A Co-founder You Can Count On

Starting a company is really hard. You have to __________ your investors, hire a team and inspire them to share the risk with you, not to mention that you need to make an actual product.

So, the last thing you want to deal with is a co-founder who does more __________ than good.

If you have a potential partner in mind, you’ve probably already checked whether he/she possesses complementary skills, __________ similar values, and has an identical vision for the company.

But going on a trip together is a simple way to test compatability with a possible business partner. You can promote and build your partnership and find out whether the things that you differ in will __________ well to the working world.

Traveling is known to reveal both the best and worst in people, so you’ll learn a lot about each other. During the trip, you should focus on your partner’s __________ and ability to stick to the schedule.

This will tell you whether you can trust him/her to show up to important meetings on time. Regular reminders of the things that slipped your mind and thinking __________ are reliable indicators of strategic planning ability and thoughtfulness.

Whether it’s easy or not to agree on things, especially regarding money, tells you how future negotiations will play out and if you share the same priorities __________ the budget.

Also, observe the person’s reaction to an ambiguous situation in another country. Does your partner look to you for guidance or work on his/her own? Only then you’ll know what to __________ when you meet challenging situations.

Is this person calm and rational or panicky? How well do you work together when encountering a problem? You need to remember that everyone can get __________ when things go well, but the real test comes when things fall apart.

In the end, the most successful __________ are those that have been tried and tested.