

Fighting between cofounders: one of the main reasons that startups fail - jber
http://www.berrebi.org/2013/08/27/fighting-between-cofounders-one-of-the-main-reasons-that-startups-fail/

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digikata
It's hinted at in the article, but I wonder how much overwork and lack of
sleep contribute to failures between cofounders, and overall failures. Both
accentuate irritability and bad decision making. There's a lot of NASA work
surrounding the psychology and performance of astronauts in a spaceship for
long space trips, I would think that similar dynamics apply in the bubble of
getting a startup up and running. NASA works their astronauts as hard as
possible, but to optimize overall productivity, they also make sure they get
rest and sleep.

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justin_vanw
I think fighting between cofounders is probably more of a symptom that is
highly correlated with failure than a cause.

Chatting with a friend the other day, I was musing at how Network Appliance is
a very generic name for what is basically a giant network drive. A better name
might be Network Disk, Appliance doesn't really tell you what it is. I
proposed they could go whole-hog and change the name of the company to
"Electrical Object". Then, coming up with one of my usual stupid analogies, I
reasoned:

"It would be like going into a VC's office and telling them your business plan
is: Engage in activities such that the quantity of money received exceeds the
quantity transmitted."

And with that, I was enlightened.

That is far better than 95% of what VC's actually do fund.

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ojbyrne
I disagree. Success can break people apart just as easily as failure.

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justin_vanw
You're right, but you are also off topic unless you think success can be a
cause of failure...

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professorplumb
This resonates with me on many levels. The main point - that clear and
unemotional communication is key - applies obviously to all your relationships
and not just those with a business partner.

I also like that he brings up the Puritan work-ethic canard and punctures the
balloon of more hours equals more productivity. This view is starting to gain
traction here on HN over the last couple years, which is for the best IMO.
There is no denying that startups are hard and require long hours, but it is
important to know one's limits - and macho "who works more" posturing is never
helpful.

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Terretta
More concisely, and yes, cliché: you're getting married.

In fact, it's more serious than that. You'll be together more and under more
stress than marriage, but without the makeup sex.

Then again, people make arranged marriages work. Share goals, stay focused on
"us versus them" instead of against each other, and you'll find rapprochement.

