The Ultimate 10-point Perfect Co-founder Checklist

If the answer is anything other than an instant and resounding ‘yes’, you should be reconsidering working with that person.

Hesitation, even for a micro-second is your enemy. Let your gut-instinct lead the way.

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Communicating disagreement is very personal, and equally important.

The key lies in doing it without upsetting or offending each other. This is where trust comes in as well. If you have a high level of confidence in the other person, it will make it a lot easier to trust in the other person’s point of view.

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Startups exist to solve problems, in new ways.

If you’re not passionate enough to solve a difficult problem together, there’s no use teaming up.

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It should never be about the designation someone holds. It’s what the people that worked with your co-founder think that matter. There’s the temptation to focus on what a person can do and not how they did it.

How you’ll be doing things will soon seem more important.

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If you’re relatively comfortable with risk, its better to work with a co-founder who is more conservative and vice versa. That way you balance each other really well.

If you’re a mid-spectrum person, find a co-founder who is similar. That way you can make better decisions together.

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This is about empathy. Having a co-founder with similar family responsibilities is awesome.

Also, it’s important to have a co-founder whose personal relationships are sorted. Happiness at home is contagious, and the reverse is equally true!

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The biggest advantage of being co-founders is that you have different strengths.

Your company will thrive on multiple fronts, and you’ll be happy working on diverse aspects of the business.

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This is a factor you can’t afford to ignore.

Think about whether you know anything about how they’ve handled really stressful stuff in the past. Their past colleagues can help you with stories.

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You must check if you have a major disconnect at the start.

These big decisions never ‘just work themselves out as time passes’. You might have a very deep disconnect with them. In case you’re going through stressful times like raising money or negotiating an exit, you won’t want internal friction.

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