Co-Founders and Co-Creators

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Creating a product or service that is born of your inspiration and embodies your creativity is one of those experiences where even exhaustion fuels elation. And doing it as a team means sharing the frustrations, doubts, thrills and joys with others! For those founding an organization to monetize or expand the use of their offering, a question that is present but not always articulated is: are all co-creators cofounders of the organization?

Are All Co-Creators Also Cofounders?

There are several reasons that this distinction is critical and helpful. Designing and creating a product or service is not the same as creating an organization. The roles and responsibilities are different and not everyone might be willing. In most cases, co-creators might not even realize this distinction and find themselves transitioning into or taking on responsibilities unconsciously.

Deliberately Differentiate Between Your Actions as Co-Creators and Co Founders

“It is OK to find that you are struggling with co-founding activities while excelling at co-creating. It is also normal to find the two competing for attention.”

This, however, leads to confusion about roles and responsibilities and is unsustainable in the long term. It is therefore critical to have a clear conversation about co-creators and co-founders. It is essential to clarify what the roles entail, what time and input are required towards each. I encourage all those engaged in founding to be clear about their actions as creators and founders and deliberately differentiate their actions as co-creators and cofounders. Take collective responsibility to maintain separate meetings for both activities. Track what is working and what is lacking on the founding side independent of product-related challenges. It is OK to find that you are struggling with co-founding activities while excelling at co-creating. It is also normal to find the two competing for attention. Both point to ensuring you keep the distinction and work on them independently of each other.