The Art of Picking a Co-founder
People love the notion of the sole innovator, but this notion is wrong. Successful companies are usually started, and become successful, with the contributions of at least two people. Yin and yang, maker and seller, dreamer and pragmatist — call it what you will. After the fact, people may recognize one founder as the innovator, but it takes a team to make a new venture work. Derek Sivers, the co-founder of CD Baby, said it best: “The first follower is what transforms the lone nut into a leader.” In some instances the first follower is the first customer, but most often the first follower is the second employee of a company — that is, the co-founder. There are few factors that can make a company more successful, fun, and epic than an awesome co-founder. There are few factors that can make a company more unsuccessful, aggravating, and pathetic than an incompetent, lazy, or dishonest co-founder. This SlideShare explains the art of the picking a co-founder and is part of the LinkedIn Influencer series for #mystartupstory. Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jrmllvr/
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The Art of Picking a Co-founder
- 1. The Art of Finding a Co-founder by Guy Kawasaki The Art of the Start, version 2.0
- 2. What Co-founders Should Share
- 3. VISION What do customers need? How will the market evolve? How will technology change?
- 4. SIZE What do customers need? How will the market evolve? How will technology change? What kind of company do we want? How big a company do we want? What will our future titles be?
- 5. COMMITMENT What are our personal priorities? What sacrifices will we make? How long will we do this?
- 6. How Co-founders Should Differ
- 7. EXPERTISE What can you do that I can’t? What can I do that you can’t? What can neither of us do?
- 8. ORIENTATION Who’s got the microscope? Who’s got the telescope? Who’s got the gyroscope?
- 9. PERSPECTIVE Young versus old? Engineering versus marketing? Male versus female?
- 10. Words of Wisdom
- 11. Take your time and do this right. Think “marriage,” not “fling.” Don't rush
- 12. Don’t hire to attract investors. Hire to make your team stronger. Recruit to build, not to fund
- 13. Make everybody vest, even you. Do this now, before there’s something to fight over. Plan for the worst, hope for the best
- 14. Pass the Shopping Center Test If you saw your potential co-founder at a shopping center, what would you do? Leave to chance that you make contact? Go to another shopping center? Run right over?
- 15. If you’re strong initial reaction isn’t to dash over to the person, do not make him or her your cofounder. This is the second most important relationship you’ll ever make in your life—maybe the most important, in fact. So go slow, do it right,and hopefully do it once.
- 16. This SlideShare is based on a tiny part of Guy’s upcoming book, The Art of the Start, Version 2.0. If you like it, there’s a lot more from where this came. The book will be out in March, 2015. Photo credits: Jrm Llvr https://www.flickr.com/photos/jrmllvr/