This is a good read and worth being aware of if you want to go into a business as a technical or non-technical co-founder. I think more can be done from both sides to help each other feel appreciated. As an engineer at the time, I struggled with this mindset when I came on as a technical co-founder many years ago. I, too, had some business experience, but nothing like running a VC-backed business in the tech world. I felt underappreciated and like my opinion wasn't valued. Since then, having seen what goes on from a product and business perspective, I have developed an appreciation for all the silent work behind the scenes. Even entertaining investors and partners to get buy-in, which at the time seemed like self-indulgence, is an important and very valuable skill. I am a very different person now, I have seen and been through a lot of shit and have far more self-awareness. Sometimes, we need others who complement our skills and fill in the gaps. I'm not saying one has to have co-founders, but there are situations where you have a far better chance at making it if you do, despite the challenges that come with it.
3x bootstrapper | eWebinar automates onboarding & training sessions to save you from webinar hell 🔥 I share stories & lessons from my founder journey weekly. Subscribe to my newsletter below.
I met a developer last weekend who vowed to never have another business cofounder again because he hated seeing the other person "do nothing" as he built product. He wants to build a SaaS product and is convinced that he'd be able to get it out faster if there were two people building instead of one. As a business cofounder myself, I challenged him on his assumptions. The product is an important part of the business, but the business is comprised of many non-product functions. "I know SEO very well!" He said passionately. "I understand business!" "I've learned how to sell!" "My ex-cofounder didn't do much at all! He was only good at coming up at the idea!" "The product is most important, everything else is easy!" There was no way I was going to change his mind. That's okay, I wasn't trying. The grass is always greener on the other side. 🐮 But that got me thinking about how little appreciation we have for the things we have no idea how to do. And perhaps how much we take for granted the experts who do them so we can have a functioning business. There were times when I felt underappreciated by my technical cofounder, and times when he felt underappreciated by myself and our COO. And there are times when our COO felt underappreciated by both of us. A startup is not a startup without a product. But a product is nothing without a business. A business requires vision, execution, product, sales, marketing, recruiting, retention, experimentation, accounting, capital...list goes on. Many of these are big enough functions to have their own sub-list. The reason we have cofounders and a team with complementary skills is to fill in each other's knowledge and experience gaps. All of that coming together in harmony is how a startup is formed. This is not a one-man job. (I wish it could be!) As a belated Thanksgiving activity, after we've given thanks to all the obvious people and things in our lives...perhaps it's a good day to remind ourselves that we should give thanks to the people who make our business (and therefore our lives) possible. ___ I'm Melissa Kwan, 3x bootstrapper sharing lessons here weekly. Follow me + hit 🔔 to stay tuned
