A lot of people have a lot of ideas. People have to figure out which idea they want to commit to. You want to eliminate all of the roadblocks and potential reasons for someone saying 'No'. Address them in order of importance.
- Get along!
- They should be someone who complements you. Figure out what your business needs, and you will have a better idea of who your cofounder should be.
- You're more likely to find a co-founder at a conference either on startups/entrepreneurs or at a conference about your market/industry/field
- Networking is the answer to almost everything when it comes to finding team members.
- If you don't put in the work to find these people, you won't find them. Don't expect them to come to you.
- Prototypes can work so well in finding people. Look what the PubComp "manifesto" did in terms of finding people who wanted to work on it, for free, too! All to help the TF2 community.
- Don't settle. You might have to look at 20-30 people to find that ideal co-founder, but it's better than hiring the wrong person.
- Hiring the 1st person is a lot different from hiring the 34th, the 71st, or even the 200th. But no matter what, it's always a good outcome when you find the right person, because they're still someone that helps your vision succeed.
- Develop a strategy for finding the people you need, whether it's looking for people who previously worked at competitors or companies that do the same type of business, or looking for people who match your needs.
- In essence, you stalk people (but not in a creepy way). Figure out what they like. Would they be receptive to your idea?
- End the conversation with a request or a question. One of the simplest things you can say to extend your reach is to ask "Is there someone you know that might be interested?" Tacking that sentence on when you think all is lost with a prospect will really improve the likelihood of finding others.
- VCS: Values, Capabilities, and Skills. You can map these three things to your company and the positions you're trying to hire for.
- Values are something that most likely are constant across your entire company.
- Capabilities are things that can be learned, but aren't always learned easily. Something like "learns quickly".
- Skills are something that are much more easily learned. Knowing how to code, experience with technology, etc.
- Develop an evaluation process that tests applicants for these things.
Advice for students: take full advantage of the different pricing structures for conferences.
More generally: Ask for help in everything that you do.