Interview with Dr Matthew Jones from Cofounder Clarity
As part of my research to find the right co-founder, I'm interviewing experts and those with co-founder experiences—whether good or bad—to learn how I can find, qualify, select and nurture a successful co-founder relationship.
My first recorded interview was with Dr Matthew Jones from Cofounder Clarity, who works as a coach and therapist helping cofounders to improve their relationships with one another.
Watch the 26-minute interview on YouTube.
Topics we touched upon include:
- Why the goal is not to have an absence of conflict, but to navigate conflict more effectively
- What questions to ask a potential co-founder and WHEN to ask them
- How you don't need to be friends with your co-founder, but the capacity for friendship creates a resilience factor
- How attachment theory, conflict resolution styles and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) can provide a framework for understanding and navigating the relationship dynamic with your cofounder
- What ways you can handle conflict within a co-founder relationship
- How you can better evaluate a potential co-founder relationship by working together in a high-stress situation where you both have skin in the game
- Why it's important to uncover your differences so you can better navigate around them
- How different people have different styles of processing information and how framing the conversation can help
For more information about Dr Matthew Jones and how he helps co-founders face difficult conversations, make better decisions together, communicate more effectively and inspire more creativity and joy in their partnerships, check out Cofounder Clarity at https://cofounderclarity.com/
If you know anyone else who might have valuable advice or experience with me to share, please have them reach out to me here or on Twitter @FastFedora.
And, if you might be interested in being a marketing / biz dev co-founder, check out my co-founder opportunity page.
