J: When looking for a business partner, I would suggest looking for someone who balances you, who makes you want to listen and who wants to hear your opinion. You should understand and respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, you both have to be able to communicate when that balance is off. It might not cause a flood, but you could both end up drowning in your mess.

M: Yes, definitely. Look for a Yin to your Yang or a Yang to your Yin. Difference is good but have some commonalities too. Balance and good communication are key. We met at 14 and are now headed into our 30’s. We are still really encouraging and proud of each other in the ways we strive to improve ourselves and our relationship.

J: We don't pretend that every day is easy or that we have never throughly gotten under each other's skin. We have seen the edge of the cliff that friends and family co-founders often fall from, so we know its there. Thankfully as we were headed towards that edge we agreed to course-correct ourselves. It gave us a respect for that boundary that seemed to never apply to us, and now we give it a comfortable buffer space so if it feels possible that we are headed towards it, we both immediately take a timeout to rebalance together.

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