awesome post...same applies for all relationships...founder, marriage...important to have the difficult conversations upfront, rather than find out way later...and totally agree, if you're doing anything worth doing (whether it's starting a company or starting a relationship), if it's to get to a meaningful point, there will be conflict. avoiding conflict is not the goal, but rather understanding how to navigate that conflict and arrive at a place where you are stronger and better for it is the secret to maintaining a healthy team or interpersonal dynamic. but it's far easier to avoid the conversation, cause it's not always easy, and if you avoid it, there's the small chance that you can be lucky enough to never have that conversation. but you might as well go buy lotto tickets. having the tough conversations upfront means that you can sort through things when you have cool heads, when you haven't gone and formed a legal entity together and when you have other employees that are depending on you. it's tough, but the right thing to do. kudos joyce on a fantastic post!!