
Could anybody suggest good articles on how to pitch an idea to a potential co-founder to get him/her on a team? - dummypointer

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e1ven
Whether your talking to a potential co-founder, or an AI, the game is the
same- You want to convince them that you can do great things together, if only
you had a little help.

You want them to believe that the goal is achievable, and the rewards are
worth it. You want them excited.

No one will ever invest in _your_ idea. Make it both of yours.

-Colin

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dhouston
is the problem that they don't like the idea, or aren't willing to give up
their day job?

if the latter, i've seen pg's essays (either why to not not start a startup,
how to make wealth, how to start a startup, whatever) and better yet jessica's
book (founders at work) serve as a serious kick in the ass to people in cushy
day jobs at ms and google; a few of my friends quit are now in this summer's
yc program.

if pitching the idea isn't going well, i've found that giving potential team
members problems to solve ("hey, how could this be made to scale to x members"
or "what features should be put into the first version" -- whatever, the
specific problem isn't the point) gets people going (and as a bonus lets you
see if they give smart answers) and 1) makes them feel a sense of
ownership/participation in the project and 2) opens the door to nudges like
"yeah, these are the kinds of problems we'd be solving!" i've found this kind
of end-around persuasion is better than arguing or trying to tackle objections
head on (people love to buy; they hate to be sold.)

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sbraford
Colin's spot on. If they are truly co-founders and not just early employees
with a lot of stock, they have to believe the idea is just as much theirs as
it is yours.

I'm moving to SF soon hoping to team up with some co-founders. But I'm not
going with any preconceived ideas of what kind of startup I want to pursue.

