Company founding: alone or in partnership

Better to get started alone – or together?

The decision for a founder to set up a company alone or in partnership is primarily determined by the founding concept and business idea. So what are the advantages and drawbacks of each option?

Advantages

  • No internal compromises
  • Not dependent on partners
  • Greater individual responsibility
  • No internal discussions or conflicts
  • Founder has full control
  • Possible to work from home

Drawbacks

  • Solitude
  • Founder must possess numerous skills
  • More own capital required
  • Creative process of discussion eliminated
  • Risk and responsibility weigh on the shoulders of one person

Advantages

  • Specialization and division of labour increase efficiency and generate synergies
  • Each individual requires less capital
  • Risk and responsibility shared
  • Sparring partners for discussions and joint decisions

Drawbacks

  • Increased risk of interpersonal conflicts
  • Different ideas and goals of partners must be reconciled
  • A partner opting out can threaten the existence of the business
  • A partner running into financial difficulty can threaten the business

More information

More information on the topic of setting up a company is available from IFJ Startup Support.

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