The biggest mistake founders make is forgetting they are in a partnership with a shared vision (Photo: Gemini)
To write his book, The Challengers, Nigerian author Eghosa Imasuen followed a group of young founders who came together to build a successful company during the 2008 financial crisis.
He notes that, in both his own generation and that of his parents, it was rare to see people starting companies together in the way that millennials and Gen Z founders do now. He wrote the book to explore the factors that contribute to the success of founder partnerships.
He believes founders often focus too much on chemistry and not enough on whether the business itself can survive. “Failure is part of the process. In the book, the first business did not work out. It was only in the third business that they became successful. You try, you fail, and then you try something else,” he says.
Eghosa says that founders also need to understand each other deeply. Shared vision, he explains, does not necessarily mean thinking alike all the time. In fact, differences can strengthen a company if they are handled respectfully.
