When we build innovation teams, we always ask for skill diversity – we want hackers, hipsters, hustlers AND humanitarians all working together. It’s a magical combination of skills, perspectives and interests.
Often, however, we struggle to find enough marketers and sales people to contribute.
Interestingly, it’s also something we often find in the makeup of early stage startups. Founders will seek out tech and product team members well before they seek out marketers. In fact, many founders spend a great deal of time and effort trying to find a tech co-founder.
But what of the marketing co-founder? Where are they and where can they be found?
Micah Rosenberg, writing for the Founder Collective, suggests however, that:
There’s no substitute for being a good story-teller. Often the reason one company raises capital more easily than another in the same general category, with the same general metrics, is that the founder is just a more compelling storyteller.
So perhaps the next best strategic hire for your startup is …
wait for it …
…
wait for it …
someone who can give you a surprise ending.