator).
You withdraw. You isolate. You become secretive and paranoid. You stop trusting anyone.
I've seen this happen with Type 8 founders during crises. When the company's struggling, when funding falls through, when the product isn't working—you retreat into your head. You stop communicating with your team. You make decisions alone. You become convinced everyone's incompetent or plotting against you.
One Type 8 founder I worked with stopped coming to the office during a rough patch. He worked from home, stopped answering Slack, and made major product decisions without telling anyone. The team felt abandoned. When I finally got him on a call, he said, "I can't trust them to understand what needs to be done."
That's disintegration to 5. You become isolated, detached, and trapped in your own head.
Warning signs you're disintegrating:
Withdrawing from your team and refusing to communicate
Hoarding information and making secret plans
Becoming paranoid about others' motives
Cutting people off without explanation
Diving into data/analysis to avoid dealing with people
Feeling like you're the only one who can solve everything
If you notice this pattern, that's your alarm bell. You need to reconnect with people, not isolate further.
Deep Dive into the Wings: Comparing 8w7 (The Maverick) and 8w9 (The Bear)
Your wing dramatically affects how your Type 8 energy shows up in your startup.
Enneagram 8w7: The Maverick
You're the high-octane, aggressive, entrepreneurial Type 8. You combine the power of 8 with the energy and spontaneity of 7.
Strengths:
Incredibly fast decision-making
Natural risk-taker who moves quickly
Charismatic and persuasive
Visionary and future-oriented
Energetic and exciting to be around
Challenges:
Impulsive and reckless
Can be excessive and overindulgent
Difficulty slowing down or thinking long-term
May steamroll people without noticing
Can be scattered despite your intensity
I've worked with several 8w7 founders. They're the ones who raise a seed round on Tuesday and have the entire product roadmap rebuilt by Friday. They're exciting but exhausting.
One 8w7 founder I consulted pivoted their entire business model four times in one year. Each time, they were absolutely certain this was THE direction. Their team was in constant whiplash. Yes, they eventually found product-market fit, but they lost half their team in the process.
Enneagram 8w9: The Bear
You're the more grounded, diplomatic version of Type 8. You combine power with patience (relatively speaking).
Strengths:
More approachable and calm than 8w7
Better at building consensus
Strategic and thoughtful
Protective and supportive of your team
Can be diplomatic when needed
Challenges:
Can be passive-aggressive instead of direct
May avoid conflict until you explode
Stubborn and unmovable once you've decided
Can be complacent or lazy in areas that don't interest you
May withdraw when you should engage
8w9 founders are easier to work with day-to-day, but they have a different problem. They can be so focused on maintaining peace that they avoid necessary conflict until it becomes a crisis.
I still remember an 8w9 founder who avoided firing an underperforming VP for eight months because "I didn't want to cause problems." When he finally pulled the trigger, he discovered the VP had been actively sabotaging other team members. The avoidance cost him two good employees who quit.
Enneagram 8w7: The Energetic Nonconformist in Detail
Let's dig deeper into the 8w7 since this is the more common wing for startup founders.
You're the rebel, the rule-breaker, the "move fast and break things" incarnate. You don't just challenge authority—you actively enjoy it.
In your startup, this shows up as:
Aggressive growth strategies
Willingness to enter markets everyone says are impossible
Fast pivots when something isn't working
High risk tolerance
Charismatic sales and fundraising
Building unconventional products
Challenging industry norms
The best 8w7 founders I've worked with built products in "impossible" markets. They succeeded specifically because they had the audacity to try what everyone else said wouldn't work.
But here's what will destroy you:
Moving so fast you don't build solid foundations
Burning out your team with constant intensity
Making impulsive decisions that cost you later
Chasing every opportunity instead of focusing
Ignoring details and operations
Exhausting people with your energy
At Surge Startup, we've helped 8w7 founders implement systems that force them to slow down just enough. Not so much that they lose their edge, but enough that they don't destroy what they're building.
The solution? Pair yourself with a strong operator (often a Type 1, 3, or 6) who can execute your vision while you focus on strategy and growth.
Type 8 in Relationships and Intimacy
Let's talk about something most Type 8 founders avoid: vulnerability in relationships.
You're incredibly loyal once someone earns your trust. You're protective. You'll go to war for the people on your team. But getting close to you? That's terrifying for most people.
Why you struggle with relationships:
You test people constantly to see if they're weak
You mistake intimacy for weakness
You have difficulty expressing soft emotions
You can be controlling in personal relationships
You push people away when they get too close
You equate vulnerability with being hurt
I've consulted Type 8 founders who've gone through multiple co-founders, not because of competence issues, but because they couldn't build actual trust. They couldn't let anyone in.
One Type 8 founder told me, "I can't show my team when I'm scared. They'll lose confidence in me." But here's what actually happened: his team already knew he was scared. They could feel it. By not acknowledging it, he just seemed dishonest.
What healthy Type 8 relationships look like:
You learn that vulnerability is strength, not weakness
You trust people without constantly testing them
You express care and affection openly
You allow others to support you
You share decision-making power
You admit when you're wrong
The Type 8 founders who build the most successful companies are the ones who learn this lesson early.
The Challenger in the Workplace: Leadership, Careers, and Team Dynamics
As a Type 8 founder, you're a natural leader. People follow you. The question is: are they following you because they're inspired or because they're scared?
Your leadership strengths:
You make decisions quickly and confidently
You protect your team from outside threats
You're willing to take responsibility
You push people to be their best
You cut through bureaucracy and politics
You're direct about expectations
You reward strength and competence
At Surge Startup, we've seen Type 8 founders build incredibly loyal teams when they lead well. Their people know the Type 8 will fight for them, advocate for them, and shield them from bullshit.
