What is the most important factor when deciding to start a company?

Cyriac Roeding

Co-founder, CEO · Earli

Team

Cyriac Roeding says the team is the one thing he would choose when starting a company, because awesome teams are the secret ingredient of every success and can execute on ideas.

The answer starts at 35:36.

Sam Parr

Co-Founder · Hampton

Personal Alignment

Sam Parr says personal alignment is important because founders often take on partners or commitments without fully understanding if they fit their desired way of living or the kind of company they want to build.

Mike Cannon-Brookes

CEO and Co-Founder · Atlassian

Enjoyment

Mike Cannon-Brookes says you need to enjoy creating products or services, because otherwise you won't be able to do it very long; money or being in the right circles won't sustain you for 5-10 years.

Andrea Baronchelli

Co-Founder & CEO · Aspire

Speed

Andrea Baronchelli says speed is what every entrepreneur should keep in mind, because building from scratch gives a small, nimble team that can go fast before growth slows it down.

The answer starts at 21:53.

Will Ahmed

Founder & CEO · Whoop

Problem Impact

Will Ahmed says to obsess over the problem rather than the idea or the outcome, asking how impactful solving that problem can be — for him, making money wasn't the point.

Keith Peiris

Co-Founder · Lightfield

Personal Passion

Keith Peiris argues the key factor is whether you love and are emotionally moved by the company you'd build, because that lets you work on it every waking hour and find equally obsessed customers.

Yasser Elsaid

CEO · Chatbase

An Amazing Co‑Founder

Yasser Elsaid says an amazing co-founder is the answer, arguing that having an amazing co-founder is better than being solo and a mediocre one is worse.

Sridhar Ramaswamy

Chief Executive Officer · Snowflake

Belief

Sridhar Ramaswamy says belief is the key factor, calling every startup an act of believing and saying founders need to believe they can do something better.

Capacity to Take Pain

Travis Kalanick says the capacity to take pain is a core part of the entrepreneurial lifestyle, because you are signing up for constant adversity and overcoming it.

Steven Walchek

Founder and CEO · Liminal

Family Time

Steven Walchek says family time is the number one thing, calling it immutable, and tells entrepreneurs to make part of each day immutable because you never get those years back.

Aizada Marat

CEO & Founder · Alma

The Problem to Solve

Aizada Marat says the most important thing is to think about the problem you want to solve, because founders can fall in love with an idea too early and become defensive.

Neka Pasquale LAc MS

Founder & Chief Product Officer · Urban Remedy

Vision

Neka Pasquale LAc MS says vision is the key factor, because when you start a business it is yours and your vision guides it. She says it is critically important to always hold that vision.

Your Judgment

Max Hodak says the factor is your judgment, since successful companies are the exceptions and you must make decisions that make sense to you rather than follow momentum. He adds your judgment has to be differentiatedly good to succeed.

Sam Altman

Chief Executive Officer · OpenAI

Conviction in the Idea

Sam Altman says the key is conviction in the idea, arguing that an idea you genuinely believe in beats one that gets universal nods, because conventional wisdom is often wrong about what matters most.

Michael Kopko

Class of 2024 · Presidential Leadership Scholars

Love What You're Doing

Michael Kopko advises founders to make sure they love what they're doing, because they will often hit hardship and be alone solving that problem.

Alex Konrad

Founder and Editor · Upstarts Media

Love for What You're Building

Alex Konrad says one of the biggest factors is that you have to really love what you're building, because running a startup cynically or for money or glory is a terrible business.

Gabrielle Marquez

Founder Solutions Lead · Finstrat Management

What You're Trying to Accomplish

Gabrielle Marquez says the first thing you have to answer is what you're trying to accomplish, because you're not working for working's sake.

Blake Scholl

Founder/CEO · Boom Supersonic

Love for the Idea

Blake Scholl says you should start a company only if it's one you love and want to keep, because starting a company you don't love can leave you trapped by responsibility to employees and investors.