Peer in episode #58 of the De Gebakken Peren Podcast.
Aligned on ambition
Aligned on values, complementary in skillset.
That’s the common advice on finding a co-founder.
More specifically than values is your ambition.
Say your idea of success is a boutique shop, and your partner won’t rest until world domination. Those are at odd and that’s a recipe for tension.
Because “the point of it all” is the starting point for any choice.
It’s why why-how-what starts with why.
Hire for motivation, skills will follow
You can’t teach motivation. Or, fit with culture.
Skills can be adopted. There are hardly any that can’t.
So, if you have to choose between cultural fit or skill. Pick culture every time.
And, don’t wait too long in spending on people who have both.
Because, however motivated someone is, if they don’t have the skills yet, they’ll require attention.
It can be blissful to manage a seasoned pro, because she barely requires any. And, she’s able to manage 5 more.
So, probably before you’re comfortable spending, the extra costs are worth it.
Feeling responsible from beginning to end
There are not many companies who take on the responsibility of the impact of their products after they sell them.
But, when you’re truly in it to solve a problem, then you can’t be creating a new problem.
For example, Moyu fights deforestation due to paper use but they don’t want to create for waste for landfills because there’s no recycling for stone paper available locally.
They’re working on to change that now already.
Even though, no notebook has been retired yet because they last so freaking long.
And because at some point they probably would like to create stone paper locally, it pays to start experimenting now.
It’s much better to experiment, when you don’t need the solution yesterday.
It might costs time now. But it will cost you business if you start too late.
