How You Can Stop Founder Problems Before They Start, Part II
Startup founder problems affect at least fifty percent of all startups. And, sometimes the problems can be fatal; especially if you lose the wrong founder at the wrong time.
So what can you do to solve startup founder problems before they start? This short video, part II of a two part series, gives you three more tips on how to avoid startup founder problems before they start. I hope you enjoy it.
Read The Video Transcript Below:
How do you solve your startup problem issues before they start part two? Hi, I'm Brett Fox, and I've grown several businesses from zero, or close to zero, to over $100 million a year. And, I've helped entrepreneurs like you for over 20 years, grow your businesses too.
And today we're going to go through part two of how do you solve your startup founder issues before they start. And, I'm going to give you three more tips today.
Tip number one, don't presume these startup issues that you have will resolve themselves. They won't. In fact, I can almost guarantee you they're just going to get worse.
You have to pay attention to the subtle cues. You're hearing the disagreements that you're having with your co-founder or prospective co-founder early on. And, if you can't work these issues out and talk them through, it doesn't mean you don't have to have complete agreement, but it does mean that you have to be able to understand each other.
And if you can't, don't assume that the issues are going to go away. Don't make that assumption out it will just get better. It won't, it's just going to get worse. That's thing number one, to remember. Don't assume these issues are just going to go away.
Okay. Startup issue number two. If you're not wowed, then move on. This is my secret weapon.
When it comes to dealing and interviewing prospective startup founders is I want the wow factor. And what I mean by, wow. I mean, I want to be totally wowed by the person that I'm going to bring on.
And, if I don't believe that this person is better than me in their prospective area, that I'm going to bring them on for. And you know what? I shouldn't be bringing them on because you know what? Then I'm not going to be wowed and they're going to be problems. And they're going to be issues.
You need to work with the best. When you're starting your company, you need to be wowed. You can't just assume that this person's going to be okay for now because you know what? The level of talent is determined by the people that you bring into the team early on.
That's how critical this decision is.
Now this brings us to tip number three, integrity matters. I don't care how smart a prospective co-founder is. I don't care how brilliant they are. I don't care that they may have 50 patents to their name. That they've solved all the world's problems. None of that matters if they don't have integrity.
And, if their values don't line up with your values, then they're going to be issues in your startup. I just guarantee it.
Don't make the fatal mistake. Just don't do. Don't assume everything's gonna be okay because it's not going to be okay. Integrity is critical. Again, you and your co-founders are setting the tone for everything that comes later. And, if you don't set the right tone, then you know what? You're doomed.
And the culture that you're going to build is going to be very difficult to undo. That's why integrity matters. Don't assume that if you bring in a co-founder that doesn't have integrity like you do, and doesn't share the values that you do, that everything's going to be okay. It won't be.
So let's review those three tips again. Number one, don't presume these problems will resolve themselves. They wont. Number two. If you're not wowed, then move on. And maybe most importantly, number three, if a prospective co-founder doesn't have the integrity that you do or is lacking in integrity, then move on. Hope these tips have been helpful to you. If you want more actionable startup advice, go to my website. www. BrettJfox.com. Thank you. I've enjoyed speaking with you today. Take Care.