Even if you want to build a scalable/fundable startup, stop looking for a cofounder. It's needy and the wrong motivation. Start working on the project get help from the smartest people you know / can find. Get their help in any capacity you can. You're more likely to find a cofounder indirectly through on this path than in an overt "cofounder search". Plus you'll actually be making progress.
Stop Looking for a Cofounder
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Re: Stop Looking for a Cofounder
#72Too many people who are new to entrepreneurship only see startups as their entry point. Part of this is media coverage, everyone is talking about funding mega rounds and the VC fueled entrepreneur world. I think many entrepreneurs are less interested in building Billion dollar companies and are more seeking freedom from suppressive corporate jobs. But when the only narrative you see is mega startups it starts to seem…
Agree completely based on my own limited observations. This emphasis on scaling up (with risk seen as a necessity), combined with an attractive definition of 'entrepreneur' vs 'small business owner' [1], cause people to forget that value can be unlocked in so many more ways. Trading your time for an income could work well for many even if it does not scale or fit the definition of 'entrepreneurship'.
[1] http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/092514/entrep...
Re: Stop Looking for a Cofounder
#73Even if you want to build a scalable/fundable startup, stop looking for a cofounder. It's needy and the wrong motivation. Start working on the project get help from the smartest people you know / can find. Get their help in any capacity you can. You're more likely to find a cofounder indirectly through on this path than in an overt "cofounder search". Plus you'll actually be making progress.
I was just about to write, "You don't look for cofounders. Cofounders happen white you're already on the journey."
Well put.
Re: Stop Looking for a Cofounder
#74Too many people who are new to entrepreneurship only see startups as their entry point. Part of this is media coverage, everyone is talking about funding mega rounds and the VC fueled entrepreneur world. I think many entrepreneurs are less interested in building Billion dollar companies and are more seeking freedom from suppressive corporate jobs. But when the only narrative you see is mega startups it starts to seem…
Do you know of any resources to learn about tech lifestyle businesses?
The http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com podcast is quite good. Rob also has a blog: http://www.softwarebyrob.com
Re: Stop Looking for a Cofounder
#75Please don't stop looking for a cofounder. It's true that all it additionally takes to be a solo-founder is self-discipline, but as a human being you are psychologically and emotionally unequipped to deal with this. Let me explain...
On History, there's a self-filmed TV show about 10 survivalist dropped off separately on Vancouver Island competing for $0.5M to be the last standing. The show is fantastic, not for the impressive survival skills, but for the human psychology. The show is called "Alone," and I'm fairly certain they (re)named the show after filming. What you witness over the course of just weeks, is nearly every wilderness expert abruptly losing their will to go on because there is nobody to share it with. They openly acknowledge that they have what it takes to continue, and were originally okay with being away from their family indefinitely, but they all just completely lose their desire and interest in winning or continuing because they are so alone.
In short, isolation doesn't just make it more difficult for you to achieve your goals, it rips the desire to achieve them from your psyche altogether! This is empirically shown and self evident in numerous aspects of society: solitary confinement being classified as torture, team dynamics, mentors, pair bonding, tribalism, etc... It's also why YC (mostly) doesn't accept solo-founders, as well as many other respected VCs.
Re: Stop Looking for a Cofounder
#76As someone who has been stressing over “needing a cofounder” lately, this is an encouraging and timely post.
However, I dislike the phrasing here:
> a 100% owner requires half the earning power of 50/50 partners–that gives him a huge advantage.
…which assumes the founder is going to be a man.
Re: Stop Looking for a Cofounder
#77Too many people who are new to entrepreneurship only see startups as their entry point. Part of this is media coverage, everyone is talking about funding mega rounds and the VC fueled entrepreneur world. I think many entrepreneurs are less interested in building Billion dollar companies and are more seeking freedom from suppressive corporate jobs. But when the only narrative you see is mega startups it starts to seem…
Do you know of any resources to learn about tech lifestyle businesses?
Pat Flynn’s site and podcast: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/
Re: Stop Looking for a Cofounder
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
From Note #1, http://www.paulgraham.com/swan.html : "The biggest exits are the only ones that matter financially, and those are guaranteed in the sense that if a company becomes big enough, a market for its shares will inevitably arise. Since the remaining outcomes don't have a significant effect on returns, it's cool with us if the founders want to sell early for a small amount, or grow slowly and never sell (i.e. b…
"only ones that matter financially" Who are you serving? Investors or yourself? The SV model is that this is all that matters but a 50M business is still a damn good business and not a "lifestyle" business. Also, read the rest of the quite-- lifestyle business was only one of the options. It's quite possible to build a fast growing business that you never sell, that's not a "lifestyle" business. The either/or dichoto…
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Re: Stop Looking for a Cofounder
#79Building shareware and selling it has nothing to do with building a business, let alone co-founders. What the author here has done is comparable to a composer selling music or an author selling a book. He built an ebay tool, and ebay sells it for him. There are many indie game developers and app developers that are successful the same way (microsoft and apple take on the sales and marketing burden respectively). Finding a co-founder is inapplicable to his situation.
The piece might as well be called "how to avoid building a business". If you want to build a business, shareware can be a good start, but avoiding getting help is no way to build something that eventually you want ticking without you. Building a business does not equate to simply making money. Any capable programmer can make money either through employment or on their own. This should never be confused with building a business.
As for building a world class business, no matter how capable you are, if you still believe you can do it alone, you still haven't grasped the magnitude of what you're in for or the foundations you need to build. Businesses are made of people. A business builder is a job creator. If you have a team working like bees, you've built a business. If you have money growing on trees, it's just income.
Re: Stop Looking for a Cofounder
#80Please don't stop looking for a cofounder. It's true that all it additionally takes to be a solo-founder is self-discipline, but as a human being you are psychologically and emotionally unequipped to deal with this. Let me explain... On History, there's a self-filmed TV show about 10 survivalist dropped off separately on Vancouver Island competing for $0.5M to be the last standing. The show is fantastic, not for the…
This, more than anything else I have read on the subject (plenty), is the most compelling reason I can see for having a cofounder.
However, solo founders are not necessarily “alone”. Support networks exist outside of business partnerships: friends, colleagues, spouses, mastermind groups, etc. can all help alleviate loneliness.