[cachebunfield]

I have a story in the making that I hope will have a happy ending.

I started a company with two of my good friends whom I also happen to be living with at the moment. We're profitable and growing, but that doesn't mean we don't have problems. I am the technical co-founder while the other two handle operations and the business development side. However, they seem to be just going with the flow while I on the other hand am pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into this company. And I feel my work isn't being respected because they have unrealistic demands and sometimes complain about things not working or things not being done while they on the other hand aren't making any effort to see how they can help. It's easy for them to just delegate their tasks to our assistants but for my work, it isn't so easy. They should be hustling and trying to grow the company with their free time, but they aren't. My resentment has been growing against them and lately it's been putting a strain on our relationship. I think us starting out as friends has made us avoid talking about the deep issues that underly this predicament. In the end, I can't do this without them and they can't do it without me. How can I approach this situation? The obvious answer is to sit down, talk, and make my issues be known but before I do that, I need some good advice.

I also want to mention our equity is split three ways evenly with no vesting.

[vecter]

Please please please communicate with your co-founders! Communication is absolutely necessary for your continued survival and success. Do not avoid talking about the issue because it's uncomfortable. Rather, you need to face it head on.

My co-founders and I are constantly discussing uncomfortable but important company issues. We've built up enough trust such that we understand everyone has the company's best interests in mind. Sometime we get upset while having these conversations, but the long term result is always better.

We also have regular 1-on-1s with all of our employees, and one uncomfortable question we always ask them is: "what is the worst part about working here?" Then, we fix it. Our rational is that if we can always fix everyone's worst problem, then everyone will be very happy in the long term.

On a semi-related note, I'm sorry to hear that your co-founders aren't working as hard as you. That's unfortunately a terribly common issue, and it's exacerbated by the fact that they don't appreciate the technical work that you do. I wish there was some easy way to fix that, but I fear that that along with the lack of communication among you will spell doom for your company.

[yepyepyep]

I also want to mention our equity is split three ways evenly with no vesting.

Woah. Never ever do that again. You've given away the one tool that is used to deal with the issues you list.

Not to mention no VC will touch you until you include vesting. But may be you've no plans to raise funding.

Now on to your question, I would begin by making sure that they are assigned goals that are as challenging as yours. If you feel they can help with growth, make that an official part of their day to day job. They will either succeed or fa at it. They will either work hard to achieve it or not make an attempt. Either case, when you make it "official", its good for everyone and gives everyone clarity.

[tptacek]

Run don't walk from a cofounder who refuses vesting. Vesting is non-negotiable. This is the easiest and most painful formation mistake you can make with a new venture.

[danielweber]

This is a classic "entrepeneur death trap". http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tdyrtET...

That's from 1996. This is what people in start-ups would mail around to each other before we had svbtle links to email each other.

[ichabodcole]

I don't have any specific advice, but I would encourage you to read the book Non-violent communication (it's short). There are some "cheesy" aspects to the book (mainly the poetry that introduces some chapters), but a lot of really good / specific tactics for communicating without putting others or yourself on the defensive, which I think it one of the most important aspects of having a conversation like the one you will need to have.

[cookrn]

A few thoughts, which could be helpful:

* Founder vesting schedules can be implemented at anytime, including backdating the start date. For example, the standard 4 year vesting with one year cliff could be be set to start 9 months in the past so that in three months from implementation, all of you would have hit your cliff. This could be used as a negotiating tactic if they are averse to the idea of vesting in general.

* What's best for everyone is what's best for the company. The company is at risk without better founder communication, so to help the company, communication should be improved. Remembers, this isn't about being combative or competitive. When they win, you don't lose. When any of you wins, everybody wins.

* Everyone is biased to appreciate their own work. This goes for you as well as your cofounders. Do they think they're working hard? If this is just about hours worked, them working a fairly normal schedule and you working double-time is only unhealthy for you. Maybe there is a happy solution in some expectation setting.

I've had these issues as well and am happy to talk anytime. Contact info is in my profile.

[jacquesm]

I hope with you but that looks like something that needs attention, don't wait too long with addressing all this, once tempers get frayed it is a lot harder to re-establish a dialogue.

[mercer]

For the most part it seems that you have legitimate issues that, as others have said, you should probably talk to them about. It's quite possible that they don't realize how much work you're putting into this.

But one practical thing you could consider is to not live with your co-founders. Living with people in itself can put a huge strain on things, and can sometimes be enough to break up friendships! I've seen it happen.