Business plan... what do you include in it?
webwright: A document to synch up vision and goals between partners doesn't look very much like the standard business plan (or what's been proposed so far here).With partners you should have a mutual understanding of:- Risk tolerance.  How much of their own money will they spend?  How long will they go without a paycheck?  How cheaply can they live?- Contribution.  How much time/money will each partner contribute?- Equity.  Who owns what?  I'm a huge proponent of getting equal partners.  If they don't deserve an equal share, punt 'em and find someone who does.- Vesting.  How long will it take before everyone owns their share (should be 2-3 years - you don't want someone quitting early and leaving with 33% of your companies stock)- Goals.  Do you want to build a happy little income producing side project?  Or a monster business?  Or do you want to change the world?- How to leave, gracefully.  There should be a written agreement that has rules for when a partner leaves voluntarily, or when two partners want to push out a third.  It's a lot easier to write this down NOW than when your company is worth $10m.- What you're building, who you're building it for, and how flexible you are on the idea.  Ideas change, a lot.  You should be passionate about the same things.- Authority.  Does anyone have it on design decisions?  Code decisions?  fundraising decisions?- Horizon.  How long are you committing to the project before you punt it or pivot to a different idea?In terms of business plans, it's a great exercise to discuss stuff like development process, roles, sales/marketing, pricing, etc.  But don't spend any more time writing the document than you HAVE to to get a shared understanding.  99% of the value is the process-- they usually collect dust once they are written.