Having a co-founder can bring many benefits to a business, including shared responsibilities, complementary skills, and emotional support. However, it can also come with challenges, such as disagreements over direction, decision-making power struggles, and the potential for conflicts of interest. Knowing who will make a great business partner for you is important to avoid significant issues later (like lawsuits and a complete dissolution of a business you worked hard to build.)
On Amplify Your Success Podcast episode 331, serial entrepreneur and long-time cofounder Tanis Jorge joins me to discuss how to ensure your business partnerships continue to be a growth asset.
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Key Takeaways
● [5:53] How Tanis met and cultivated her long-term cofounder relationship.
● [9:01] The best way to lay the groundwork for a successful, long-term business partnership.
● [11:16] Navigating challenges and putting out fires that naturally emerge when accelerating business growth.
● [13:17] Trojan horses to watch for in your cofounder relationship.
● [15:30] Why values are a critical component for successful communication and growth between business partners.
● [19:18] A few signs that your colleague or family member is not going to make a good business partner.
● [25:13] Tanis shares a technique to transform a contentious, challenged cofounder relationship back into harmony.
● [28:43] We discuss how agreements and contracts fit into a successful business partnership.
Tanis is a serial tech entrepreneur and a leading advisor on entrepreneurship and building successful cofounder partnerships. Over the course of her career in startups, spanning the last 20 years, Tanis has cofounded, scaled, and successfully exited multiple, data-driven businesses with the same partner.
Her successes culminated with her most recent venture, Trulioo, which she co-founded in 2011. Between 2011 and 2015, Tanis served as Chief Operations Officer of Trulioo, working to lay the groundwork and build the foundation for the trusted, innovative, and disruptive company it has become today. In 2021, Trulioo reached "unicorn" status, solidifying both its place as the world’s leading identity verification company and Jorge’s track record for founding successful businesses.
Today, Tanis is one of the go-to voices and experts on the cofounder relationship. Author of The Cofounder's Handbook and Founder of The Cofounder's Hub, her work focuses on how co-founders can function in an open, productive, and symbiotic way to ensure continued and long-term business success.
Website: https://www.thecofoundershub.com/
SM Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecofoundershub/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanisjorge/