Dear Farillio member,

On 15th October 2020, you asked our brilliant experts Gayle Mann and Lucy-Rose Walker on the Go Far Fast Show:

"I’m starting a business with a friend. A few people have told us not to do it as they say it will wreck our friendship and this always happens, whatever you do to avoid it. But you and Lucy Rose made it work. How did you make it work and what’s your advice do we can avoid falling out?"

And Gayle said:

Be mighty always, Farillio

Transcript:

“If you are going to go for it, and I'm not saying definitely don't, then accept that you probably are going to fall out at times. I wouldn't say it's a friendship-ending falling out. You're going to have differences of opinions and neither of you is wrong about those opinions. That's just how you're coming at this, so you have to decide really clearly on the roles and responsibilities. Who is the leader in this business? Who gets the final decision when there is a decision to be made? One thing that we talked about throughout the book, is these check-in points when someone's on one page and someone is on a completely different page. Quite often it can be us assuming what the other one is thinking, without actually asking the question. Then you find you ask a question and maybe they think this and I think something completely different – you've not actually checked in with them. Don't jump in at the beginning and say, "This is exactly what we're doing and it's going to be like this forever". Have a practice run and figure it out. Work together on a specific thing, see if it works and then review it together. If one of you decides to say, "It's not for me", that's totally cool and you can still be friends."

Ask your question:

If you have any questions that you'd like us to ask in a future Go Far Fast Show, send us a DM on Twitter or on LinkedIn. We'd love to hear from you!

Want more from Gayle and Lucy-Rose?

You can also find their answers to other questions being asked by you and your community in our Dear Farillio Expert section on our blog site, and their great guidance on start-ups here.

Please note: The contents of this blog are not tailored business advice or legal advice. This is guidance and information, which we do our best to keep current, relevant and helpful. If you need business or legal advice, please use our Speak To An Adviser service or you can get in touch via our LiveChat.