Starting a business with two of your best friends is one of the most exciting and dangerous things you can do. In theory, it seems like it should be the foundation of creating a Guardians of the Galaxy-esque team of capitalist superheroes who can solve any business problem. And it is. Until everyone vehemently disagrees on what should be the color of the office wall or which idea to go with – mine or yours. And stops talking to each other for a week.
And these sort of disagreements will arise, especially when you’re all equal partners. Sometimes they’re important, but most times they’re not.
Let people do their power and get out of their way
If you know finance and your friend knows customer service, do not try to assert that you know better than him or her because you read some article in Forbes about a “really cutting edge” $10,000 CRM app that automatically sends pictures of cats to your customers via text message.
Trust that the people you’re in this entrepreneurial foxhole with know what they’re talking about. Challenge and discuss each other’s ideas but never second-guess.
Know where the closest bar is
No matter what, arguments happen. Tempers go high. And no mantra is enough to cool down a tense argument. It’s at times like these; you should know where you and your friends’ “happy place” is. That spot you guys hung out before you had any clue as to what a sales report was or how a business plan was formatted.
Sit down, order a pitcher (if you’re of legal age), make sarcastic comments about the latest movie you saw and relax. At the end of the day, you’re in one of the luckiest positions in the world: being your own boss and working with your friends. Fight hard to preserve that.
This article was first published on Monster.com.
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