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Ask HN: What's the best way for outsiders to get a startup team together?
1 point by bwasser on Feb 19, 2009 | hide | past | favorite | 2 comments
I'm relatively young and of the writing, editing, and political vocations. That said, I also have a big interest in social computing. I'd love to do things for myself, but I recognize my limitations. I have a few startup ideas that I think could be very successful if handled correctly. Unfortunately, I need engineers and I don't know how to get them. As a student, it doesn't make sense to try to hire people, and I'm fine with having equal shares; I just don't know where to find people who are skilled, trustworthy, and motivated. Are there some forums or something that I'm missing out on? Are the established startup communities too hard to penetrate by people outside the industry?


I cannot stress this enough... do not go into a partnership with someone that you barely know. You can't gauge someone's work ethic, business ethic, or personal history, based on a few forum posts. Case in point... I have an acquaintance who formed a partnership with someone they barely knew. The other party ultimately contributed very little, yet when this acquaintance tried to dissolve the partnership and move on, they ended up with some minor legal issues.

Instead, network with people that are in your local area and form friendships with people that have a skill set that you are interested in. Spend time discussing topics other than business to see if you can even stand to be around them. It make take a while, but be patient. Treat it like marriage, because partnership breakups can sometimes be nastier than a divorce!





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