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Why I'll be a solo founder next time

dennybritz.com

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Re: Why I'll be a solo founder next time

#81

Post by w0rd-driven »

kposehn wrote: post #28

> In particular, don’t found a startup with people that ... have newborn kids As a startup founder with a newborn (well, 14-month-old) I would say that this shouldn't be a global condition. There are plenty like me that I know who can put forth their full commitment - because we have supportive spouses that are completely on board with our entrepreneurial ambitions.

I'll agree and raise another important point: With enough money, almost nothing is a barrier.

I wouldn't found a startup with no income and looking to leverage that success early or your family will starve. If you have an adequate enough padding though, and yes a supportive family, you can easily be solo.

Re: Why I'll be a solo founder next time

#82

Post by [deleted] »

dennybritz wrote: post #29
jhuckestein wrote: post #25

It sounds like your previous endeavors failed before the stages in which you'd wish you had one or more great co-founders. What if you raise a lot of money and want to share the responsibility with someone? What if something urgently needs to be done during Christmas? Who else could you ask to cancel their vacation? (unless Ron Conway is amongst your investors ;)). In my experience it's easier to start something alon…

Yep, you're right. Both of my previous two startups failed in the early stages. I think down the road there's no way around hiring a great team if you want to scale..

[deleted]

Re: Why I'll be a solo founder next time

#83

Post by AznHisoka »

I hear a lot of stories of people that have a tough time finding co-founders. My tip would be to not just find any random Joe Schmoe in a tech meetup, or even similarly minded people who want to be entrepreneurs. Rather I would find people who already have done a Show HN with a similar idea, or someone who launched a competitor product (by himself/herself), and ask if they want to partner with you.

You'd be surprised because most of those people themselves want a cofounder as well to take the product to the next level.

Re: Why I'll be a solo founder next time

#85

Post by LekkoscPiwa »

whiddershins wrote: post #73
ChuckMcM wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect this is a key insight. There is a colloquialism for a company of people all trying to be 'the boss' called "Too many Chiefs, not enough Indians" (in reference to the tribal organization of Native American tribes, where in fact there was exactly one Chief who was the final arbiter) but another spin on this is "Too many Medicine men, not enough Indians." The "fantasy" life of a startup founder is that they se…

""(in reference to the tribal organization of Native American tribes, where in fact there was exactly one Chief who was the final arbiter)"" AFAIK absolutely false. It is also a gross generalization about a diverse group of people with differing sociopolitical structures. I would suggest reading "Empire of the Summer Moon" for an example of a famous and incredibly egalitarian American construct, or just read about Ir…

omg, secret political correctness police, please go away!

Re: Why I'll be a solo founder next time

#86

Post by w0rd-driven »

beat wrote: post #49
doobius wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that it is exhausting. I'm 2 months into a solo founded startup and the mental fatigue is not what I expected. Reflecting on it now, it certainly makes sense, but I just didn't know that it can be so taxing. I've told myself that if I make it to a next round of funding I need to find a partner stat.

Two months? Just wait. I'm 9 months in solo, and day-jobbing to pay for the bootstrap. It's incredibly exhausting. If I could find a co-founder or two, I'd be thrilled. But finding someone really worth their weight hasn't happened yet. And I'm not going to just sit there and ignore this opportunity just because I can't find someone to hold my hand while I'm doing it. I'm going to get it out the door, even if I have t…

I'd suspect there are a number of people in your shoes and in the shoes of this entire thread.

I read these responses and thought "Hmm I wonder what it is they're doing. Maybe I could help or at least offer some brain power?" then realized clicking usernames revealed dick-all about any one of you.

I had a thought "Why hasn't there been a matchmaking service for entrepreneurs?" A quick Google search gave me the answer: some already exist. You could try one of those. Alternatively you could use HN to help solicit help by using the about section or use posts like this to give some modicum of detail.

When I see nothing in your about section and nothing in these messages that seem to explain the "what" you're trying to accomplish, I have a hard time believing you're really serious about your search.

