Hey!

Chris here. Welcome to Blueprint—the newsletter to help you build a winning engineering team.

Last week, someone asked me, "How do you know if someone would make a good co-founder?"

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, especially after parting ways with my first business partner. We did some incredible things together, but we eventually got to the end of what we were capable of doing as a team. 

The thing is, having the wrong co-founder is worse than having no co-founder at all. You're not just dealing with the challenge of growing a company anymore. Now you're fighting with someone every day while trying to build something meaningful.

So, how do you find the right person? Let me break down exactly what I look for 👇

📒 DEEP DIVE

The 3 Things I Look for in a Co-founder

Why the person you'd leave your kids with might be the only person you should start a business with.

After 20 years of building companies, I've learned there are only 3 things that really matter when evaluating a potential co-founder: Trust, skill set, and chemistry.

Get any of these wrong, and your company is dead before it starts.

Trust: Would You Leave Them With Your Kids?

Here's my litmus test: If you wouldn't trust someone with your kids for an extended weekend, you absolutely cannot trust them as a co-founder.

I know that sounds extreme, but think about it. Your co-founder is going to have access to everything—bank accounts, customer data, strategic decisions. They can make choices that affect your entire future without asking your permission first.

The trust has to be complete. Almost anything would break that trust for me. If I found out they were hiding something significant about their character or their past, we're done. 

There's no rebuilding from that.

This is why I don't think I could ever do a cold relationship with a co-founder. I know people who have made it work, but I just can't see how you build that level of trust with someone you barely know.

The relationship runs deeper than most marriages. So it’s crucial you get it right. 

Skill Set: Top 1% or Nothing

The second thing I look for is whether this person is in the top 1% of whatever they do.

For example, if you're selling horseback riding lessons, I want an absolute expert in horses. If you're building software, I want someone who can code circles around the competition.

This matters because at the beginning of a company, everyone's doing the technical work. Eventually, maybe you step out of that role, but early on, you need someone who can execute at the highest level.

They need to be an expert in that thing—the kind of person who won't sleep until they understand why something isn't working.

You can't compromise on this. Mediocre skill sets lead to mediocre results, and mediocre results kill companies.

Chemistry: Do You Make Each Other Better?

The third piece is how well you work together. Do you get more done together than either of you would individually? Do you shore up each other's weak spots?

My co-founder Ben and I work because we balance each other perfectly. 

I'm an intense optimist—sometimes to a fault. Ben is extremely grounded and realistic. When I get too crazy with founder ideas, he brings me back to earth. When he gets low, our conversations pull him back up.

That balance is everything. We make each other better at work and better at handling the stress that comes with building a company.

Because of that experience with my first business partner, I was really clear on who I wanted to be in business with next. I understood my skill set and my personality well enough to know what would be a good fit.

Here's the thing about me—I've got a pretty big ego. I wouldn't want another co-founder who has that same level of ego, because we'd be fighting for the same position all the time.

Ben and I have worked together forever, so I already knew we'd be a good fit. The chemistry was proven, the trust was there, and our skills complemented each other perfectly.

The Loneliness Factor

Here's something nobody talks about: Building a company is lonely enough, even with a co-founder.

When I was starting Surton, I actually thought about going solo. I was tired of the partnership dynamics from my previous company, and part of me wanted to just handle everything myself.

But the reality is, it's incredibly lonely. 

Even when everything else is going well, having someone else in the trenches with you makes a huge difference. Someone who understands the pressure, the decisions, the weight of everything you're trying to build.

It's a lot more fun to do this with someone else—but only if all three of those criteria are met. 

If they're not, you're better off alone.

🎙 EPISODE OF THE WEEK

This week on "Build Your Business," my brother, Matt Reynolds, gets real about something every founder struggles with—pushing off the things that actually matter.

We're talking about how easy it is to ignore your family, your health, and your strategic thinking because they're not screaming for attention.

But here's the thing: eventually, they will become urgent.

Matt shares how he cleared his schedule, tackled the stuff he'd been avoiding, and rediscovered what it means to lead intentionally.

If you're buried in your to-do list or feeling disconnected from what actually matters, this episode will be your wake-up call.

Check it out: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

BEFORE YOU GO…

I couldn't build Surton alone, but I also couldn't do it with the wrong person.

A bad co-founder will kill your company faster than any competitor ever could. They'll drain your energy, compromise your vision, and make every hard decision twice as difficult.

But the right co-founder? They make everything possible. They catch you when you fall, push you when you need it, and help you see solutions you never would have found on your own.

The parallels to marriage are ridiculous. Life is hard enough without going home every day to someone you don't like. Don't make building a company harder by partnering with someone who makes every day more difficult.

Take your time with this decision. It might be the most important one you make as a founder.

Talk soon,

Chris.