Fighting between cofounders: one of the main reasons that startups fail

http://www.berrebi.org/2013/08/27/fighting-between-cofounders-one-of-the-main-reasons-that-startups-fail/

by jber • 13 years ago

21 6 13 years ago

justin_vanw2• 13 years ago

I think fighting between cofounders is probably more of a symptom that is highly correlated with failure than a cause.

Chatting with a friend the other day, I was musing at how Network Appliance is a very generic name for what is basically a giant network drive. A better name might be Network Disk, Appliance doesn't really tell you what it is. I proposed they could go whole-hog and change the name of the company to "Electrical Object". Then, coming up with one of my usual stupid analogies, I reasoned:

"It would be like going into a VC's office and telling them your business plan is: Engage in activities such that the quantity of money received exceeds the quantity transmitted."

And with that, I was enlightened.

That is far better than 95% of what VC's actually do fund.

ojbyrne• 13 years ago

I disagree. Success can break people apart just as easily as failure.

justin_vanw2• 13 years ago

You're right, but you are also off topic unless you think success can be a cause of failure...

Terretta• 13 years ago

More concisely, and yes, cliché: you're getting married.

In fact, it's more serious than that. You'll be together more and under more stress than marriage, but without the makeup sex.

Then again, people make arranged marriages work. Share goals, stay focused on "us versus them" instead of against each other, and you'll find rapprochement.

digikata• 13 years ago

It's hinted at in the article, but I wonder how much overwork and lack of sleep contribute to failures between cofounders, and overall failures. Both accentuate irritability and bad decision making. There's a lot of NASA work surrounding the psychology and performance of astronauts in a spaceship for long space trips, I would think that similar dynamics apply in the bubble of getting a startup up and running. NASA works their astronauts as hard as possible, but to optimize overall productivity, they also make sure they get rest and sleep.

professorplumb• 13 years ago

This resonates with me on many levels. The main point - that clear and unemotional communication is key - applies obviously to all your relationships and not just those with a business partner.

I also like that he brings up the Puritan work-ethic canard and punctures the balloon of more hours equals more productivity. This view is starting to gain traction here on HN over the last couple years, which is for the best IMO. There is no denying that startups are hard and require long hours, but it is important to know one's limits - and macho "who works more" posturing is never helpful.

Fighting between cofounders: one of the main reasons that startups fail

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