cofounders Archives - Startup Economist

You Can Develop the Personality Traits that Correlate with Startup Success, Here’s How

Thursday, 21 November 2024 by Paul O'Brien

Launching a startup demands resilience, creativity, and a touch of audacity. Like it or not (and even agree with it or not), the research is well established finding that certain personalities, and the characteristics of a person, to some extent more than experience or skills, determine success or failure. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, University

cofounders entrepreneurship hiring hr personality personality traits psychology team

Published in Insights / Research, Startups

1 Comment

The Unfair Advantage: 10 Books Every Founder Needs Because Marketing, Teams, and Persuasion Matter Most

Monday, 18 November 2024 by Paul O'Brien

Success in startups, initial funding, and traction, don’t come from ideas and MVPs — it’s built on the pillars of marketing, team-building, and persuasion. These three areas consistently prove to be the leading causes of success — or failure — for founders. Yet, despite the endless lists of “must-read” startup books, founders continue to stumble

advice books cofounders entrepreneurship marketing personality types persuasion psychology sales startups team building

Published in Startups

5 Comments

Finding the Right Cofounder for your Startup

Tuesday, 18 June 2024 by Paul O'Brien

The past decade of research into entrepreneurship and startups has proven rather conclusively that success is all but determined by the team in place, and that there are certain personalities, skills, and experiences that contribute to success, or assure failure. This has my head spinning as it should of founders, that when the market validates that

cofounders dating entrepreneurship founders matching partners team

Published in Startups

No Comments

The Family and the Wedding Party – Starting a Startup Team

Wednesday, 06 May 2020 by Paul O'Brien

You need to think of EVERYONE at this stage as co-founders and owners OR merely consultants (formally contracted with VERY clear terms, requirements, deliverables, and ownership). Trust me. You do not want to be in a situation where you are committing anything to anyone hired, an agency, or freelance professional – such people either need to be

cap table cofounders equity hiring team team building

Published in Startups

4 Comments

Can the Languages of Love Help us Build Enduring Companies?

Thursday, 06 February 2020 by Paul O'Brien

In the mid and late ’90s, a book sparked a new way of thinking about love. Love has been distinguished in it’s various forms, likely since humans fell for it, and notable as far back as the Greek Philosophy that identified Agape (the unconditional love one experiences with family), Eros (you can probably guess), Philia

cofounders companies culture employees recruting startups team

Published in Insights / Research

25 Comments

I’m Thankful for Cofounders

Monday, 25 November 2019 by Paul O'Brien

It’s a marriage. I’m a bit surprised by how many entrepreneurs start something merely hoping to have a business, solve a problem, or accomplish something. I can’t recall when I’ve ever seen that work, substantially. Launching a startup is like having a child, and finding committed cofounders is a marriage. The difference is that you

cofounders entrepreneurship founders partners startup

Published in Startups

20 Comments

When an Economy needs Co-Founders – And Seems to have a Tech Talent Gap

Tuesday, 11 September 2018 by Paul O'Brien

A characteristic of local economies that I never experienced much before leaving Palo Alto, California: “we can’t find co-founders!” Many know that I’ve spent half of my professional life in Silicon Valley and the other half in the new economy’s most appealing innovation region: Central Texas. I’ve touched a few times on the stark differences

cofounders founders skills talent team tech technology

Published in Startup Ecosystems, Startups

19 Comments