Weekly Business Insights from Top Ten Business Magazines | Week 290 | Entrepreneurship Section | 1

Extractive summaries of and key takeaways from the articles curated from TOP TEN BUSINESS MAGAZINES to promote informed business decision-making | Week 290 | March 31-April 6, 2023

How to Choose the Right Co-Founder for Your New Startup

By Hillel Fuld | Inc Magazine | March 16, 2023

Listen to the Extractive Summary of the Article

Choosing the right co-founder might be the single most important decision you’ll make in the journey of your startup. Some tips on how to search, find, and hire your co-founder:

1. Define Your Needs and Weaknesses.  Before embarking on your search for a co-founder, take a step back and evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest about your skillset, and identify areas where you could use support. This exercise will help you pinpoint the type of person who will best complement your abilities.
2. Seek complementary skills.  When choosing a co-founder, look for someone who has skills that complement yours. A well-rounded partnership will ensure that both co-founders have a solid understanding of different aspects of the business. As human beings, we generally choose to be around people who are just like us. This is the last thing you’ll want when choosing a co-founder. You need to find someone who is fundamentally different than you, at least in terms of your skills.
3. Align your vision.  A shared vision is crucial for the success of any partnership. Before committing to a partnership, have a conversation about your long-term goals and ensure that both of you are on the same page.  A good way to start that conversation is with two simple questions, “What do you think should be our end game with this company? What does success look like?”
4. Test compatibility in a working environment.  Before finalizing a partnership, it’s essential to work together on a small project to test your compatibility. This trial run will reveal how well you communicate, resolve conflicts, and collaborate. 
5. Ensure financial transparency.  Discuss your financial expectations early on and be open about your financial situation. Establishing a clear understanding of each other’s financial expectations will minimize misunderstandings and foster a healthy working relationship.
6. Look for emotional intelligence.  In addition to technical skills, a co-founder with high emotional intelligence is invaluable. EQ enables people to manage their own emotions and navigate interpersonal relationships effectively. A co-founder with high EQ will help maintain a positive work environment and foster strong relationships with employees, investors, and customers.
7. Be prepared to compromise.  In any partnership, compromise is inevitable. Both you and your co-founder will need to make concessions and adapt to each other’s work styles. Open communication and a willingness to find common ground will be key to maintaining a successful partnership.
8. Trust your instincts.  Lastly, trust your instincts. A strong gut feeling can be a powerful indicator of whether a partnership will succeed or fail. If you have any doubts or hesitations about a potential co-founder, take a step back and reevaluate the relationship.

2 key takeaways from the article

1. Choosing the right co-founder might be the single most important decision you’ll make in the journey of your startup.
2. Some tips on how to search, find, and hire your co-founder are: define your needs and weaknesses, seek complementary skills, align your vision, test compatibility in a working environment,  ensure financial transparency, look for emotional intelligence, be prepared to compromise, and trust your instincts.

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Topics:  Startups, Partnership, Success