Ask HN: single founder companies and startups?

[singlefounder]

Hi all,

I recently left a fairly lucrative consulting career to follow my dream of starting a data mining firm. I find myself very lucky because I have the technical skills to code and develop the analytic tools I want to sell, and also know the business side of things (marketing, networking, pitching, etc.) thanks to the consulting work I've been doing. Furthermore, my job was one that didn't really expose me to many entrepreneurial people.

As I move forward, I've been warned by many "startup veterans" that going it alone is a bad idea. Even a lot of the accelerators and incubators require you to have a co-founder.

So wanted to ask HN -- what do you guys think? Any single founder companies out there? What were your experience?

Thanks...

[keiferski]

Having no cofounder is better than having a bad one, and starting a company solo is better than not starting one at all.

Don't get too hung up on the latest startup / incubator trends; plenty of companies have been started with one founder. Just go out and do it.

[singlefounder]

Thank you for the positive thoughts. I'll have to check back here next time I have doubts! :)

[timjahn]

I love having a co-founder.

Having somebody who's as invested as you are in succeeding to bounce ideas off of, confer with, and make big decisions with is invaluable.

Having that extra mind that complements yours is something I couldn't go without.

My biggest problem with going it alone (from experience) is you only have yourself to ask for advice.

I wrote about a few specific benefits of having a co-founder here: http://www.entrepreneursunpluggd.com/blog/3-tips-for-choosin...

[singlefounder]

Thanks for the link. That's a great article and something I'll keep in mind as I start working with more people.

[ayh2]

I started my current company as the sole founder in 2007 and it has been good so far. Compared to previous ventures where I was a co-founder, more of my energy is spent on building the business as opposed to too much discussions.

However, this time around, I need to pay special attention to asking for feedback and be exceptionally open to it. Often times, feedback contradicts each other and I'm glad I can make the final decision by arguing just with myself. So much more efficient.

The journey is very lonely though and it takes a lot more work. Fighting alone is not easy.

[singlefounder]

I think the last part is what really scares investors / incubators / etc. when it comes to single cofounders... "Fighting alone is not easy" but if you have the experience, vision, etc. it's still possible to pull off. At least that's what I tell myself.

It sounds like you moved from a tech co-founder to a biz / tech founder. Is this a fair summary? Would be curious to hear more!

[ayh2]

I doubled majored in ComSci and Economics so I'm a little bit of both. Tech is definitely the half that I enjoy more.

There are a lot of good resources about the biz side of things for consumer internet startups, so learning about that has not been too difficult.

However, I do try to hire more out-going people to complement me. IE, I push my team to connect with people at meetups more than I push myself :P

There are talented people out there and I've found it is possible to recruit those who complement me without making everyone co-founders.

Once the startup has gotten some traction, recruiting and everything else get easier. If you have a tech background yourself, you may not need co-founders to get to that stage.

[singlefounder]

I always thought it was easier for tech-focused founders because of this. I feel like learning the business side is easier than the tech side, but I imagine this is a function of the type of person I am.

Thanks for the positive response!

[dangrossman]

"Founder", "cofounder" and "startup" were not in my vocabulary when I started building web apps as a teen. By the second year of college I was paying myself six figures a year with the profits from those apps. Design, development, marketing, bookkeeping, tax planning, legal work... I've always just assumed that if I'm willing to put in the time, I'll be able to handle it myself... so far that's been true.

There's little chance I'm going to grow to a hundred million users or be bought out by a Google while doing it all myself, and that's fine with me.

[singlefounder]

Side question: have you been tempted to grow much bigger? If so, what was your rationale for sticking to it alone?

[jaxn]

I am in a pretty similar boat (analytics, coder, understand business side).

I am the sole founder of bizen.com. Went through Jumpstart Foundry in Fall 2010.

It is hard going it alone. I think that I will succeed, but having a co-founder (especially if also technical) would be REALLY handy.

Maybe not for a services firm (which it sounds like what you are doing).

[singlefounder]

Actually, we should definitely chat. What you're doing is similar to my plan, though I'm looking at a slightly different vertical.

[glimcat]

A good team will often beat a good individual, but a team thrown together for the sake of having one will often amount to nothing.

[singlefounder]

That's a nice piece of wisdom. Thank you! :)

[chris_dcosta]

Think about it from the investor's point of view: if you get hit by a bus...

That's the basic driver (no pun intended) behind this idea. Personally I think that if you can get a team without a co-founder, that's the best of all worlds, because you can concentrate on your vision without it being diluted.

[singlefounder]

That's the mindset I'm in -- if I can build a team and drive with my vision, have the mentors / team mates who are willing to challenge me, then I'd be fine as a single founder. Thanks for that.

I'd also imagine the "hit by a bus" issue still applies if you've got 2+ cofounders. If your tech lead goes missing and was the brains behind the algorithms / IT stack / whatever, then you're still likely screwed.

Thanks for the thoughts!

[singlefounder]

Hi all, thanks for the replies. Good point on the whole "doing it alone is better than not at all" -- something I forgot to consider when thinking about my career decisions! :)

[PonyGumbo]

I've done it both ways (previously with a co-founder, now on my own). They're totally different businesses, though - I couldn't have done the last one without a co-founder.

[singlefounder]

Can you elaborate? What would make one harder to pull off without a cofounder, in this case?

[PonyGumbo]

My previous company was in the online retail space, and now I'm doing SaaS. The process of getting a physical product from a manufacturer to a customer is just much more involved. It took a minimum of three people just to operate the business. I think a co-founder is necessary when you lack the domain knowledge to operate and grow the business yourself, or the business itself requires more hands on deck and you're unable to pay an appropriate wage.

[singlefounder]

Very interesting and insightful on the domain knowledge piece. Thanks for the reply.