Would you go it alone or start with a team?
January 5th, 2007 by Robert
A message on TechCrunch’s new forums asks whether it is a good idea to start alone or with a team.
The individual is currently a lone software developer and has launched his site already, but was curious as to what others have done. My thoughts were that it isn’t such a bad idea to start out alone if can do everything that needs to be done. You don’t have to be great at every job, but it would give you an idea of how everything works and what to look for when you are ready to bring in either a partner or hire for different positions.
There are some good arguments for having a partner early on, the “what if you get hit by a truck” theory, as well as being able to focus on your strengths and let your partner(s) focus on theirs. The biggest drawback that I have encountered with having a partner from the beginning was that you need to have absolute documentation on the precise responsibilities and equity of each partner. It is way too easy to get into the trap of “I do more work than you so I should get paid more” mindset. Even when you think you have all of your bases covered, you probably don’t, so check and recheck.
Partnerships work great when you compliment each other really well and won’t end up competing. Scenarios such as you are great at building cabinets and your partner is great at business operations. This would be the ideal arrangement as you are focused on different aspects of the business and more likely to succeed.
The lone wolf route works well when you have a relatively simple business at the outset and are willing to initially do all of the work. You also get to set the standard by which you want your product or service to be measured against and don’t have to compromise on that. This doesn’t mean you are a control freak, just that you want a certain degree of quality and want customers to see that in your business.
If you choose to take on a partner, remember to do it for the right business reasons and not personal reasons. You will have a greater chance of success that way. If you choose to go it alone for a while, pay greater attention to the areas that you eventually don’t want to do so that when you hire out for those positions you have a greater understanding of the job and can hire more effectively.
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