fbpx

7 Things to Look for in a Co-Founder

Here are seven essential things to look for in a co-founder.


Are you looking for the perfect business match? We asked seven entrepreneurs to share the most important traits to look for in a co-founder and here’s what they had to say.

Look for a co-founder that:

1. Is resilient and persistent.

“An ideal co-founder is someone who is willing to break down walls to get whatever is needed done. He or she will never take ‘no’ for an answer. Ideally, you need to find someone who is strong, resourceful, and innovative, but supportive at the same time.”

– Chuck Gordon, Co-Founder and CEO of SpareFoot: @SpareFoot

2. Understands your vision and shares your passion.

“[A co-founder] must be willing to take risks and sacrifice time, without knowing the outcome of the efforts. [You] must also be able to connect with the candidate on a professional and personal level in order to work with them day in and day out, [which is] the commitment necessary to ensure the success of your business.”

– Mark Lucas, Co-Founder and Vice President of Sales of Sudo: @sudo

3. Compliments your skill set.

“Be willing to teach them your skillset and learn from theirs. The varying strengths compliment one another and create a balanced working team.”

– Kerry Bannigan, CEO of Nolcha Fashion Week: New York: @nolchafashionwk

4. Is flexible.

“Speaking from experience, if you start a business with someone who is completely inflexible, you will never be able to grow your business.  That being said, it’s not necessarily in your best interest to look for someone who has a very compromising personality because, as a business owner, it is important to stand up for what you believe in yet respect and understand others’ decisions…”

– Shari-Lynn Cuomo Shore, Esq., Owner and Attorney of Wolf & Shore, LLC: @WSLAW

5. Is independent with strong interpersonal skills.

“A co-founder needs to be a strong independent worker, since starting the two of you will have more than double the normal workload.  On top of this, strong interpersonal skills are essential as the company grows. It is important that both founders get along with not only each other, but also additional team members, investors, and board members.”

– David Toledo, President of Power Practical: @thepowerpot1

6. Is someone you can trust.

“Business partners are married to each other. Without trust, open conversations can’t be had and growth is therefore stymied. ”

– Alex Membrillo, Co-Founder and CEO of Cardinal Web Solutions: @cardinalws

7. Is your complete opposite.

“I wanted [to find] someone that [would] be able to fill in the gaps that I [was] missing. It’s been 4 years and our partnership has turned out to be a tremendous success due to our opposite natures. In every business you need an expander and a retainer.”

– Izzy Green, CEO and President of Evergreen Insurace & Risk Management: @Evergreen_ins

Connect with YFS Magazine on Twitter.

Did you enjoy this article? If so, subscribe to YFS Magazine and never miss an update. Don’t forget to make our friendship official and join Young, Fabulous & Self-Employed entrepreneurs on Facebook.

Photo: H&M

 

© YFS Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Copying prohibited. All material is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited. Sharing of this material under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International terms, listed here, is permitted.

   

In this article