Deciding whether to bring on a co-founder for your business can be a difficult decision. Here are some main reasons why you might want to see a co-founder join: • Complementary skills: if you’re great at math and can manage the budget like a pro, but have a terrible time speaking up and making a sale (or vice versa), a co-founder might be the ticket. The key to a great co-founder is to find someone that you work well with and can round out your own skills. • Sharing the workload: Four hands are better than two. If you’re having trouble staying on top of all that needs to be done, a co-founder can be a great source of help. • Encouragement + fun: Starting a business can be tough. Having someone to celebrate with in the good times, and help keep spirits up in the tough times can be a real gift. Despite all of these positives, don’t jump into the decision. An extra person also brings extra opinions and potential disagreements. Think carefully before you make a big commitment to a co-founder.

Practice, practice, practice! No one would look at a professional athlete and expect him/her to have simply become amazing by luck one day. We all know for a fact that professional athletes put in thousands of hours over many years in order to develop the skills that they need to compete in the most competitive of environments. Entrepreneurship is no different. Start small (think: little league). Choose a product that you can make and sell relatively easily. (Start by reading: What are the best business ideas for kids?)(javascript:void(0)). You will learn so much from the experience of moving all the way to LAUNCH and selling your product! The next time you launch your business (either the same product or a new one), you can add and grow - trying things that are slightly harder each time. How can you improve your product? How can you better serve your customers? What new skill do you need to learn to take your business to the next level? Jump in today, and you’ll see yourself grow into a successful entrepreneur over time!

Entrepreneurs come in all types - you definitely don’t need to be outgoing to be a successful entrepreneur. Every business eventually needs more than one person to run it. As you add to your team, you can focus on skills that don’t come as easily to you. That said, there *are* a few skills that can be found in just about every successful entrepreneur. These skills can be developed and improved over time with practice and hard work. Learn more in our article: What are the top 3 qualities of a successful kid entrepreneur?(javascript:void(0))

A good place to start when you are thinking about adding to your business team, is by identifying the areas of your business where you are the weakest, and thus need the most help. You can figure out what those areas are by making a list of all the jobs you are currently doing in your business (add the ones that you *should* be doing but don’t have enough time or knowledge to complete!). Highlight the tasks that you enjoy doing and are really good at. Now it’s time to look at the pattern in the remaining tasks to see what type of skills you need in a new teammate. We recommend also downloading our FREE Entrepreneur Workbook (undefined)which contains an assessment to find your best fit role as an entrepreneur.