

Ask HN: Cofounder doubt - can it ever work out? - waterbottle1

Does anyone know of someone who doubted that they had the right cofounder, stuck with the person they doubted anyway, and ended with a successful company?
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byr0nic
I think conventional wisdom on this one suggests the answer to your question
is "No".

Ultimately you do want that doubt to go away I'd imagine, so think to
yourself, what are the steps that need to be taken for the doubt to disappear?
Then ask, how likely are those steps to happen?

I can only speak from the experience of not having doubted initially but then
beginning to doubt... I'm still with the same co-founder in that company as we
were able to work through the specific points of difference, however I can say
the result is a compromised experience compared to the original vision (at
least on my behalf).

Nevertheless, it is one that has had positive benefits away from the specific
company in question, inasmuch as encouraging me to adopt a broader perspective
on where I'm looking to find fulfillment (of various kinds), which has in turn
ultimately led me to start a second company which I'm more passionate about,
has a more favourable business model, and is the one I want to spend most of
my time towards.

i.e. depending on your nature, there are positive externalities that can come
from sticking it out, and it may actually work out holistically for the
better.

That being said, it's a matter of probability; in all reality, the arrangement
won't be ideal and the only value you'll extract from the process is that
generic/ubiquitous 'wisdom of failure'.

~~~
byr0nic
Whilst I was writing the above, I recalled a more pointed answer to your
secondary question -

It's probably not quite the kind of "doubt" you reference, however Max Levchin
at Startup School recently referred to having a scintilla of such towards
Peter Thiel when they were first kicking off PayPal. This doubt was engendered
after Max was abandoned in a carpark with an empty car battery by Peter who
seemingly didn't really care too much for his welfare (I personally wouldn't
consider Max referencing a deep-seated sense of doubt, but maybe that's all
that you're referring to)... I think by all measures, things worked out fairly
well thereafter... ;-)

If you haven't watched/listened to it already, worth the time for the above
and other amusing anecdotes/morsels of wisdom:
<http://www.justin.tv/startupschool/b/298808490>

~~~
waterbottle1
that's the video that prompted me to ask this question! Max also said, 'Where
there is doubt, there is no doubt.' which I generally agree with...but maybe
entrepreneurs have a tendency to believe that they could be the exception to
any rule.

~~~
byr0nic
Well, without wanting to regurgitate that which has become trite, it has been
acknowledged that a little delusion-masked-by-confidence in an entrepreneur
isn't an entirely bad thing!

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kls
I am in an interesting situation right now in which I and my co-founders
agreed to certain financial terms. The main one being that they would send a
small check every week. There was some doubt about the progress (a lot of
features where added after the fact) but non the less they where
uncomfortable. So I allowed them to modify the payment terms to give them time
to feel comfortable. There is always a way to remove doubt even if you have to
give a little when you would be justified in putting it back on them, in my
case i could have put it back on them and said, you guys almost doubled the
scope but the reality is many of those features are needed to make a great
product, which is a common goal i share with them given that i am not in a
pinch i can wait on the funds but by doing so and giving a little even when i
was justified in not doing so, i was able to remove some of that doubt,
because i know more than anything, doubt unaddressed is a start-up killer.

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steventruong
Practically anything is possible. And like everything else, without knowing
you or your cofounder, your back story, etc... the best answer I can muster up
is a "it depends".

Having said that, the following answer relates specifically to me so take
whatever I have to say with a giant grain of salt as we are probably different
people. Regardless of the reasons, regardless of the back story, relationship,
etc... If for any reason, I have any hesitation or doubt about who I'm working
with, it stops there. That's just how I am.

There is a difference between doubt and an issue that can be resolved.

~~~
byr0nic
"There is a difference between doubt and an issue that can be resolved."

I agree that a doubt and an issue are two different things, however having a
doubt is an issue in this context, and it should be acknowledged that some
issues have the potential to be resolved (solved or disappear over time).

Because of this, I don't think dealing in absolutes is always warranted re:
such dilemmas, though I do agree with your conclusion.

~~~
steventruong
Agreed

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fezzl
I think Max Levchin once said something like "If there's doubt about your co-
founder, there's no doubt." Meaning that the moment you have doubts about your
co-founder, you should break it off and cut your losses. Hope this provides
some perspective.

