Re:Is having cofounder at early stage really that important?
by nostrademons on Thursday March 08, 2007 @12:01PM
(#2909)
There's one other problem with single founders that I don't think gets enough press:
When you're a single founder, it's very easy to think in terms of "You against the world", with other people being mere tools in your quest for global domination. Because, well, a single-founder startup really is you against the world. ;-) Unfortunately, that attitude can carry over into dealings with employees, investors, etc. No employee is going to give his best effort when he thinks he's just a tool for some entrepeneur's quest for world domination.
When you have cofounders, there's much more of a shared sense of working towards a goal. If your smart, that'll carry over to employees too: they'll feel like they're working for the company and customers and not just for you. That kind of culture is very difficult to generate after the fact. You can start with it and lose it, but you can't start without it and hope to gain it.
It's interesting that one of the more successful single founders - Bob Metcalfe of 3Com - said that the secret of his success was "giving away his company". It's that kind of attitude that you need.
When you're a single founder, it's very easy to think in terms of "You against the world", with other people being mere tools in your quest for global domination. Because, well, a single-founder startup really is you against the world. ;-) Unfortunately, that attitude can carry over into dealings with employees, investors, etc. No employee is going to give his best effort when he thinks he's just a tool for some entrepeneur's quest for world domination.
When you have cofounders, there's much more of a shared sense of working towards a goal. If your smart, that'll carry over to employees too: they'll feel like they're working for the company and customers and not just for you. That kind of culture is very difficult to generate after the fact. You can start with it and lose it, but you can't start without it and hope to gain it.
It's interesting that one of the more successful single founders - Bob Metcalfe of 3Com - said that the secret of his success was "giving away his company". It's that kind of attitude that you need.