Local or remote partner, tech or non tech partner
Have any of you got experience with a remote partner, did it work out, and can you share any tips or arguments for or against working with a remote partner?
I'm currently thinking about a very technical and graphics oriented partner, assuming that the both of us will be smart enough to figure out the legal / marketing / running a company stuff. Do any of you have experience with a tech only founder situation, did it work out and do you have any tips or arguments for or against working with tech only founders?
Another bit of an off-topic question: have any of you got experience with a company focusing only on creating new web concepts (producing a new web concept every 1-3 months until you find one that works), did it work out, do you have any advice regarding this kind of startup?
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Note - for those wishing to read more details, look at the edits. I cut out a large portion of the post so that it was not intimidating to read and hopefully will now get answers. – Tim J 13 years ago
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Hi Tim, thx for that. I guess it was a bit too long after all! ;) – Raw Solutions 13 years ago
1 Answer
I highly recommend that you make sure both you and your partner share the same fundamental values. If you guys have fundamental differences, they will get worse over time and you won't work out as partners. An example would be the difference between Simplicity and Complexity. If one of you wants to add a new feature the other week and the other wants to keep things simple, then you guys will probably disagree on almost every big decision you need to make.
If you both are on the tech side, it's easy for you to stop building what your users want and start building what you guys think is "Cool". You are building a product for the client, not yourselves. If you lose focus of this, you'll alienate your clients and go out of business fast.
On a similar not, do not let customer service slip by the wayside. It's hugely important, especially in the tech world. Come up with a cool feature? The competition can copy it and you lose your edge. Passion for customer service is a lot harder to duplicate.
Finally, outsource every thing you can. You guys are both techy and you may be tempted to create your own support software, or your own accounting software. Don't. Buy it off the shelf. That precious time could be spent on your actual product.
A final thought, Profit is the ultimate feedback loop to determine success/failure in a business. I'm not saying sell your soul to the devil and throw all your values by the wayside... don't sell snake oil. But, you are in business to make money. Don't forget that, and remember it every time you make a decision.
Hope this helps!
-Nick
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outsourcing is very different than the way you are using the word. But the point is good. – Tim J 13 years ago
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Hi Nick, the main problem is that I don't have a partner yet. But obviously I will look for a partner that has the same goals, level and enthousiasm that I do. But now I still have a choice to pick a local or remote partner, and a tech or non tech partner. Choosing a local partner might mean that I'll have to settle for less, but it also makes it easyer to communicate. Where do I put the weight, what are your experiences? The same story goes for tech or non tech. – Raw Solutions 13 years ago
