Article · ~20 min read

Solo Founder vs Co-Founder: The Complete Decision Framework

George Pu · Founder Reality Free Intermediate

This is the framework for the co-founder vs senior hire vs contractor decision, written from real numbers instead of theory. Pu shows that a sales contractor at 1,500 dollars a month beat the 10 percent equity sales co-founder he had given away, and a marketing contractor at 800 dollars a month beat a 10 percent equity hire. It scores five real variables (technical complexity, timing urgency, capital needs, your domain depth, personal runway) and tells you when a gap actually justifies a partner versus when a specialist on contract closes it cheaper and reversibly. It is the concrete answer to 'do I need a person, or do I need this problem solved.'

• Score the actual gap on five variables before adding anyone; most gaps score into 'contractor' or 'advisor', not 'co-founder'
• Prove the role with a paid contractor first: his contractors outperformed the equity co-founders he had already given 10 percent to
• Loneliness is not on the scorecard; add a partner only when a specific capability is capping the business