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Why I’m Not Afraid to Build Alone: Debunking the Solo-Founder Myth
Recently I decided to be more open about the fact that I’m building my business, Epilocal, by myself. I thought this was the best way to be transparent about my solo-project and to avoid the temptation to “fake it until I make it.”
But isn’t this a huge mistake to go it alone? Doesn’t all the startup wisdom say that your founding team is one of the most important things?
I’m not so convinced — I’ll tell you why I’m not afraid to build alone.
The origin of the myth
“Starting a startup is too hard for one person. Even if you could do all the work yourself, you need colleagues to brainstorm with, to talk you out of stupid decisions, and to cheer you up when things go wrong.”
These are the words of Paul Graham one of the founders of the highly influential startup accelerator Y Combinator. His words inspired similar opinions that you will find reflected in many investment guidelines from Venture Capital firms.
Essentially, they say, don’t bother if you are a single-person founder.
But does this wisdom really hold up in practice? Let’s pick it apart a bit.
First, it’s important to note that this was back in 2006 and a lot has changed in 15 years…
