Co-Founder partnership support
Co-Founder conflict is the silent killer of startups and it’s time to face it head-on
The startup landscape is more competitive and volatile than ever. In this high-stakes environment, the survival of your venture hinges on more than just a revolutionary product or robust business model. It’s the relationship between co-founders that often determines the fate of startups.
A staggering 65% of startups fold due to co-founder conflicts: a fact that warrants your attention.
Ignoring co-founder relationships can lead your promising venture into the graveyard of failed startups. On the flip side, startups that invest in robust co-founder relations stand out, secure better funding, and achieve sustained growth.
Investors are taking notice; they’re investing not just in ideas, but in teams that communicate and work effectively. In other words, your startup can either lead in harmony or bleed in conflict.
Imagine a startup where co-founders not only share a vision but also excel in executing it together. A business environment where seeking help for internal conflicts is seen as a hallmark of strong, forward-thinking leadership. This isn’t wishful thinking — it’s a strategic move that could lead to long-term stability and potentially superior returns.
Working on the business is not the same as working on the partnership.
Your Partnership
Co-founder partnerships are tested by facing the high-stakes pressure of courting investors, finding employees, trying to create scalablity, speaking to potential customers and facing decreasing funding runways. This tension can easily lead to strained relationships. As tension mounts, deep issues are skimmed over and unhealthy habits develop. Here are signals that niggles between you and your co-founder may be rooted in deeper, hidden issues:
- You keep having the same old fight. You know that your conversations feel rigid with predictable paths and tired arguments. It’s the same fight because you both keep doing the same thing.
- You think your co-founder is overreacting. You think, “All I said was that I don’t agree and she started shouting.” When someone has an intense reaction that doesn’t seem to fit what just happened, it’s a sign that there’s more to this than meets the eye.
- You’re not talking about the tough stuff. Repeated avoidance of a specific issue or start up-problems is a huge problem.
Our support
If these resonate, we can help you start to work through these deeper hidden issues. At its simplest, Co-Founder coaching is a conversation with a partner that is completely focused on the co-founding team, not the buisness. Your partner will support you to:
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- understand yourself & what you are bringing to the partnership (strengths and blind spots)
- gain perspective about how you relate to your partner & the venture; the partnership is our focus
- to experiment with developing feelings, thinking patterns and relational skills that will support your venture going forward
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Testimonials
Carrie and I have worked together on a number of really tricky projects. Even in extremely stressful scenarios, she is able to balance professionalism and extensive subject matter expertise with a calm manner and good humour. Her counsel is always on point, and I’ve recommended her for a number of coaching appointments , I won’t hesitate to do the same again soon.
I’ve known Carrie professionally for just over a decade now, both in a corporate and SME environment. This is important, as she brings a wide and diverse skill set to multiple people problems that arise through most business channels. Be it acquisition all the way through to transformational consulting. I’d urge anyone who has projects or problems that relate to solving people issues to let her be involved.