Where to find a business partner | Hacker News Reader

Where to find a business partner

sharedstatus.com

14 pointsdralison5 comments

I started a business in 2007 and quickly found I had the wrong partner. It was a forced partnership on my account and was a mistake, though the company has persevered and is profitable.

Knowing I wanted to found additional startups I always had my eye out for a great partner. I wasn't finding anyone I thought met all the criteria, yet I held fast to my commitment to not make the same mistake again. Ideas came and went but I was determined to not start by myself or with the wrong person.

Last summer I met a guy I could work with. We completed a detailed project and then decided to apply for Y-combinator. Nothing was done by either of us to facilitate finding this relationship - in fact it was almost by chance that we met at all - however it's clear after only 6 months of working together that it works. When it works it works.

My advice is to be patient. Never force the relationship. Network - but do it to meet new people not specifically to find a partner.

Absolutely. Networking to meet potential cofounders is like going for a night out to meet potential wives.

The only people who will react favourably to this kind of approach are the ones you definitely don't want to marry or start a business with.

I think this blog post title doesn't cover everything in your post. Yes it is evident that brilliant people worked together and made something brilliant. Then you go on to say if you have no friends or family use the social web/world. None of the successful partnerships you mentioned met through YOUR recommended way of finding partnerships.

Personally I don't recommend going out and look for partnerships. Its an easy way to get into a co-founder battle or have different interests that you only discover 2 months later. All those successful partnerships named early on are people who knew each other better than they knew themselves or just worked really well together. Going out and just networking isn't going to get you such a relationship. What you need to do is form a deep relationship and constantly shoot the shit and work on projects together, that way you can determine weather you work well or not (schools and living together are all things you can do this at, and is also common among all the successful partnerships mentioned above).

My summary concluded that the best way to find a partner is to expand your network and insert yourself into the right community. I also don't condone going out and "shopping for a partner", yet very often a first time entrepreneur may think that way. By phrasing the title the way I did I was hoping that people new to startups or those thinking of expanding their business by adding a partner would read it looking for practical tips and reach that conclusion.

I think that the title is misleading in the sense that you do not find a business partner. It should something like: Who could be your business partner.

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