You don't need someone who is just like you. You need someone who knows what you don't, and who shares your values. Skills show up quickly; values only show when things get hard.
Questions for the first meeting
- Why this, specifically? What do you want it to give you in 5 years?
- How many hours a week can you really put in, and starting when?
- How long can you go without a salary from this project?
- What's the hardest thing you've ever seen through to the end?
- How do you act when we disagree?
- If someone offers €200,000 for the company, do you sell?
- What would make you give up?
There are no right answers. Look at whether their answers line up with yours. If you want to build for 10 years and they want to sell in two, it's better to find that out today.
A trial project
- 1Pick a small goalSomething you can finish in 2–4 weeks: a landing page, 10 conversations with customers, a first prototype.
- 2Split the tasksEveryone takes their part, with a deadline.
- 3Weekly check-in15 minutes: what got done, what didn't, what's stuck.
- 4An honest talk at the endDid everyone deliver what they promised? What was it like working together? Only then talk about equity.
Red flags
- Lots of talk and little done during the trial period.
- Asks for a big share before doing anything.
- Doesn't want to put anything in writing.
- Blames others for everything that hasn't worked out before.
- Disappears for days at a time without a word.
Ask someone they've worked with before. One phone call tells you more than three meetings.