Solo entrepreneurs are not starting a startup, not as I (and most people) understand the term. After all, those thousands of "solo entrepreneurs" are starting things like coffee-shops, restaurants, garages, etc. They're examples of entrepreneurship, sure, but not startups.
Solo entrepreneurs absolutely start things besides coffee shops, restaurants, garages, etc. There is nothing inherent in the definition of "startup" that precludes solo founders. Especially when you think in terms of "you're solo until you aren't". Just like "you're bootstrapped, until you aren't".
Taking on co-founders, raising external capital, etc., are all things you do when you get to the point that they are necessary.
I absolutely didn't mean to single out solo entrepreneurs here - the comment I was replying to talked about solo etnrepreneurs starting thousands of businesses, I was just making the point that most of these are not "startups" the way I think of them (as per the rest of the discussion).
I may have given the mistaken impression that I was bumping on the solo founders bit, but that has nothing to do with it - I just reused the phrase.
Solo entrepreneurs absolutely start things besides coffee shops, restaurants, garages, etc. There is nothing inherent in the definition of "startup" that precludes solo founders. Especially when you think in terms of "you're solo until you aren't". Just like "you're bootstrapped, until you aren't".
Taking on co-founders, raising external capital, etc., are all things you do when you get to the point that they are necessary.