This is a natural stage in every co-founder journey. In the early days your roles change almost daily, because they have to! It’s just you guys, so you’re covering all the tasks between you, as well as juggling all the new tasks that show up every day. But as the business grows, it becomes critical to revisit and clarify roles regularly.

The challenge isn’t that the roles are messy - it’s that it’s observed but not discussed. So reflect on what you mean by “sort of discussed it.” What’s really behind the avoidance? And remember, we don’t know your co-founder’s perspective, so consider this only from your viewpoint:

Are you hesitant to change your role? If so, why?

Nervous about becoming siloed? Does part of you enjoy doing ‘all the things'?

Resistant to relinquishing control?

Questioning your adaptability, or your partners?

Struggling with communication?

Or is it about trust?

Pinpointing the root of the avoidance is the first step, because that’s where your individual patterns and the partnership dynamic could use attention.

And yes, revisiting and resetting your roles is a big task - but the cost of not tackling it is bigger: you said it yourself - things get missed and duplicated... therefore energy is wasted, and growth slows.

So let’s flip the question: what’s the cost of leaving it unaddressed?

And here’s a top line, practical plan for starting this conversation with your co-founder:

1 - Acknowledge the challenge and opportunity: Name that the business is growing fast and roles are overlapping or unclear. Frame this as an opportunity to open up the next stage of growth - how exciting!

If possible, give your co-founder a heads-up before the conversation so they can reflect beforehand and you both know what to expect.

2 - Share your perspective: Focus on how things could be done differently rather than dwelling on what isn’t working. Frame the conversation positively, avoid blame, and share ideas for improvements.

3 - Invite their view: Ask how they see the roles, how you could work better as a team, and what opportunities there are to change things up.

4 - Co-create a next step: Agree on a process for clarifying responsibilities, deciding ownership, and revisiting it regularly.

I have a full step-by-step process to assess and redesign your roles, in a way that strengthens your partnership and gets the business moving faster. Here’s where you can access that free resource - “Defining Roles & Responsibilities”.

You've got this - it's the start of the next chapter 👏.