But here's where you fail as a leader:
You intimidate people into compliance instead of inspiring commitment
You micromanage because you don't trust others
You're too harsh in feedback
You dismiss emotions as weakness
You create fear-based cultures
You punish mistakes instead of using them as learning opportunities
You don't delegate real authority
I've watched Type 8 founders wonder why their teams don't take initiative. The answer is always the same: because you punish them when they make decisions you disagree with. So they've learned to wait for you to decide everything.
The careers where Type 8s thrive:
Entrepreneurship (obviously)
Executive leadership
Sales (especially enterprise)
Law and advocacy
Crisis management
Anything requiring difficult decisions and strong leadership
You're built for high-pressure environments where weakness gets punished and strength gets rewarded.
Team dynamics to watch:
You clash with other Type 8s (too many alphas in the room)
You can overwhelm Type 9s who shut down under pressure
You respect Type 3s who deliver results
You may undervalue Type 2s and 4s who lead with emotion
You work well with Type 1s if you respect their standards
You need someone who can stand up to you (Type 6 can be good for this)
The best teams for Type 8 founders include at least one person who's not intimidated by you and will tell you when you're wrong.
A Path to Vulnerability: Key Growth Strategies for Type 8
Okay, here's the hard part. Everything I'm about to tell you will feel wrong, weak, and uncomfortable. Do it anyway.
1. Practice Admitting You Don't Know
The next time you're in a meeting and you don't know the answer to something, say "I don't know." Just those three words.
I know it feels like weakness. It's not. It's honesty. And your team will respect you more for it, not less.
One Type 8 founder I worked with started doing this and was shocked when his team started being more honest with him about problems. Turns out when the leader admits fallibility, others feel safe doing the same.
2. Ask for Help Before You Need It
Don't wait until you're drowning to ask for support. Practice asking for help with small things when you're still in control.
"Can you handle this client call for me?" "I need your input on this decision." "I'm struggling with this—what do you think?"
The only solution to your control issues is learning to trust others with real responsibility.
3. Pause Before Reacting
When you feel anger rising, pause for literally five seconds before responding. Just five seconds.
I've taught this to multiple Type 8 founders. It's remarkable how many relationships it saves. That five-second pause is the difference between a productive conversation and a destroyed relationship.
4. Express Appreciation Regularly
You probably think people know you appreciate them. They don't. Say it explicitly.
"Thanks for handling that. You did great work." "I appreciate you staying late to finish this." "You're killing it on this project."
This feels unnecessary to you. It's not. Your team needs to hear it.
5. Allow Yourself to Feel Vulnerable Emotions
Fear, sadness, uncertainty—these aren't weaknesses. They're human emotions. Let yourself actually feel them instead of immediately converting them to anger.
The best solution is to find at least one person (therapist, coach, trusted friend) with whom you can be completely honest about your fears.
6. Delegate Real Authority
This is your biggest challenge. Give someone on your team complete authority over something important. Then don't override their decisions.
I know your brain is screaming right now. "But what if they make the wrong choice?" They might. Let them. That's how people grow.
At Surge Startup, we've helped Type 8 founders learn to delegate by starting small. Pick one area that's important but not mission-critical. Give someone full authority. Force yourself not to interfere for 30 days.
You'll be amazed at what people can accomplish when you actually trust them.
7. Practice Listening Without Planning Your Response
In conversations, practice actually listening to what people say instead of formulating your counterargument while they're talking.
This is harder than it sounds. Your instinct is to dominate conversations, not participate in them.
8. Apologize When You're Wrong
This might be your hardest challenge. When you mess up, apologize clearly and without qualifications.
Not "I'm sorry you feel that way." Not "I apologize if I was too harsh, but you need to understand..."
Just: "I was wrong. I'm sorry. What can I do to make it right?"
I've seen Type 8 founders transform their entire company culture by learning to apologize genuinely.
Real Talk: The Type 8 Founder Paradox
Here's what I've observed after 7 years of working with Type 8 founders: you're incredible at building companies but terrible at building relationships. And in the long run, the relationships matter more than you think.
The most successful Type 8 founders I've worked with all made the same shift. They stopped seeing strength as the absence of vulnerability and started seeing it as the courage to be vulnerable.
That's true power. Not dominating everyone around you. But being strong enough that you don't need to dominate anyone.
You have natural advantages as a founder that other types don't have. You take action while others hesitate. You make hard decisions while others waffle. You push through obstacles that would stop anyone else.
But you also have natural disadvantages. You burn relationships. You create fear. You isolate yourself. You refuse help when you need it most.
The Type 8 founders who build lasting, successful companies are the ones who learn to lead with both power and heart.
My Challenge to You
If you're a Type 8 founder reading this, I want you to do something that will feel weak: identify one person on your team and ask them, "What's one thing I do that makes it harder for you to do your job?"
Then shut up and listen. Don't defend. Don't explain. Don't justify. Just listen.
Then thank them and actually change the behavior they mentioned.
I know this feels like surrendering control. It's not. It's gaining wisdom.
Building a SaaS product requires more than just willpower and intensity. It requires building a team that wants to run through walls for you, not because they're scared of you, but because they believe in you.
At the end of the day, we're building companies for the long term, not just winning today's battle. Make sure you're building something sustainable, not just something powerful.
At Surge Startup, we help Type 8 founders channel their intensity into building products that scale—and teams that last. If you think there's a match between your requirements and our services, feel free to reach out at abhi@surgestartup.com.
Just don't send me an angry email if this article hit too close to home. I've already worked with enough Type 8s to know how you handle uncomfortable truths.