🤔 Do You Need a Co-founder?
That’s the billion-dollar question facing many entrepreneurs.
We often hear about the celebrity founder—Mark Zuckerberg, Sara Blakely, Jeff Bezos.
But the prospect of starting a company at all is daunting, let alone doing it by yourself.
That’s why I wanted to share this chart with the number of founders of top companies.
The truth is, there are no rules. You can start a successful company on your own. Many founders prefer it because it allows them to make decisions swiftly, and it’s definitely better than having a partner who isn’t committed. Other founders can’t imagine having done it alone.
Some stats that may be helpful:
🔹 Only 4 of the top 100 top companies backed by Y Combinator didn’t have a co-founder. (SaaStr)
🔹 You can have an “ex-post facto co-founder”—someone who wasn’t there on Day 1 but acts like a co-founder and takes over some of the CEO-level burdens. (Jason Lemkin)
🔹 Cofounders can be valuable, but they can also be a detriment. Choosing co-founders you don’t know well, or failing to have transparent conversations with them, are among the top mistakes made by first-time founders. (Y Combinator)
What are your thoughts on co-founders? Please share in the comments.
Source: Jason M. Lemkin
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