3 People Every First-Time Founder Can’t Go Without

When you’re building a startup, you meet hundreds of people.

But having personally ridden the startup rollercoaster twice, here are the 3 people that you can’t go without:

#1 — Startup Lawyer

Find someone that doesn’t charge per email and is willing to give you a break on the price in the early stages. Even better if you can get pro-bono legal support through an accelerator. See my earlier post about why lawyers are important…

#2 — Accountant

You can do a lot of your own accounting with software, but having someone to review your work, file your Corporate Income Tax, and answer payroll questions is a great investment. Avoid the big firms and seek small solo practitioners (even better if they’ve got startup experience). They’ve got flexibility in their billing schedule.

#3 — Therapist / Pastor / Mentor

You’re embarking on a journey that will challenge you mentally and spiritually. Surround yourself with someone who can keep you grounded and point you to the bigger picture. You’ll need to vent. Seek professional help. Your co-founder is not your therapist.

If you’re a first-time founder just starting out, you’ll meet hundreds of people. But the three that you can’t go without are: a startup lawyer, an accountant, and a therapist/pastor/mentor.

Pro Tip: Look for incubators/accelerators that provide these services pro-bono or ask founders in your network who they use and what they charge. Or DM me and I’ll send you my personal recos.