Learning from Failure – Being a Single Founder is Difficult

As the title suggests, starting a company alone is very difficult. First of all, you may not have all the skills required for running the company in the most efficient manner. You start hiring for or outsourcing some parts of your business. Then comes managing these people/vendors, ensuring that the product is built as per your vision, making a marketing plan, doing sales, managing the finances etc. It all tends to become a bit overwhelming for the entrepreneur at times. This can cause burnout in several cases. If not, the startup does tend to suffer in various areas which are not catered to in the best way.

Cusoy was a curated restaurant finder for people having food allergies. It was started by Melissa Tsang, the single founder who was solving a big pain point she faced herself. Even though she has a non-technical background, she was able to create 3 MVPs for her startup. Also she designed and conducted marketing research, in-person usability tests and also pitched to investors to raise money. Juggling between all these tasks, it became extremely difficult for her as she was just not able to find a like-minded and interested co-founder for the startup. Eventually she was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted and this was a big reason for her closing down the startup.

Advice – Single founders often find it increasingly difficult to sustain a startup after the initial stage. Finding a co-founder who is like-minded, has the same vision and passion and has the requisite skill sets becomes key to keep the company going.