The ideal co-founder needs to have a different skill set than your own, fits the company’s needs, and has a great chemistry with you
Finding an ideal co-founder can be as hard as finding your soulmate, as this is the person who can help you turn your dream company into reality. Some said that the person who knows you the most is that ideal co-founder, but does this work all the time?
DailySocial gathers up tips from different startup founders in Indonesia, such as Modalkku, Bang Joni, and Mbiz. Here is the edited excerpt of the conversation:
They need to have different skillset
Modalku Co-founder and CEO Reynold Wijaya said that many people are stuck in finding their ideal co-founder as they would only choose someone whom they have known before. This is dangerous as people tend to befriend those with similar background; they often end up having the same skillset as their co-founder.
When you are starting a business, the first thing you need to determine is your capability to succeed. From there, you can perform an assessment to yourself and your potential co-founder to see if you were able to fulfil the required capabilities.
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“Technically, it is ideal for co-founders to have different skillsets that complement each other, instead of competing with each other. If both were good at sales, they surely will have the desire to control sales [aspect of the business],” Wijaya explains.
What is really important, he adds, is for founders to have clearly defined skills, authority, and responsibility in order to prevent dead-lock or in-fighting.
Wijaya admits that it is really hard to find co-founders who can complement each other well. Usually they can be found outside of one’s social circle, though there are times when they can be found inside the very same circle.
“Last but not least, it is very important to hold [the right] values. Though their skill sets might differ, they need to have the same value that they will continue to uphold, and puts their ego in the backseat. Once you find that person, then you have found the ideal co-founder,” he stresses.
See the skills that the company needs
According to Mbiz CEO Ryn Hermawan, you need to pay attention to the skills that are needed by the company and investors themselves. The ideal co-founder needs to be a combination of what the company needs –from networking to past experience– and achievements that may help propel the business forward.
“In reality, investors or companies are looking for a founder based on the vision that they share; founders need to believe in the idea and the end-goal. Because it is what needed to initiate the excitement and build the basic foundation for execution,” Hermawan says.
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They need to have chemistry
As Hermawan had said, Bang Joni CEO Diatche G. Harahap agreed that having a good chemistry is the most important thing one needs to look at a co-founder. Chemistry is an important factor to consider how the co-founders get along, both on personal or professional level, and the business itself. When there is no chemistry, then it is for sure that the relationship between colleagues will be strained.
Harahap, who is also known as Ache, adds that he also chose a co-founder based on a shared vision and strong mentality.
“Because mentality, for me, is one of the leading variables in determining the success of a company. If there is no harmony between those three elements, it is not going to work,” he says.
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The article Tips Mencari Sosok Co-Founder Ideal Menurut Modalku, Mbiz, dan Bang Joni was written by Marsya Nabila and first appeared in DailySocial. English translation and editing by e27.
Image Credit: stylephotographs / 123RF Stock Photo
The post Finding the ideal co-founder, according to Modalku, Mbiz, and Bang Joni appeared first on e27.