Cofounding the Right Way

Book excerpt: Jobs & Wozniak, Page & Brin, Ben & Jerry... any list of successful companies seems awash with cofounders who are a match made in business heaven. The benefits are obvious: by combining resources, knowledge, expertise and motivation, cofounders can often build something far more successful together compared to going solo.And yet... two-thirds of startups fail because of disagreements between founders. Why? Because cofounding isn't as simple as drawing up an agreement and shaking hands on it.In fact, there are seven steps required to build cofounding teams that win and last. Cofounding The Right Way will take you through these steps, one simple step at a time, from finding the right cofounders all the way through to structuring your team, splitting the equity, making sure everyone stays motivated and documenting it in your cofounding agreement. Is a partnership even right for you in the first place? That's Step No. 1!Get your cofounding team right, and you'll be in the best possible position to handle any challenge that's thrown in your direction. Get it wrong and not even the best business idea will be able to survive.Foreword by Mike Moyer, author of Slicing Pie.