Solo Founders AMA + Reasons to Have a Co-Founder (instead of going solo)

Hey Solo Founders,

Julian is hosting an AMA tonight at 6 pm PST — reply to this email or tweet with your questions, and he’ll answer a few live.

To kick things off, he’s sharing his perspective on when having a co-founder might be the better move — and when going solo makes more sense.

Reasons to Have a Co-Founder (instead of going solo)

For the last few months, I’ve been running the first batch of the Solo Founders Program, where solo founders live and build together for 3 months in San Francisco. They’ve made significant progress.

There’s a strong case for solo founders as the default path, but there are good reasons to have a co-founder. My goal is to articulate the less obvious ones.

If being a solo founder is for you, apply for the Solo Founders Program cohort starting later this month. If you value a co-founder, consider our upcoming 26th cohort of ODF in September.

You don’t want to Build and Sell

In a business, you can outsource many functions. However, in the initial stages, neither building the product nor selling it can be outsourced. Those two aspects are so foundational to the business and so intertwined, the founders must lead the charge on both fronts. To not do so effectively puts the fate of your business in the hands of someone who does not have an equity interest in its success.

So, if you are unwilling or unable to learn and handle both parts, a co-founder makes sense.

Sometimes founders also do not fully realize the commitment of being a CEO, especially as the company grows and you need to consider HR, finance, and other matters:

If you don’t want to be CEO, there are people who may want to partner with you and have you lead a specific area as their co-founder.

There’s often enough work to split across multiple co-founders. That doesn’t mean it needs to be. One solo founder in SFP is signing multiple public companies for enterprise plans as the only builder/salesperson.

You’re an outsider seeking an industry insider.

Working with an industry expert can be beneficial for outsiders. This came up in a conversation with an exceptionally talented engineer plotting his next move:

Generalists can succeed without industry veterans, but I have seen expert co-founders in construction, healthcare, and other fields significantly impact their startup’s success.

You do your best work when inspired by others.

Do you run around your neighborhood even when you’re feeling lazy, or do you prefer a CrossFit gym to be around others for motivation?

Self-motivation is critical for solo founders, but some do their best work with a co-founder to create a cycle of motivation.

If you prefer group fitness, you can benefit from co-founders you can run with.

Self-awareness is impactful.

There are a variety of ways to build successful startups:

• Team: fully distributed or intensely in-person

• Product: building for yourself or others

• Early Funding: accelerator or traditional fundraise

• Co-founders or solo

Most believe the product or market determines how to think about team, product, early funding, and co-founders or building solo, but I am not convinced.

John Andrew (solo founder) is building Wander as a fully remote hospitality company with no recurring meetings. Mike and Akshay (met through ODF) are building Traba’s staffing marketplace with a highly in-person culture.

The best founders build the company around themselves — their quirks and preferences driving decisions — not the product or market.

The decision to have a co-founder is a personal one informed by your values and defining characteristics.

Put aside what people in tech say you should do and do what you think is best.

- Julian

Solo Founders Program starts August 20th, and ODF26 starts September 5th.

Thank you to Ari Dutilh and Ryan Murphy for reading and providing feedback.