Episode 19: What to look for in a co-founder

Welcome to another episode of Her Business is Our Business where we, Gayathri and Aparna, look at Women Entrepreneurship beyond funding – sharing expertise, experiences and tools to grow your business.

In today's episode, we address one of the most common questions that every entrepreneur has asked or pondered upon at some point of their entrepreneurial journey, 'How to find a Co-Founder?'

We all have our own set of reasons for wanting to hire a Co-Founder for our business. In this episode, we look at few such reasons, highlight a set of questions to consider while choosing a co-founder and take you through a checklist to help you in this process. We also discuss a few specific real-life scenarios that women entrepreneurs face and share our point of view on how to deal with such circumstances.

Key Takeaways:

Elements to consider while choosing a Co-Founder:

1) Vision Difference

2) Credibility

3) Complimentary skills

4) Working style and Work culture

5) Communication style and format

6) Values

Other key points:

• Onboard a Co-Founder at the early stages of the business

• Have a clear discussion on the financial aspect of the business

• Keep Personal and Business separate if your Co-Founder shares a personal relationship with you

• Try to get a sense of the person by working on a small project together

• Most importantly, listen to your intuition and go with your gut

While this is just an overview, listen to the podcast as we discuss these points in detail along with some examples from our personal experiences.