I'm playing devil's advocate; this is a pair of articles on why you should get a cofounder vs why you shouldn’t get a cofounder. There isn't a right answer. There's only a right answer for your situation.

There is a lot of advice in the startup space that you need a cofounder. Like so much other advice, it's so broad that it's terrible. What you choose should be based on you, your business, and your situation, not someone else's opinion.

You've done it before and you simply don't want one

If you know you know. Ignore the advice that's out there if you already know what you want. Here's my permission to do so. Not that you need it but if you feel like you do there you go.

You already have revenue

Bringing on a cofounder is the most expensive dilution you'll ever take. If you already have revenue, you were able to build a product and begin to sell it without taking that dilution. Unless there's a really clear way that a cofounder is going to help the business grow explosively (which there probably isn't), bringing on a cofounder post revenue makes almost no sense.

You enjoy working alone

You know yourself. If you're focused and driven and enjoy working alone there's nothing wrong with this. If you have a history of side projects and building things or writing things on your own, go for it!

You have a robust set of skills

If you're a little further along in your career and let's say you're a developer but you've also got some decent business skills, or you're say a product manager and you have good business skills and you know how to manage an outsourced development project, you may not get that much lift from a cofounder. Having two cofounders makes your startup ecosystem more complex. There's more communication, more space for the vision to become misaligned, and more space for conflict. It may not make sense to pay those costs if you have strong skills.

You've already got funding

If you already have funding from professional investors what do you need a cofounder for? They may be encouraging you to find a cofounder but if it wasn't part of your investment agreement, think about whether it's the right thing for you and the business or just investor pattern matching.

Similarly, if you're bootstrapping or you have friends and family money (and we should all be so lucky!), unless your cofounder is bringing a similar amount of capital into the business this can be a setup for disagreements about sweat equity versus cash invested and it can turn pretty ugly.

You know you don't want a cofounder

This is fine! There's nothing wrong with wanting to work alone. And if you know this is the case ignore all the advice out there and just get moving. You can always find a cofounder later if you change your mind.

You've had a cofounder relationship break up and you haven't carefully thought about why that's the case

Let’s normalize having a cofounder leave your startup. It’s totally normal for all sorts of reasons. However, if you haven’t processed your cofounder breakup, if it could have and should have been prevented, and what dynamics were at play, you should do that before you start a new cofounder relationship. Being on the rebound is a bad plan for a startup.

Your first cofounder left and took equity with them

This is a tough one because you may want to work with a cofounder. However, if you didn't have proper vesting set up or you were slow to build to the point of revenue, a cofounder who left with more than 10% of the equity may make it difficult to raise from investors. You should seek some expert advice from your current and potential investors and maybe your corporate lawyer before you decide what to do.

You are conflict-averse

OK, so we're all a little conflict-averse. It's part of the human condition. However, the definition of conflict is two people in the same county. Bring them close enough to cofound a business together? Yes, you will have conflict, whether you address it or not. If you are seriously conflict-averse, this will cripple your startup. So if you do take on a cofounder, you should see this as an opportunity to learn healthy conflict skills. If that's not something you want to spend time and energy on, then you should not work with a cofounder.

You already have a cofounder

OK, this one is just my opinion, but I think two is the perfect number of cofounders. I know how dilution feels after several rounds of investment. I can't imagine taking on the dilution of a third cofounder. There may be a few industries where it could make sense, but in general you don't need those skills. You and your cofounder either need to level up your own skill set, or find someone fractional who you pay to deliver what your startup needs.

You follow the data

Ha! After all of this conversation and all of the advice you hear in the startup ecosystem about getting yourself a cofounder, it turns out that solo founders are more likely to be successful. So you win!

A warning

If you choose to move forward without a cofounder the biggest pitfall to avoid is making sure you're not starving your business. You will need skills that you don't have and you need to be willing to pay for them either cash or advisor shares, if it's just a little bit of advice. Bringing people in with the proper skills is rocket fuel for your startup.

I'm not your lawyer, your therapist, your advisor, or your accountant. We're just internet friends, and these are just my experiences and personal opinions. Consult professionals for advice before you make any sudden moves in your startup.

You will see the occasional affiliate link. I do earn a commission if you buy the products I recommend. I appreciate you buying through the links if you're going to buy. This is a labor of love for my fellow cofounders, and I do love receiving a few coins to pay hosting costs if you like my work.