I started with a 50/50 partnership five years ago and would seriously rethink it next time around. I did it at the time because it was my first go around at sta

I started with a 50/50 partnership five years ago and would seriously rethink it next time around. I did it at the time because it was my first go around at starting a business and both of us had no idea what we were doing (basically the "fear" element that Mark mentions in this article). Everybody we knew told us not to go 50/50, but we pressed on anyway for lack of any other option. Where it really hurts is in decision making. Things that would take a single founder a few hours or days to mull over can take weeks, months (or even years) to decide. It kills the speed advantage of being a startup. We ended up bringing in a minority partner a couple of years in, but that didn't help since the other two partners were still equal and there was no clear decision maker. There has to be a clear leader, despite equal stakes. In my case, we had an awkward conversation about who should be CEO that went nowhere, and it has hurt us ever since. Mark's post also mentions risk profiles. Right now I am married and have an inexpensive house, but my co-founder has two kids and a new house. Despite best intentions on his part, we have very different risk profiles which impact our decision making. On the flip side, it is great to have the support of someone else there when you're going through the ups and downs of startups. My first go around I doubt I would have been able to get as far as I did without that, so I don't necessarily regret it. However, next time around will be a different story. I'm bookmarking Mark's post so I don't forget this lesson again.