Every co-founder team experiences conflict.
It’s how you handle it that makes all the difference.
Every Co-Founder Team Experiences Conflict.
It’s How You Handle it That Makes All the Difference.
After working as a coach for over a decade, I've discovered three main problems:
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People, not ideas, are the biggest barrier to growth.
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High levels of pressure and stress lead to breakdowns in communication and harm co-founder relationships.
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Businesses are destined to fail when co-founders don’t work well together.
So I have created a program designed to build better leaders and stronger co-founder teams.
The Co-Founder Communication Program
Co-founder coaching is a confidential and collaborative process designed to expand your understanding of yourself and your co-founders.
You will learn to communicate in ways that empower each other to do your best work and feel good while you do it.
Past issues/conflict will be explored for greater clarity and you will learn how to identify patterns that allow you to better navigate stress in the present and future.
You will learn to capitalize on each other’s strengths and maintain resilience as individuals and as a team.
If you want to be a team that manages conflict in such a way that you learn, grow, and progress at the same rate as your business...
Join The Co-founder Communication Program and Get:
In-the-moment support
Team insight
Personal growth
I recommend Sasha to all the founders I know. You don't have to be fighting with each other to benefit. We are without a doubt a better team because of our work with Sasha.
Co-founder / CEO
Series A Funded
We had some core issues from the past that we never really resolved. Sasha was instrumental in guiding us through conversations that led to solutions everyone was happy with.
Co-founder / CEO
Series A Funded
I was afraid to start this process because it made me feel like we were failing. After working with Sasha for nearly a year, I have found our coaching meetings invaluable. Our communication is lightyears ahead of where it was when we started.
Co-founder / CTO
Seed Funded
The Co-founder Communication Program Unfolded.
The coaching program includes the following modules that co-founders typically find most helpful. We will work through the modules that are relevant to your team's unique needs.
Assessment
Identify the gap between where you are and where you want to be as a team. Capitalize on individual and combined strengths.
Team Goals
Collaboration to identify alignment on key goals such as equity allocation, capital/debt structures, exit strategy, and relationship dynamics.
Team Dynamics
Utilize leadership profiles and team collaboration reports to identify more effective communication strategies and motivational tools.
Communication Blueprint
Create a framework for communication where all can be heard and ideas lead to effective outcomes.
Role Clarity
Co-founders must wear many hats. It’s not just about task division. Clarity comes from specifying role and perspective.
Trust Initiative
Trust is THE essential building block to your relationship. Learn what it takes to build trust and feel like you truly have each other’s back.
The Conflict Advantage
Use conflict to better understand each other and to fuel change. Mold conflict into the force that brings you closer together.
Accountability
Being responsible for your actions means that you constantly strive for improvement and seek feedback to uncover blind spots.
Company Culture
Co-founders identify core values and modify/change behavior to ensure that they are modeling those values for the team.
Co-Founder
Series A Funded
My co-founders and I were best friends working together in college before we started our company, but ended up facing significant conflicts between the three of us, leaving us unable to communicate with each other. We realized this was existential to the business and not the foundation we wanted to set as a company culture.
Working with Sasha has had a huge impact in helping us work through past issues and build communication best practices. We are now able to communicate with each other on harder and harder topics and help grow our team with a foundation of strong communication, teaching them what we have learned.
I highly recommend working with Sasha! I have grown as an individual and we have grown as a team as a result of working together.
Different needs,
Different options.
Every startup has a unique set of needs. Coaching begins with a consult to identify those needs and tailor a coaching program that fits.
Meet Your New Consultant
I'm Sasha Lustgarten, and I help co-founders work through conflict and strengthen relationships.
Over the past decade, working as a therapist and executive coach, my clients have been founders, VCs, lawyers, CEOs, and partners in accelerator programs. I hear the inside scoop from many perspectives in one of the major startup centers of the world - San Francisco.
As a licensed therapist in California (LPCC, LMFT), my education and expertise in psychology provide me with a unique set of tools to help co-founders create better relationships.
You've Got Questions. I've Got Answers.
Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about getting your coaching program started. I'm happy to answer any other questions you have during a free consultation!
Who is this program for?
Early to middle-stage startups that have already secured debt, angel, seed, or series-A funding, looking to maximize team impact and collaboration.
Who isn't this program for?
If all partners aren’t open to at least working on the relationship then this work isn’t likely to be helpful.
If you aren’t willing to be self-reflective, learn, and grow, then this program isn’t for you.
Why should we work with you?
You might find someone else offering similar services for less, but they are unlikely to have the same experience. I started coaching co-founders on their relationship in 2015, at a time when almost no one else was offering these services and hardly any founders knew to look for it.
What’s wrong with asking our Head of People/HR to help us through a disagreement?
If you have the funding and growth to hire a Head of People, you want that person to focus on growing the company and finding good candidates, not trying to solve conflict among the founders. Co-founder conflict is best dealt with outside the company by a neutral and objective facilitator.
What is the typical length of time that co-founders work with Rock Solid Startups?
Each set of co-founders has their own specific set of needs and challenges. Some just want to work through a high-stress or high conflict period, while others find it valuable to set aside weekly time to address strategy and culture. Most teams average between 3 - 6 months. Many continue beyond a year and all are welcome to drop back in from time to time for a one-off refresh or to work through a specific issue.
Is co-founder coaching worth the financial investment?
Hiring a consultant to focus on the co-founder relationship is a business expense and an investment in human capital. It is likely to be the most impactful early investment you can make.
Can we just work it out on our own?
The tendency is to want to bury the hatchet and put it all behind you, but if trust has been shaken or your sense of contribution is obstructed, the relationship can sour further rather than rebound.
What is the ROI?
All of your future capital raises - you are much more likely to secure future capital when investors can see that the founders work well together and make the most of their individual strengths.
All of your future revenue and growth is dependent on the leaders (founders) of your company to be able to work effectively together and make important decisions swiftly and thoughtfully.
Is it still valuable to focus on the co-founder relationship after additional executives have been hired by the company?
Once co-founders bring on other executives, most decisions will be made among the executive team or board members. However, there are always issues that pertain exclusively to the co-founders and no one else is likely to to have your back in the same way as your co-founder will.
Do you require a minimum commitment or length of time?
To get good results, I highly recommend starting with a 3-month commitment. However, if you are not 100% satisfied with the work, you may cancel at any time with at least 24-hour notice.
