Investors say that the ideal number of people to found a new business is two: one founder should be the technical one, the one with product knowledge, while the other should be the business brain, the one who is able to sell.
My favorite example of this type of collaboration is the story of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Now I know their story is told many times, I believe there is a lot to learn form it.
The story of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak’s collaboration, which ultimately led to the founding of Apple, is a beautiful testament to the power of people with complementary skills collaborating with each other.
On one hand we had Steve “Woz” Wozniak, who was a brilliant engineer with an extraordinary talent for designing and building computers. While working at Hewlett-Packard in the 1970’s, he became involved in the emerging hobbyist computer culture.
His aim was to create a personal computer that was accessible to individuals rather than just large corporations or institutions.
On the other hand, we had Steve Jobs, who was a visionary with a keen sense of design and an intuitive understanding of the computers and their potential impact.
Jobs could recognize opportunities, and foresee how technology could be made appealing and user-friendly to a broader audience.
The defining moment in their collaboration came in 1976 when Wozniak designed a computer that was advanced for its time, but was also simple and functional.
While Wozniak had created a remarkable piece of engineering, he didn’t initially see it as a commercial product. His main motivation was the joy of invention.
This is where Steve Jobs’s vision and business acumen came into play. He instantly recognized the potential of Wozniak’s creation, and proposed that they start a company to sell Woz’s computer.
He saw a future where personal computers could revolutionize the way people lived and worked, and he believed the two of them could make it happen.
Jobs handled the business side of things, securing funding, marketing the product, and building a brand, while Wozniak continued to focus on engineering and product development.
Their roles complemented each other perfectly.
Jobs’s charisma and ability to pitch their vision attracted investors and customers, while Wozniak’s technical genius ensured that the products were innovative and high-quality.
The rest is history. Through their collaboration, Jobs and Wozniak not only created groundbreaking technology but also transformed the personal computing industry for decades to come.
This story inspires me every time. It shows me that there is no human being on earth that knows everything that can do everything and can come up with the best ideas.
The best ideas came along through collaboration of a number of intelligent people coming together putting their energy, putting the effort, putting their creative abilities into the mix and coming up with something new.
“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford.
Although collaboration is crucial for achieving success, it can sometimes be challenging. Working with other human beings is not always easy.
Collaboration takes courage and humility. It demands patience and leadership.
A major part of collaboration is having the self-awareness to admit to yourself that you lack certain abilities and skills, and that you will need to rely on someone else to compensate for your ineptitudes.
Not an easy thing to do, but something that needs to be done.