Another post with a question mark in with an answer of 'no'.
There are exceptions to all rules, so there's no universal catch all. But all businesses with an extra layer of "relationship" get messy. That can be a couple, but more often it's family.
As an outsider there are things going on out of the office that you are not aware of, gossip, deeply divisive sides in any dispute, and vendettas if you choose the wrong side.
There are exceptions to all rules, so it would be stupid
to not even think about it. But all businesses with an
extra layer of "relationship" get messy.
I'm sure we'll hear anecdotes to that effect - but is there good quality research-based evidence to back it up?
All the co-founders I know of are friends with one another, which doesn't seem to sink companies. And a lot of commentators in the press attribute Germany's economic strength to its 'Mittelstand' companies - small and medium size companies, which are often family-owned, export-oriented engineering firms [1,2].
Call me crazy, but when I'm making investment decisions I like to build my decisions on sturdier foundations than Betteridge's Law of Headlines.
No, it's a fallacy. And by, "it", I mean this idea that couples make poor founding teams. It's a theory that's usually stated with utter certainty and without proof ... not a winning combo.
My dad always told me that going into business with someone was like getting married. You are talking about deep levels of commitment required to make a business successful, and when things go badly, they can go horribly wrong. When I look at what he's going through when his business partners decided to force him into retirement, I think there is no question that this is right.
So if the co-founder relationship is best thought of as a marriage without the sex, why would a founding team that's actually married be at a disadvantage?
There are exceptions to all rules, so there's no universal catch all. But all businesses with an extra layer of "relationship" get messy. That can be a couple, but more often it's family.
As an outsider there are things going on out of the office that you are not aware of, gossip, deeply divisive sides in any dispute, and vendettas if you choose the wrong side.
It's a minefield.