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For me the biggest advantage to having is a co-founder is the psychological support it brings. Being a single-founder is a lonely, pressurised position to be in

by phpnode 16y ago

For me the biggest advantage to having is a co-founder is the psychological support it brings. Being a single-founder is a lonely, pressurised position to be in, it can take its toll. The biggest problem is that there's no one there to share the burden, even if you have the most supportive friends and family and get the best business advice, nothing beats being able to have a frank, detailed discussion about the company with someone who's in the exact same position as you, whose goals and fate are intertwined. For this reason, I think it really helps if the co founders are in a similar position financially, for example, if one co founder is struggling to pay the bills, can't afford to eat etc and the other is financially comfortable, this might become a bone of contention between the two. The struggling co founder might feel that the other isn't putting as much work in because they don't have the same kind of pressure on their shoulders, the better off co founder might feel obligated to support the other one, and that introduces possible equity squabbles later on.

jacquesm 16y ago
That's an excellent point actually, I should have included that somehow. If founders are of a very disproportionate level of wealth then that can create a lot of friction. One of the reasons is that for one co-founder the business is a life-or-death matter, whereas for the other it may merely be a way to get through the day in an interesting way. I've seen one such situation up close and it caused a lot of trouble.
mmt 16y ago
An excellent point, I agree. Would you (or anyone) care to coment on a difference of situation based on lifestyle choice? That is, have yous seen co-founders who are very similar in "class"[1] background and current earning potential but whose financial situations diverge? I'm thinking along the lines of choosing to start a family versus being single. This may, of course, not be an issue for founders freshly freed from school, but I keep reading that YC has older participants, too. [1] Mostly the "economic" part of "socio-economic class". Even this may be without much meaning in the US.

by phpnode 16y ago

jacquesm 16y ago

That's an excellent point actually, I should have included that somehow. If founders are of a very disproportionate level of wealth then that can create a lot of friction. One of the reasons is that for one co-founder the business is a life-or-death matter, whereas for the other it may merely be a way to get through the day in an interesting way. I've seen one such situation up close and it caused a lot of trouble.

mmt 16y ago

An excellent point, I agree. Would you (or anyone) care to coment on a difference of situation based on lifestyle choice? That is, have yous seen co-founders who are very similar in "class"[1] background and current earning potential but whose financial situations diverge? I'm thinking along the lines of choosing to start a family versus being single. This may, of course, not be an issue for founders freshly freed from school, but I keep reading that YC has older participants, too. [1] Mostly the "economic" part of "socio-economic class". Even this may be without much meaning in the US.