21–30 of 243 posts
It's still too early to declare my new project a success but compared to several failures, it seems like I've finally cracked the code. There are a number of things I am doing differently this time, but the most significant seems to be that I am now using a coach. This would have made me laugh earlier but it's been great value to me. As a single founder, it can be very hard to stick to commitments and keep a clear vi…
I shelved ideas until I had a cofounder.
I shelved other ideas until I had a cofounder and capital.
Other ideas I built myself.
I’ve met like minded people that also had the right risk profile typically at mixers and tech meetups on topics that I liked. Never for the explicit purpose of meeting a cofounder. Just people that happened to be in the same fireside chat as me that contributed good conversation. Its all luck but you can improve the odds.
It's still too early to declare my new project a success but compared to several failures, it seems like I've finally cracked the code. There are a number of things I am doing differently this time, but the most significant seems to be that I am now using a coach. This would have made me laugh earlier but it's been great value to me. As a single founder, it can be very hard to stick to commitments and keep a clear vi…
Serial single founder here. Start building and start selling. If you can’t deliver a product to a paying customer solo then you’re not cut out to be a sole founder.
That's easy to say. I can deliver the product, but I'm worried about sales taxes, VAT, compliance with laws, administration, support, etc.
First, don't. Actually, its good you ask about attracting co-founders and talent, that's a critical part of success. You're going to want a strong, like-minded cofounder and strong team to help you succeed. The journey is more fun and will likely be more successful with he right team...So, how? Network.....
> First, don't. No one got anywhere by doing nothing. I would think its better to try and fail.
the very same idea could be implemented in different ways, some would work, some other would fail
the only way to be sure is to build it and ship it, eg. "does my implementation provide value to customers or not?"
it does not have to be big, it does not have to be perfect, it does not have to be complete (avoid the features creep), but the implementation itself or the product is what determine the value or potential value
other people like co-founder, talents, etc. are basically people who will see the value but think "hey I can build that better", "I can sell that better", etc. and decide to join you in the process
so yeah pretty much "Start building and start selling"
for the founding part it will be either you have the skills (tech, marketing, whatever) and so invest your time, or miss some of those skills and use your own money to cover those parts
I do not believe you can rely solely on "strong ideas"
So far I enjoy it a lot, I can experiment, live my own life and if I fail, I'll fail, no worries. I do realise, however, that I will sooner or later face the wall and I'll need someone to support me. But I still have time.
Your three superpowers as a solo founder need to be: 1) Deep expertise and network with potential customers 2) Ability to empathize and connect with your customers and sell the thing 3) Ability to build some sort of MVP The deep expertise and empathy will allow you to hone in on the problem you know your customers will face, and so you can narrow down the "paradox of choice" of different features/products you can bui…
Would love to connect to learn more about your experiences- I'm at matt@puresomni.com. Is there a best email to reach you at?
Cheers,
Matt