When Ari Mir, 31, and Amos Elliston, 38, met as coworkers at a Los Angeles startup, they instantly clicked and began bouncing around ideas to hatch a business of their own. Seven years later they launched Pocket Change, which seeks to build a universal rewards currency similar to American Express points but accumulated through apps on your phone.
Launched in 2012, the San Francisco-based company has already raised $5 million in venture capital. While Elliston and Mir enjoy each other's company, they say the partnership has been successful largely because they've set boundaries and maintained their own lives outside of work. This work-life divide limits their overreactions when it comes to business matters, says Mir. "We're not best friends," he says. "You need some sort of distance or you are always going to take things a little too personally."
Co-founder disagreements and misunderstandings can sink a company before it starts. Here are four ways to manage your partner and set the business up for success: