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Thanks for sharing! I have spent a lot of time as a solo founder and I’ve spent time as a co-founder. I thought it might be helpful to contrast my experiences.

Thanks for sharing! I have spent a lot of time as a solo founder and I’ve spent time as a co-founder. I thought it might be helpful to contrast my experiences. As a solo founder I found that the highs were muted and the lows were amplified. This likely won’t be true for everyone but this was very true for me. As a solo founder I often felt like I had no idea if I was working on the right thing because there are so many things that need to be done. Being able to divide and conquer is a great feeling. I’ve read that statistically your chances of succeeding are higher as a co-founder. This idea can really get in your head if your having a rough week. As a co-founder you might sometimes feel like you are carrying all of the weight and others are benefiting more from your hard work. Don’t worry, the next time you get sick they will carry on for you. It goes both ways. Not everyone will put out the same effort every day but hopefully it averages out. Personally I’m a very social person even though I sometimes feel like an introvert. Just because you can live life alone doesn’t mean it is the best choice for everyone. Now that I’m married and have a daughter I can’t imagine how lonely I would be if I had to go back to experiencing life alone. Similarly, working with people who you care about to some degree can be a great reward and motivator. Everyone is different and solo founders can be successful. For me, having experienced both, I will find a friend to join me on my journies from now on.

idlewords 8y ago
"Statistically your chances of succeeding are higher as a co-founder" is true in the sense that accelerators like YC have this as a selection criterion. I'd be curious to see if this is true without the selection effect.
- whitepoplar 8y ago
  There's this, https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/2-founders-are-not-always-better-1 https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/2-founders-are..., which I intuitively agree with, but I'm not sure how strong MBA-style research can be.
  - sroussey 8y ago
    It’s difficult to know. Knowledge of such a study can get internalized into a founders psyche and become self fulfilling. And they are the type to do so (both seeking out this kind of report and being impacted by it).
no1youknowz 8y ago
> As a solo founder I often felt like I had no idea if I was working on the right thing because there are so many things that need to be done. As a solo founder myself. Here's how to solve that problem. If you pre-launch speak to potential customers. If you are post-launch, speak to your customers. Those who are in the weeds and touch your application/competitors application on a daily basis are the ones who will give the best and most important feedback and from there you will know what to work on.
- todd3834 8y ago
  Great tip! This would be good for companies of any size.
proy24 8y ago
Solo founder is such a loaded term. Every freelancer, dropshipper, consultant is also a solo-founder. it's just not as glamorous as building a venture backed product.
- jwr 8y ago
  No, a solo founder is someone who starts a new product business. That is very different from consulting, freelancing, etc, where you sell your time.
  - tonyedgecombe 8y ago
    Did you just make that rule up?
- john_moscow 8y ago
  There's lots of bullshit on both sides. "Building a venture-backed product" these days often means "being a full-time salesperson peddling grossly overvalued equity by trying to schmooze people who don't understand the underlying tech because that's the only way for the existing investors to exit".
nyrulez 8y ago
How do you find the "right" co-founder? Or it doesn't really matter as long as you trust them and they are good enough? I have had some folks in my network offer to join as "co-founders" but it's been tricky to figure out if I should just go for it because "co-founders are awesome".
- todd3834 8y ago
  That’s a great question. I don’t think there is one perfect answer. However I would suggest that you find someone whom you’ve worked with at some point so you know if you work together well. If you don’t have previous experience working with a potential co-founder then I would suggest you try hiring them for a short project to get a sense. Or even better start something new with them so you’re both equally invested and if it doesn’t work out then you still have your original project.
  - nyrulez 8y ago
    Thanks - it's been tricky to say "no" and it feels weird to ask them to do a trial before. I think it depends on them as they might feel they are not "good enough" and it requires a certain level of maturity to realize trials are good for both of us.

idlewords 8y ago

"Statistically your chances of succeeding are higher as a co-founder" is true in the sense that accelerators like YC have this as a selection criterion. I'd be curious to see if this is true without the selection effect.

whitepoplar 8y ago
There's this, https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/2-founders-are-not-always-better-1 https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/2-founders-are..., which I intuitively agree with, but I'm not sure how strong MBA-style research can be.
- sroussey 8y ago
  It’s difficult to know. Knowledge of such a study can get internalized into a founders psyche and become self fulfilling. And they are the type to do so (both seeking out this kind of report and being impacted by it).

no1youknowz 8y ago

> As a solo founder I often felt like I had no idea if I was working on the right thing because there are so many things that need to be done. As a solo founder myself. Here's how to solve that problem. If you pre-launch speak to potential customers. If you are post-launch, speak to your customers. Those who are in the weeds and touch your application/competitors application on a daily basis are the ones who will give the best and most important feedback and from there you will know what to work on.

todd3834 8y ago
Great tip! This would be good for companies of any size.

proy24 8y ago

Solo founder is such a loaded term. Every freelancer, dropshipper, consultant is also a solo-founder. it's just not as glamorous as building a venture backed product.

jwr 8y ago
No, a solo founder is someone who starts a new product business. That is very different from consulting, freelancing, etc, where you sell your time.
- tonyedgecombe 8y ago
  Did you just make that rule up?
john_moscow 8y ago
There's lots of bullshit on both sides. "Building a venture-backed product" these days often means "being a full-time salesperson peddling grossly overvalued equity by trying to schmooze people who don't understand the underlying tech because that's the only way for the existing investors to exit".

nyrulez 8y ago

How do you find the "right" co-founder? Or it doesn't really matter as long as you trust them and they are good enough? I have had some folks in my network offer to join as "co-founders" but it's been tricky to figure out if I should just go for it because "co-founders are awesome".

todd3834 8y ago
That’s a great question. I don’t think there is one perfect answer. However I would suggest that you find someone whom you’ve worked with at some point so you know if you work together well. If you don’t have previous experience working with a potential co-founder then I would suggest you try hiring them for a short project to get a sense. Or even better start something new with them so you’re both equally invested and if it doesn’t work out then you still have your original project.
- nyrulez 8y ago
  Thanks - it's been tricky to say "no" and it feels weird to ask them to do a trial before. I think it depends on them as they might feel they are not "good enough" and it requires a certain level of maturity to realize trials are good for both of us.