How much more difficult is it to build a startup with a single founder?
quora.com
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This problem also came up the other day in the 'what skills do self-taught programmers lack'. I am a self-taught programmer and I don't care how many engineers you have managed, you can never actually understand what skills I lack. That thread should have been a bunch of auto-didacts explaining what they've had problems with over the years. Instead it read as a bunch of cs majors listing out the cs curricula from their schools.
Having been a solo founder all my life I know just how hard it can be. I would not wish some of the lows I have had to navigate on my worst enemy.
If you are unfortunate enough to be in really difficult situations you really need the intestinal fortitude and mental stability to deal with life-changing problems. Few people in their early 20's have had enough life experience to have developed these qualities.
The problem with the co-founder model is that when life is peachy everyone is working hard and having a good time. However, when things turn ugly if all founders are not equipped to manage the situation it can easily turn in to a nightmare. Things like not being able to make payroll, facing lawsuits, facing bankruptcy, catastrophic supply chain problems (manufacturing), etc. can easily create a set of conditions that can break apart a partnership that was great during good times.
While I will not dispute that having like-minded co-founders can be an advantage, I am of the opinion that --for a certain type of businesses-- I'd rather go solo than run the risk of partnering with someone who might become my worst enemy when things become difficult. The right partner, however, can be an incredible asset, no question about it.
I don't think there's an easy universal answer to this question.
Percentage of singe-founder startup discussion: 59.5%
Percentage of meta Quora / question format discussion: 40.5%
The people have spoken.
And I agree with the earlier posters - age is a big factor here, and not just because of the additional self-discipline and knowledge that it tends to produce. Assuming that you're starting something in a field you already know well, you probably have a lot of people you can call on for advice, help, resources, etc., not to mention more than a few credits in the favor bank. In other words, you're really not as solo as you were in your early 20's. Nor are you as likely to spend as much time trying to define your market, identify your customers, and work out your acquisition costs.
In other words, your need to iterate is probably a lot lower, since and older founder is more likely to be operating with a measure of specialized or otherwise hard-to-get insight, and are aiming for something specific that isn't low-hanging fruit, and that may depend - critically - on well established relationships.
From what I understand, the tech world is one of the few places where founders are commonly so young. I've lost the citation, but I believe the average age for start-up founders in the broader economy is 38.
Same here, basically. I'm not opposed to joining up with a co-founder or two (in fact, I'm actively seeking them) but I'm not going to stop working just because it's only me at-the-moment. F%!# that.
Posting here on HN; tweeting; emailing old friends, former co-workers and asking them; standing up at meetings like TriJUG, TriLUG, etc. and announcing that I'm looking for a co-founder; hitting up the recruiters who call trying to recruit me; asking other local entrepreneurs; running a "Hackers & Founders" meetup, etc., etc.
And I do have a couple of irons in the fire, including one acquaintance I've known for a while, who is in graduate school and is interested in possibly joining me once he graduates in a month or so. Also one former co-worker who may be interested. It's been a slow process, but I'm not eager to jump in bed (so to speak) with just anybody either. I'm looking for somebody who's passionate about startup-life, willing to go "balls-out" to succeed, and - ideally - has a complementary skill-set to my own.
After several years of learning the tools, I have more to offer, and I'm much more prepared to evaluate a potential co-founder. But that's only because I HAVE been doing it alone.
Had the wrong cofounder on the third one though, and I can't stress enough how important having the right cofounder is after that experience. It wasn't all bad, and could have been much worse, but enough to know how important a choice that is.
I'd break it down into 3 things to look for in a cofounder: proof that they're hard-working, that they have complementary skills, and that you really gel with each other. Kinda gotta feel the last one out, but the others should show up in their past work and their work ethic.
I guess I'm just not sure where the line is drawn between a founder and the 1st employee
With some companies, that first employee can be a bit of a hybrid (taking a crappy salary and a non-trivial bit of equity).
He does all of the "help me understand" when things need clarity. He also keep me on track and not mucking around on the internet ( except the occasional hacker-news comment ;] )
Another bonus I have found is that having a non-technical mind allows him to put a unique perspective. One example is he wanted a list of all of the new pages on the internet every day ... I initially laughed at this, but after talking to him and going backwards and forwards his query turned back into a product that we ended up selling. I never would have thought of it had there not been his zany idea.
Coming from somebody who was the single founder for 5 months, I would say, much more difficult doing it yourself.
- rudimentary stuff like web copy updates inevitably have to be done by me making it feel like I'm a glorified gopher
- a total lack of understanding on their part about the technology we're using (web apps, Facebook apps, UX, etc.) and lack of willingness to learn/contribute somewhere there
- a fixation with networking and building relationships as opposed to contributing directly to the product. Not one of these contacts has significantly impacted our product or bottom line despite numerous meetings, coffees, etc.
- big disagreements over our financial model. I advocated pursuing revenue immediately from day one vs. the "let's grow a big audience and figure out how to monetize later." This was a big source of tension. It took over a year for this person to realize our acquisition/monetization ratio was completely FUBAR before we "pivoted" to an actual revenue model. Now we're playing catch up.
- serious damage to our friendship. Now we only talk during the work week, never outside of it.
I give this person credit for raising the initial funding, however, I can't help but wonder if I'd be better off solo and trying to find a cofounder later as Mark Suster's article mentions. Part of me wants to walk, but another part feels like I should just suck it up and see it through until the end.
On another note what does "sucking it up until the end" entail? Where is the end? What happens when you get there? Lastly, what's the worst thing that would happen if you were to walk away?
Just some questions that popped into my mind. Hopefully you find them useful. Best of luck.
I am fixing that now though by learning to code - but at the same time, people need to also recognize that non-technical does NOT immediately mean "Marketing/MBA".
Everyone is/should be Sales though.