Since the acquisition of her first startup, Mint.com, Poornima Vijayashanker has transitioned from the role of founding engineer to founder for two startups: BizeeBee and Femgineer. In this talk, Poornima will shed light into the first steps founders need to take when it comes to bringing an idea to life, building a product, and a creating company.
22. • Identify your skills and look for complementary skills.
• Don’t do a sales pitch. Instead get people involved in the process e.g.
brainstorming.
• Be wary of those who come after you!
Co-Founders
Supplemental Reading: Conversations Potential Co-Founders Should Have
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23. Co-Founder Conversations
• Conversation topics to cover:
• Bad experiences you both might have had in the past.
• Setup a clear standard for communicating both the positive and negative.
• Make sure there is alignment when it comes to values and the direction of
the company and product.
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25. Advisors
• Areas of Expertise
• Setup expectations
• Make contribution clear
• Fluid relationship
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26. Right time to recruit.
Supplemental Reading: How to Keep Your Startup Engineer Sane, Recruiting for a Startup?
First Figure Out Who & What You Want.
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31. • Abilities vs. Capabilities
• What skill set do you absolutely need?
• Allocation time to train and understand direction
• Micromanaging vs. Delegating
• Polling vs. check-ins
• Test: can focus on just your role and contributions?
Team Building
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32. • Outsourced or Part-Time Team
• Set a budget
• Set clear deliverables
• Hire those that demonstrate self-leadership
• Start with sample projects
Part Time or Outsourced Team
Supplemental Reading: How to Make Progress with Part Timers, Optimizing Outsourcing
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33. Dissolve a Partnership
• What is the stake they leave with?
• Who controls the assets?
• Bringing someone new in.
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