It's more likely that you have your own system of who you deal with or you're just passively searching, severely. That's all perfectly fine, just not something I would be doing in either of your shoes.

Re: Why I'll be a solo founder next time

#87

Post by hannibal5 »

regal wrote: post #50
RyanZAG wrote: post #3

Interesting points, but a lot of it is contradictory to the advice you hear from successful startups, so I'd take this with a grain of salt. "I believe that my previous two ventures failed mainly because of the founding team (which I’m included in). How do I know? Because companies with almost identical products and value propositions succeeded afterwards. " I'm not sure if you're drawing the correct lesson there. So…

I'll chime in here and say that reading this article sounded exactly like reading about my own 3 previous (failed) partnerships. My sole successful venture has been solo all along (not including employees), and has outlasted the rises and falls of the other businesses (during the amateur entrepreneur "too many fingers in too many pies" phase). I don't think I'd do a partnership again. But maybe I just don't play well…

If you have visionary guy in your startup, he should come with good marketing skills and that should be his main job, so that he can do what he is good at. Selling the vision to customers and investors can be very valuable. Guy who knows the product sells the vision and not the actual product can be very valuable, because the actual product is moving target anyway.

"Every successful enterprise requires three men - a dreamer, a businessman, and a son-of-a-bitch." -- Peter McArthur.

Re: Why I'll be a solo founder next time

#88

Post by da02 »

whiddershins wrote: post #73
ChuckMcM wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect this is a key insight. There is a colloquialism for a company of people all trying to be 'the boss' called "Too many Chiefs, not enough Indians" (in reference to the tribal organization of Native American tribes, where in fact there was exactly one Chief who was the final arbiter) but another spin on this is "Too many Medicine men, not enough Indians." The "fantasy" life of a startup founder is that they se…

""(in reference to the tribal organization of Native American tribes, where in fact there was exactly one Chief who was the final arbiter)"" AFAIK absolutely false. It is also a gross generalization about a diverse group of people with differing sociopolitical structures. I would suggest reading "Empire of the Summer Moon" for an example of a famous and incredibly egalitarian American construct, or just read about Ir…

Thanks for pointing that out for those curious about organizations and history. The more I learn about history, the more I am reminded of the phrase: "It's complicated."

Re: Why I'll be a solo founder next time

#89

Post by 7Figures2Commas »

jmaskell wrote: post #46

I believe that being a solo founder contributed to the failure of my startup. In short, it puts a lot of pressure on yourself, that can't be split with other members of the team. If the ship is sinking, you have to go down with it. Other friends and mentors can offer support, but they're not in the same boat as you. When times are tough, founders can help pull each other through. I think the reasons described in the…

Don't take this the wrong way, but your entire rationale for having co-founders seems to be based on fear and negativity. Your comment implies that you're most interested in providing yourself with the comfort that somebody else is taking risk too and will be there to drown with you when the ship sinks.

Per my other comment, this is simply the wrong reason to bring on a co-founder. If you truly aren't confident in the opportunity you've identified and don't feel comfortable owning your pursuit of it, convincing two or three other people to come along for the ride isn't going to prevent failure. In fact, it's probably only going to make the process of failing even more stressful.

Re: Why I'll be a solo founder next time

#90

Post by 7Figures2Commas »

austenallred wrote: post #21
7Figures2Commas wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Building a solid team does not require one or more co-founders. It is entirely possible to start a company on your own, hire employees/contractors and then recruit for key leadership positions. Mark Suster's Co-Founder Mythology ( http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2011/05/09/the-co-founder... ) and comments at Startup Grind earlier this year ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAHgGUFjK3c ) are well worth reading/watc…

I can only speak for my own experience; I would be dead in the water without a co-founder, and I would never try to do it alone, nor would I recommend someone else try alone.

Fair enough, but translating your experience into such absolutist advice is sort of like saying "I wouldn't be able to drive without an automatic transmission therefore I recommend that everyone avoid manual transmissions."
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