> You can still differentiate yourself. For example, find out what users don't like about competing services or products, and why they don't like it. What other features do similar apps/products/services offer, and what else are users asking for? Offer that.
I think this is true for challenging established or med/late stage startups but I keep running into seed/Series A startups or agencies. I'm less so worried about the agencies since their breadwinner is usually their consultancy service and their SaaS/tool offerings serve as marketing.
> What do you want out of a co-founder? Letting HN know what you're looking for might help you find the right person. Chances are the right person is out there, and very well might be reading your post - but they don't know what you're looking for. Do you want a business oriented person? A product focused person? A marketing expert? Someone with a finance background? So many variables here.
Because I'm not pursuing a specific idea I'm very flexible and it's hurting my chances. I have a chicken and an egg problem between figuring out the business & finding the right people to help me with it. The advice I read online suggests focusing on the people first (since the biz idea changes a lot) but I'm not super sure about it.
>I think this is true for challenging established or med/late stage startups but I keep running into seed/Series A startups or agencies
True - but if you're running into a bunch of early-stage companies, why not try to join one instead of dealing with the headache of founding one? You'll probably be able to command a decent equity percentage, and influence the product or service in a myriad of different ways. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
>Because I'm not pursuing a specific idea I'm very flexible and it's hurting my chances. I have a chicken and an egg problem between figuring out the business & finding the right people to help me with it. The advice I read online suggests focusing on the people first (since the biz idea changes a lot) but I'm not super sure about it.
There's the crux of the issue. Figure out what you want, and hopefully in doing so you'll quickly discover what you need. If you don't know what you want to build, how can people help you?
Try narrowing it down to maybe 2 or 3 different ideas, and testing the waters. Example: "I want to develop product/service ABC, and to do so I need a person with a ______ background; but if I want to develop product/service XYZ, I need a different sort of person, someone with a _________ background"
Focus on the people, yes, but also focus on what you want to build and the people will fall into place as you'll know what you want out of every person you meet.
> Figure out what you want, and hopefully in doing so you'll quickly discover what you need.
This I believe is the core of the issue. Thanks for helping out a stranger on the web - I really appreciate it.
> why not try to join one instead of dealing with the headache of founding one
While I'm not primarily money motivated, joining an early stage startup is really a bad decision for my individual case (assuming I can go back to FAANG as an EM/Dir+). IMO startup founders have a significantly better deal when compared to employee #1. I get that it's also much harder to be a founder than an employee but I would argue that it's worth at best 5-10x if you're an employee < 10-15.
