🔑 How to Find Your Ideal Co-Founder: 5 Essential Keys...

6 essential keys to finding the right co-founder for your startup journey: Instead of pitching your idea, focus on ideating together from the outset. Seek like-minded individuals, spend time understanding their skills, and collaboratively explore ideas. This approach fosters shared ownership and lays the groundwork for a strong partnership.

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Building a startup solo is as tough as it is risky. Your chances of success are just so much higher when building with teammates. That’s why over 90% of YC’s startup intake are teams, not solos. And the reason is typically as simple as: building a startup is too much work (and too complex) for one person.

But how do you find co-founders?

In the consulting work we do, we get this question a lot. You have an idea, but you lack some of the skills and know-how to get it going. And therein lies the problem.

Co-founders need to “own” ideas together. Before you can own shares, you need to conjure up and own the idea together. Why?

• If it's your idea, it's your baby. You want to see it grow and you care deeply. Another person? Not so much. They will look after your child, and pass the bottle when you ask for it, but when it cries at night, you will be the one to get up.
• If it's your idea, there is healthy pressure to make it work. You told your family and friends about this enthusiastically and now you gotta make it work. If it’s another guy’s idea, no big reputational risk if it fails. Off to the next one.
• If it's your idea, it came from combining experiences, observations and passions. Meaning there is substance to your contribution and it’s often what’s needed during the tough times. If your co-founder didn’t help come up with the idea, chances are there is a mismatch between what they can offer and what the startup really needs.

Maybe instead of pitching a potential partner your idea, get in a room and ideate.

1. Find like-minded people that share the same passion as you do for the said industry you want to work in.
2. Spend a lot of time together – ask questions and learn about what they see as problems in the space.
3. Get to understand their skills, experience and abilities.
4. Ideate together and figure out if you can build something simple together and get a customer.
5. If it works, it will grow organically from there anyway.

So instead of trying to convince someone to join your company that’s building your idea, find great people to ideate with from the get-go.

Still looking for your ideal co-founder match? Hit reply and share, we know some people in the space…

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