StarZero All shows Try the podcast clipper →

Jun 1, 2022 · 23m · product-market-fit

How to Find your Co-Founders | Lindsey Goodchild, Founder of Nudge · PMF Show

Lindsey Goodchild · 16m spoken Pablo Srugo · 5m spoken
0:00 / 0:00
▶ Watch on YouTube →

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of The Product Market Fit Show, Nudge founder Lindsey Goodchild shares how she transitioned from a solo management consultant into leading a venture-backed tech company by strategically finding, evaluating, and partnering with her co-founders.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Pablo holds 24.3% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Pablo as informed peer 2.2 Guest teaching 1.8 Guest disagreement 0.2 Pablo pushing back 0.2
05100:0010:0020:001:53–6:48 · Pablo as informed peer 2/10 Taking the Leap from Consulting to Full-Time Founder Pablo asks open, friendly narrative questions to map out Lindsey's transition from consulting to DMZ and Mars. Lindsey elaborates collaboratively on attending seminars, startup weekends, and meeting initial mentors.6:48–12:43 · Pablo as informed peer 2/10 Partnering with TWG Agency and Recruits First Co-Founder Desi The conversation remains purely collaborative as Pablo prompts Lindsey to share how TWG built the MVP and how she bonded with Desi over drinks. Lindsey details the gradual courting process that led to asking Desi to become her technical co-founder.12:43–14:57 · Pablo as informed peer 2/10 Recruiting a Third Co-Founder and Scaling Mindset Pablo inquires about what Lindsey sought beyond technical skills, leading her to recount meeting Jordan. Lindsey describes how Jordan's rapid-fire questioning and scaling experience filled a crucial strategic gap.14:57–18:26 · Pablo as informed peer 3/10 Managing Equity Splits and the Value of Co-Founders Pablo raises practical founder dilemmas around equity division and why a founder wouldn't simply hire technical talent instead of partnering. Lindsey explains how equity reflects early risk taken and stresses the psychological value of having true partners.18:26–22:57 · Pablo as informed peer 2/10 Defining Leadership Roles and Achieving Product-Market Fit Pablo prompts Lindsey on assigning co-founder titles versus executive roles and recognizing product-market fit. Lindsey explains why Jordan naturally felt like a co-founder and describes frontline word-of-mouth adoption as their key PMF signal.1:53–6:48 · Guest teaching 2/10 Taking the Leap from Consulting to Full-Time Founder Pablo asks open, friendly narrative questions to map out Lindsey's transition from consulting to DMZ and Mars. Lindsey elaborates collaboratively on attending seminars, startup weekends, and meeting initial mentors.6:48–12:43 · Guest teaching 1/10 Partnering with TWG Agency and Recruits First Co-Founder Desi The conversation remains purely collaborative as Pablo prompts Lindsey to share how TWG built the MVP and how she bonded with Desi over drinks. Lindsey details the gradual courting process that led to asking Desi to become her technical co-founder.12:43–14:57 · Guest teaching 2/10 Recruiting a Third Co-Founder and Scaling Mindset Pablo inquires about what Lindsey sought beyond technical skills, leading her to recount meeting Jordan. Lindsey describes how Jordan's rapid-fire questioning and scaling experience filled a crucial strategic gap.14:57–18:26 · Guest teaching 2/10 Managing Equity Splits and the Value of Co-Founders Pablo raises practical founder dilemmas around equity division and why a founder wouldn't simply hire technical talent instead of partnering. Lindsey explains how equity reflects early risk taken and stresses the psychological value of having true partners.18:26–22:57 · Guest teaching 2/10 Defining Leadership Roles and Achieving Product-Market Fit Pablo prompts Lindsey on assigning co-founder titles versus executive roles and recognizing product-market fit. Lindsey explains why Jordan naturally felt like a co-founder and describes frontline word-of-mouth adoption as their key PMF signal.1:53–6:48 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Taking the Leap from Consulting to Full-Time Founder Pablo asks open, friendly narrative questions to map out Lindsey's transition from consulting to DMZ and Mars. Lindsey elaborates collaboratively on attending seminars, startup weekends, and meeting initial mentors.6:48–12:43 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Partnering with TWG Agency and Recruits First Co-Founder Desi The conversation remains purely collaborative as Pablo prompts Lindsey to share how TWG built the MVP and how she bonded with Desi over drinks. Lindsey details the gradual courting process that led to asking Desi to become her technical co-founder.12:43–14:57 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Recruiting a Third Co-Founder and Scaling Mindset Pablo inquires about what Lindsey sought beyond technical skills, leading her to recount meeting Jordan. Lindsey describes how Jordan's rapid-fire questioning and scaling experience filled a crucial strategic gap.14:57–18:26 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Managing Equity Splits and the Value of Co-Founders Pablo raises practical founder dilemmas around equity division and why a founder wouldn't simply hire technical talent instead of partnering. Lindsey explains how equity reflects early risk taken and stresses the psychological value of having true partners.18:26–22:57 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Defining Leadership Roles and Achieving Product-Market Fit Pablo prompts Lindsey on assigning co-founder titles versus executive roles and recognizing product-market fit. Lindsey explains why Jordan naturally felt like a co-founder and describes frontline word-of-mouth adoption as their key PMF signal.1:53–6:48 · Pablo pushing back 0/10 Taking the Leap from Consulting to Full-Time Founder Pablo asks open, friendly narrative questions to map out Lindsey's transition from consulting to DMZ and Mars. Lindsey elaborates collaboratively on attending seminars, startup weekends, and meeting initial mentors.6:48–12:43 · Pablo pushing back 0/10 Partnering with TWG Agency and Recruits First Co-Founder Desi The conversation remains purely collaborative as Pablo prompts Lindsey to share how TWG built the MVP and how she bonded with Desi over drinks. Lindsey details the gradual courting process that led to asking Desi to become her technical co-founder.12:43–14:57 · Pablo pushing back 0/10 Recruiting a Third Co-Founder and Scaling Mindset Pablo inquires about what Lindsey sought beyond technical skills, leading her to recount meeting Jordan. Lindsey describes how Jordan's rapid-fire questioning and scaling experience filled a crucial strategic gap.14:57–18:26 · Pablo pushing back 1/10 Managing Equity Splits and the Value of Co-Founders Pablo raises practical founder dilemmas around equity division and why a founder wouldn't simply hire technical talent instead of partnering. Lindsey explains how equity reflects early risk taken and stresses the psychological value of having true partners.18:26–22:57 · Pablo pushing back 0/10 Defining Leadership Roles and Achieving Product-Market Fit Pablo prompts Lindsey on assigning co-founder titles versus executive roles and recognizing product-market fit. Lindsey explains why Jordan naturally felt like a co-founder and describes frontline word-of-mouth adoption as their key PMF signal.

