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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
Finding a
Co-founderby Guy Kawasaki
The Art of the
Start, version 2.0
What Co-founders Should Share
VISION
What do customers need?How will the market evolve?How will technology change?
SIZE
What do customers need?How will the market evolve?How will technologychange?
What kind of company do we want?How big a company do we want?What will our future titles be?
COMMITMENT
What are our personal priorities?What sacrifices will we make?How long will we do this?
How Co-founders Should Differ
EXPERTISE
What can you do that I can’t?What can I do that you can’t?What can neither of us do?
ORIENTATION
Who’s got the microscope?Who’s got the telescope?Who’s got the gyroscope?
PERSPECTIVE
Young versus old?Engineering versus marketing?Male versus female?
Words of Wisdom
Don't rush
Take your time and do this right.
Think “marriage,” not “fling.”
Recruit to build, not to fund
Don’t hire to attract investors.
Hire to make your team stronger.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best
Make everybody vest, even you.
Do this now, before there’s
something to fight over.
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?
If you’re strong initial reaction isn’t todash over to the person, do not make him orher your cofounder. This is the second mostimportant relationship you’ll ever make inyour life—maybe the most important, in fact. So go slow, do it right,and hopefully do itonce.
Photo credits: Jrm Llvrhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/jrmllvr/
This SlideShare is based on atiny part of Guy’s upcomingbook, 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.
