

Is YC right about solo founders? - nishankkhanna
http://www.brightjourney.com/q/really-hard-solo-entrepreneurs-succeed

======
danelectro
I started my company single-handedly even though people said it couldn't be
done.

It's a scientific laboratory where I needed to continue a tradition of
building labs, in this case assaying international petro/chemical commodities
in a more reliable high-stakes way than well-funded research labs of major
multinationals can usually come up with. And they are using teams led by
chemists or engineers having advanced degrees which I do not have.

I always took comfort that I was making more scientific progress than I would
have been able to make If I had a PhD at Exxon, Shell, DuPont, or places like
that. Plus I own my own technology.

I did not want to stay by myself, I started to build a staff but the business
was ruined by natural disaster, then I was back on my own like I was the first
few years. I decided not to give up completely, only give up on expansion
which would have required capital anyway, so I just worked in the ruins ever
since, developed techniques to profit far more per job than the competition,
and the best years eventually came. That is how I completed the survival
process then.

There was no initial sign that it was sustainable, but on my own again I never
had any turnover like there was at my employers where my operational
advantages occasionally had escaped the lab and been adopted by commercial
competitors worldwide. So I have been fearless ever since, eventually
inventing something new every day.

Later, what really hurt was a death in the family where I had to leave town
for too long a time.

In a one-man business, if you are not there, there is usually no money being
made.

Now I plan to make a comeback starting with just me again, but I've seen this
coming, and over the last few years have identified members for an awesome
team whose trust has now been well established, and can tap them individually
as needed.

It's not easy but you can do it, as long as you are capable of outperforming
an actual team whenever needed.

------
coreymgilmore
Solo's definitely have a chance. For questions, please ask Henry Ford, Dell,
or most small businesses.

Startups are with out a doubt a lot of work. That being said, with good time
management skills and a lot of drive single person can be successful. Plus,
less founders equals less splitting of the company ownership!