speaking balance: gold is Pablo, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Pablo 53.1% · guest 46.9%0:00 · Pablo 53.1% · guest 46.9%3:00 · Pablo 19.3% · guest 80.7%3:00 · Pablo 19.3% · guest 80.7%6:00 · Pablo 14.9% · guest 85.1%6:00 · Pablo 14.9% · guest 85.1%9:00 · Pablo 10.7% · guest 89.3%9:00 · Pablo 10.7% · guest 89.3%12:00 · Pablo 9.5% · guest 90.5%12:00 · Pablo 9.5% · guest 90.5%15:00 · Pablo 32.6% · guest 67.4%15:00 · Pablo 32.6% · guest 67.4%18:00 · Pablo 15.1% · guest 84.9%18:00 · Pablo 15.1% · guest 84.9%21:00 · Pablo 40.9% · guest 59.1%21:00 · Pablo 40.9% · guest 59.1%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 15:21 Equity split reframe

Lindsey mildly pushes back on obsessing over equity percentages, emphasizing that the focus should be on expanding the total pie with the right team rather than piece size.

 Hardest push from Pablo ▶ 16:13 Challenging the need for a technical co-founder

Pablo presses Lindsey on why non-technical founders shouldn't simply raise capital and hire a development lead instead of giving away co-founder equity.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 15:21 Framework for equity splits and risk

Lindsey articulates a clear framework for how co-founder equity splits should dynamically reflect the tangible risk and milestones achieved by each person entering at different times.

 Pablo holds their own ▶ 16:13 Probing hiring vs co-founding tradeoffs

Pablo frames a sophisticated founder dilemma regarding market environment, capital efficiency, and executive hiring versus dilution.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicPablo as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementPablo pushing backWhy
Taking the Leap from Consulting to Full-Time Founder 2200 Pablo asks open, friendly narrative questions to map out Lindsey's transition from consulting to DMZ and Mars. Lindsey elaborates collaboratively on attending seminars, startup weekends, and meeting initial mentors.
Partnering with TWG Agency and Recruits First Co-Founder Desi 2100 The conversation remains purely collaborative as Pablo prompts Lindsey to share how TWG built the MVP and how she bonded with Desi over drinks. Lindsey details the gradual courting process that led to asking Desi to become her technical co-founder.
Recruiting a Third Co-Founder and Scaling Mindset 2200 Pablo inquires about what Lindsey sought beyond technical skills, leading her to recount meeting Jordan. Lindsey describes how Jordan's rapid-fire questioning and scaling experience filled a crucial strategic gap.
Managing Equity Splits and the Value of Co-Founders 3211 Pablo raises practical founder dilemmas around equity division and why a founder wouldn't simply hire technical talent instead of partnering. Lindsey explains how equity reflects early risk taken and stresses the psychological value of having true partners.
Defining Leadership Roles and Achieving Product-Market Fit 2200 Pablo prompts Lindsey on assigning co-founder titles versus executive roles and recognizing product-market fit. Lindsey explains why Jordan naturally felt like a co-founder and describes frontline word-of-mouth adoption as their key PMF signal.

Statements from this episode (5)

Disclosure
Nudge trialed potential co-founder Jordan on consulting projects to test fit
“We asked him if he would be interested in, in helping us out with a couple of projects. So we kind of tried each other on for size and said, Hey, come work with us almost as a consultant on a couple of things. And he did.”
Lindsey Goodchild Jun 1, 2022 ▶ 14:16
Insight
Goodchild: Co-founder equity split matters less than having the right team
“I think at the end of the day, the equity split doesn't really matter as much as having the right people at the table, because it's not really the size of the piece of the pie. It's how big the pie is.”
Lindsey Goodchild Jun 1, 2022 ▶ 15:25
Insight
Goodchild: Co-founder equity should be allocated based on relative risk taken
“You know, with that said, I think equity really speaks to how much risk each person is taking.”
Lindsey Goodchild Jun 1, 2022 ▶ 15:38
Insight
Goodchild: Product-market fit constantly evolves as markets keep moving
“PMF. It is such a big topic and it always evolves, right? Like even when you have it, It's still, the market is still moving, so you're constantly evolving.”
Lindsey Goodchild Jun 1, 2022 ▶ 21:30
Insight
Goodchild: Organic public user advocacy signals true product-market fit
“I think when people are so happy and proud to use your software and they're willing to share that with the world, you know, you're really on the right track.”
Lindsey Goodchild Jun 1, 2022 ▶ 22:48
Made with StarZero

Turn any episode into a week of clips.

This entire site, over 250 episodes transcribed, diarized, checked and made playable, runs on the StarZero media pipeline. Drop in your own episode and the podcast clipper finds the moments worth sharing, cuts them, captions them, and reframes them for every feed.

Try the podcast clipper Learn more