Co-founders friends versus co-founders strangers? 🤔
Marina K
16 replies
Personally I am registering a company with a friend. Will see how that works out 😄
Tell what you prefer and why.
Replies
Thomas Bonfils@thomas_bonfils
What about co-founders life partner? 😅
Share
@thomas_bonfils Seems like an option too! Do you have one? 🙂
@thomas_bonfils That's amazing! How is it going for you two?
My life partner actually works with me as well, he is a front-end developer at my project 🙃
@marin_k Very well! I just wrote a post on that: https://www.producthunt.com/disc... :)
@thomas_bonfils Nice story!
Solo or friends, but the ones I am not that close with, just to avoid drama and be able to provide honest critique without pressure of external factors.
@anna_sulejewska Seems reasonable. Thank you, Anna!
Some say doing business with friends is a no go.
I say different and I would like to quote the following saying: "Happiness shared is double happiness, sorrow shared is half the sorrow."
Meaning that friends can take you places you have never been before. They can motivate you, keep you accountable and push you to your limits.
On the other side, it can be frustrating because arguing feels weird. When it comes to this you have to keep it strictly business. You can argue with a co-founder friend and mention his "flaws" outside your work environment.
With that being said, I love working with friends. We sometimes work 16-17 hour day (of course we have like 4-5 breaks) and working with friends makes it a lot easier.
@luka_brzin Hello Luka! What a nice answer. I agree with you - facing unexpected outcomes and struggling with new things is easier together.
How do you switch between being strictly professional and being a friend?
Hi Marina,
First: do you really need to register a company? Here in Switzerland if you earn less than 100k Swiss francs per year you don't need to do that.
Second: is the question friend vs stranger, or is it the right skill set vs the wrong skill set? If you think you need a cofounder then I'd recommend this book: "Cofounding The Right Way" by Jana Nevrlka.
@doga_armangil Hello Doğa! Rules in Switzerland seem great. Do you register a sole proprietorship or just act without that at first?
In my situation unfortunately I do not have much choice, as I am a foreigner with a specific residence permit rights and the only business activity for me is this one.
Also, in Poland the unregistered activity is allowed only at 50% of the minimum wage, which is around 500$. I envy you now 😄
If you mean just trying the idea out there before having anything registered and see if it brings money, I agree with you and it seems reasonable. However when you work on services gathering any kind of user data it is generally better to protect myself and separate liability. Or am I missing something?
As for the skillset of the co-founder -- that is of course on the first place. Question is more about the choice between same skilled person you know or some new one to find 🙂
P.S. thank you for a book recommendation, I have added it to my list!
@marizombie Registering a sole proprietorship is the same as not registering at all, i.e. no financial protection. So I won't register for now. Registering a company that offers financial protection costs 20k to 50k Swiss francs, depending on the legal form. In your case, you've made the right choice I'd say.
Regarding friend vs acquaintance: If the roles are clearly defined, then both can work. If your business is successful, then the acquaintance will probably become your friend. If not, then your friend will become a former-friend I think 🙂.
Also: data analysts are in high demand, worst case you could find a high-paying job. All the best for your startup though.
(Surprised to see a "zombie" in your handle btw, but ok)
@doga_armangil Oh, I see. Interesting to know other countries policies on business.
About friends and acquaintances, hope friend will not become former 😁 But will see.
About the job - yes, that "worst case" is someone's first choice, good to have options.
Haha, marizombie was a Github nickname from long ago, but fixed name here now, thank you 😄
Personally I prefer co-founders who are initially strangers but develop a close friendship through working together. Starting as strangers allows you to choose co-founders based on complementary skills, experience, and vision alignment without personal history clouding judgement. Then by going through the intense ups and downs of building a company, you can forge an even deeper bond than typical friendships. But friends can work great too if expectations are aligned from day one. Excited to hear how it goes with your friend as co-founder!
@benjaminthomasclark Thanks Benjamin! Let's connect and you will most likely hear that 🙂