ABOUT

Working with your co-founder is like being married... with children

FACT

7 out of 10 unicorns started out with two or more co-founders

Harvard Business Review

Co-founders complement, support, and collaborate. The quality of your relationship with your partner defines the success of your business.

Being in a business partnership is like raising a family: you dream, design, and build together. Growth often comes with unprecedented tensions over:

Tensions breed frustration, resentment, and, ultimately, conflict

Common wisdom suggests that we should “embrace conflict”

This may work for solopreneurs who thrive on competitive tension

Co-founders thrive on collaboration

Red Tree helps you pivot from competition to collaboration:

Instead of picking new arguments

you will think creatively about new concepts and strategies

Instead of ruminating on old problems

you will see clearly opportunities and ways to seize them

Instead of avoiding difficult conversations

you will work purposefully with your partners and colleagues

Instead of holding grudges

you will enjoy freely your life at work and beyond

FACT

2 out of 3 high potential ventures fail due to co-founder fallout

Noam Wasserman (The Founder’s Dilemmas)

Noam Wasserman
(The Founder’s Dilemmas)

We work with entrepreneurs who are passionate to grow their business

At Red Tree, we help you:

If this doesn’t work, then we help you part ways and thrive independently.

Red Tree is not for you if you are looking to:

Score more points against your co-founder

Brush co-founder disputes under the carpet

Find a middle ground with your co-founder

we deliver win-win outcomes
without drama, or delay

THE ERGON METHOD

We have developed a tried and tested system that helps co-founders address conflict effectively and focus on growing their business. ERGON is structured around three simple conversations:

REPEAT

STEP 1

Grow

STEP 3

STEP 2

Resolve

Questions & Concerns

Who is this for?

Start-up co-founders looking to deal with the stress of expansion or survival

Seasoned business partners looking to address new or old challenges

Investors looking to protect or enhance the value of their venture

Typically, one of the co-founders reaches out, and we bring the other partner(s) on board. Working with one co-founder only is also a possibility.

How does it work?

Addressing co-founder conflict for growth is like flying a plane out of a storm. You need the right instruments, training, and maintenance. This how we do it:

Phase 1: Retrofit the cockpit

We work together for three weeks to change the way you deal with co-founder disagreements. Over 8-10 hours, we give you the tools and show you how to use them.

We don’t use a flight simulator (offsite retreats), and we don’t ground the plane (time off work): we do it “on the fly” because this is how life works.

Phase 2: Recalibrate the instruments

At the end of Phase 1, we agree on a periodic check-in schedule to test the instruments and advance the training. Typically, this happens over an hourly meeting once or twice a month.

What can I expect?

Within a few weeks, you will:

Get the toolkit to end pointless arguments and start having meaningful conversations about how to grow the business

Discover how to steer clear of the “compromise trap” and opt for solutions that work for everyone involved

Stop dwelling on the past and start designing for the future

The key takeaway ALL clients get is a clear answer to a big question:

Should I keep investing in this partnership?

Relational clarity with your co-founder will help you choose where to invest your time, money, energy, and attention to grow your business and your personal life.

At Red Tree, we help co-founders make that choice and put it into action.

When do I reach out?

It helps to reach out while tensions are brewing and not when there is an all-out conflict. Prevention is always better than a cure.

Yet, if you are already in a jam, you're probably more motivated to take action.

Either way, the best time to get in touch is right NOW.