The co-founder conversation nobody has early enough.

Most co-founder advice is about finding the right person. Almost none of it is about what happens after you find them.

The conversation we did not have early enough was about what happens when we disagree and neither of us is willing to move. Not the small stuff. The big stuff: whether to raise money, whether to pivot, whether to sell, whether to fire someone.

We had assumed we would figure it out when it happened. When it happened, it took 3 weeks and nearly ended the company.

What we should have agreed on in month one:

• Who has final say in which domain, and what happens when domains overlap

• What triggers a formal decision process instead of a casual one

• Whether either of us can unilaterally end the partnership, and what that looks like

• How we handle it if one of us wants to leave and the other does not

None of these are fun to talk about when things are going well. All of them are nearly impossible to talk about when things are going badly.

fWhat co-founder agreement do you wish you had made before you needed it?