One of the key elements of creating a new religion is some sort of social tension. Be it a racial conflict between groups, core disagreements amongst peoples of a religion such as the Lutheran Catholicism schism, or some sort of other major issue. Racial tension was one of the reasons for the creation of the Bahai. Conflict between the Kurds and the Shi'i along with some of the other groups provide ample disagreements to break off from one another entirely.
Fast or slow is a question of perspective. It could take the better part of a person's lifetime to get a religion started at all, and chances are it wouldn't really get going until after the death of the founder. Religion is a constantly evolving and changing beast. Rapid changes are possible, but most changes are slow taking place over hundreds of year. The Lutheran schism is an example of a rapid change, while the gradual evolution of Catholicism has taken place over thousand of years.
A strong founder is crucial to the success of a religion. Without a founder there will be no set direction for the religion to evolve. People need someone to unite under, a figure they can relate to. Without a figure head there is no easy way to interact with other religions or political leaders. The Catholic pope while not a founder is an obvious leader. He controls which way the church evolves and maintains the beliefs of the founder. Many founders are considered prophets and ultimately hold a special place in the mythology of the religion.
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