It’s Monday morning. You and your co-founder are scrambling, each working on a hundred different things, barely able to catch your breath. You hop on a quick call to sync up, but it goes sideways fast. One of you is focused on marketing, the other on product, and there’s no clear alignment. The conversation starts to spiral, frustrations bubble up, and before you know it, you’ve spent 45 minutes arguing about priorities.
Sound familiar?
Building a company with a co-founder can feel like navigating a storm—there’s too much to do and never enough time. The very conversations meant to create alignment often leave you feeling more disconnected and disorganized. You know you need to check in regularly, but how do you make sure it’s structured and productive without wasting precious time?
Why Structure Matters
Without structure, daily check-ins can easily become unfocused, time-consuming, and even counterproductive. But when done right, they can be the glue that holds your operation together. They can ensure that both founders are aligned, tasks are prioritized, and no one feels left in the dark.
So how can you avoid the chaos and create a daily rhythm that actually works? Here’s a step-by-step guide to structuring your daily check-ins with your co-founder(s).
1. Start by Setting Weekly Goals
Pick the top goals for the week that tie directly to your company’s larger objectives. This keeps your daily efforts focused on what truly matters.
For example:
- Company Goal: Ship V1 of your product by the end of the week.
- Weekly Focus: Finalize coding, run Q&A, merge changes, and deploy.
Having these goals clear from the outset gives each day's check-in a purpose.
2. Create a Simple, Repeatable Check-in Format
During the daily check-in, each founder goes through the following points:
- One word describing how you’re feeling today: This helps set the tone for the day and acknowledges any emotions that could impact productivity.
- What you’re focusing on today: Clearly define the task(s) you'll be tackling. This helps each founder stay accountable.
- How it ties into your top weekly goals: Grounding daily tasks in the larger weekly objective keeps everyone aligned.
- Where you’re struggling or need help: Don’t wait until problems snowball—share them in real-time and resolve them faster.
- Any quick feedback for each other: A little nudge or perspective shift can make all the difference.
Have your co-founder(s) go first, followed by you. This not only creates a safe space for sharing but also encourages deeper reflection.
3. Keep it Brief, Keep it Focused
These check-ins should take no more than 15 minutes. The goal is to check the pulse of the day and remove any blockers—no lengthy discussions. If a more in-depth conversation is needed, table it for a dedicated time outside of the check-in.
4. Written Prep as You Level Up
If you want to take this a step further, consider having each founder write their updates ahead of time. This practice can help sharpen clarity and keep the meetings even more focused.
Example of a Check-in
Here’s how this framework might look in action for a tech startup:
- One word: Excited
- Focus: Review team member X's work and start building toward Y milestone.
- How it ties to weekly goals:This task will move us closer to shipping V1 by completing the coding.
- Struggling with: Lack of clarity on product specs from Amol.
- Feedback: Communicate product spec deeper from the customer’s perspective.
Conclusion
Building a company is tough, but daily structure can make it manageable. By keeping check-ins brief, focused, and aligned with your weekly goals, you’ll stay on track, resolve issues quickly, and most importantly, maintain momentum. As a founder, your time is precious—make every check-in count.
