How To Pick A Co-Founder for your start-up

The business world can be a very difficult place, sometimes, with multiple sinkholes that can suck any business up, irrespective of, how long the business has been in existence.

One slight mistake, or, negligence and the business that you have laboured to build, for so many years, will come crashing down, with you, standing there, watching and feeling helpless.

The entrepreneurship journey is, such a lonely journey that, when you embark on it alone, there is a 60 percent chance that, you will fail, but the odds of you failing, reduces drastically when you have a partner.

For these reasons, most Pre-seed Acceleration and Incubator programs, rarely, accept one founder. They, mostly, accept and fund start-ups, with two, or, more founders.

Picking a co-founder is a very important step, when building up your start-up and it is, as important as, determining your product, go-to-market plans and investors.
There are lots of start-ups, across the world that has, just, two co-founders.

Two persons, (possibly, bosom friends, or, who may have worked together, somewhere, sometimes), come together, to form a business.

While one may be good in building products, the other may be good at marketing and selling the products.

I believe that some names are just, popping up, in your mind, right now, such as Hewlett and Packard, Larry and Sergei, Yang and Filo, Omidyar and Skoll, Jobs and Wozniak, Allen and Gates, Ellison and Lane, etc.

Two, may not, necessarily, be the magic number and have one, or, more, co-founders, does not, automatically, mean that, your business will succeed as, other crucial factors, also, need to be considered.

In three founder companies, however, politics may, slowly, creep in, coupled, with the likelihood, for bad blood to be brewing, from bad blood.

Four and five are extreme and it is, highly advisable, to avoid it.

Two is the ideal number because, it is, basically, easy to manage each other.

Below are 3 things you need to focus on, when picking a co-founder:

Roll With Someone You Have A History With

It is, way easy, to talk to someone that, you have known for years than, someone you just met.

You would have built a relationship, with him/her and you both, will understand yourselves, to some degree.

Sometimes, founders need to look at each other and shout at each other, cry with each other, laugh at each other, as well as, advise each other.

Find Someone Incredibly Intelligence, With High Energy

It is, highly, essential that, you both complement each other.

The hunger and drive, to keep moving, must be there. Work with someone, who is, highly, intelligent, with boundless energy that can complement you.

Look closely for these signs because, a time will come, when you will both need each other’s strength.

Do Not Settle For Anyone

If it does not feel right, keep looking and do not compromise. Have a clear idea, of what you want and go all out to get the person.

Convince him/her, about your dreams and goals, as well as, ensure that, they buy into it.

The DNA of a company is, set by the founders and its culture is, an extension of the founders’ personalities, which leaks down, to the staff.

Featured Image: Medium

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