Let’s face it: being a solo founder can feel like trying to win a team sport all by yourself. Most startup advice screams, “Find a co-founder!” — and sure, that can help. But guess what? Plenty of successful startups were started by one person. It’s not easy, but it’s absolutely doable.
If you’re building solo, this one’s for you.
There are actually a few perks:
Speed – No need to get buy-in or wait on anyone.
Control – You set the vision, direction, and priorities.
Equity – You don’t have to split your shares with anyone.
But yeah, it’s harder. You’ll need to wear more hats and be honest with yourself about your blind spots. So here’s how to do it right.
Are you technical? Great — you can build your own MVP. Not technical? That’s fine too — just don’t pretend you don’t need tech help.
Lean on no-code tools like:
Bubble or Webflow for building apps/websites
Zapier or Make for automation
Figma for prototyping
And don’t be afraid to bring on freelancers or contractors. You don’t need a full-time co-founder — you just need support in the right places.
Without a co-founder to bounce ideas off, it’s easy to overthink everything. You’ll want to tweak your landing page 50 times or add another feature “just because.”
Fight that instinct. Stay laser-focused on one problem, one audience, one solution. Your job is to learn, launch, iterate — not perfect.
Solo doesn’t mean isolated. You need people in your corner:
Join online communities (like Indie Hackers, Product Hunt, or Twitter/X).
Find a mentor or advisor who’s been there before.
Get feedback from users early and often.
You’re not looking for cheerleaders — you want real talk, honest critique, and a bit of encouragement when things get rough (and they will).
You’re the CEO, developer, marketer, and customer support — all rolled into one. That’s a lot. Use tools to help you stay on track:
Notion or Trello to organize tasks
Calendly to book calls without back-and-forth
Loom or Descript for fast content creation
You don’t need to work more hours. You just need to work smarter.
Down the line, maybe it makes sense to bring in a co-founder or early hire. That’s totally fine. But make that decision based on need — not fear.
In the early days, if you're clear on your vision and willing to learn as you go, going solo can be your startup superpower.
Bottom line: building a tech startup on your own is tough, but not impossible. With the right tools, focus, and mindset, you can go a long way solo — and maybe even all the way.