Discuss the business each person wants
Compare ambition, time horizon and preferred working style. One person may want a small profitable company while another expects rapid external funding. Discuss available time, current employment, personal commitments and financial constraints. These differences are easier to address when they are explicit.
Work together before committing
Use a short discovery or prototype project to observe delivery, communication and judgement. Agree responsibilities and a review date. Notice how each person handles incomplete information, customer criticism and missed deadlines. A productive conversation is useful, but shared work gives you different evidence.
Clarify responsibility and authority
Define who leads commercial work, product decisions, hiring and spending. Decide which matters require joint agreement and how a deadlock will be resolved. Record expectations around reporting and availability. Equal importance does not require both founders to approve every operational decision.
Document the arrangement properly
Equity, vesting, intellectual property, confidentiality and departures need clear treatment appropriate to the company and jurisdiction. Obtain advice on the actual arrangement rather than copying terms from another startup. Review the agreement as roles and commitments change.
Your next steps
- Compare ambition and time commitments.
- Complete a small project together.
- Assign decision responsibilities.
- Discuss disagreement and departures.
- Obtain appropriate advice on formal terms.