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What We Wish Someone Told Us Before We Became Co-Founders
Welcome back to The Final Edit—the podcast for high-level founders rewriting what success, legacy, and leadership actually look like.
In this candid and revealing founder episode, we're pulling back the curtain on the most requested topic we get: our own partnership. Everyone romanticizes having a co-founder, but few talk about what it actually takes to build a relationship that can withstand the weight of a billion-dollar vision.
From our origin story as client-and-mentor to a co-founder "dating" process that involved a literal questionnaire, we're sharing the unedited truth about how we built Maison together. We get into the messy middle of navigating different communication styles (especially under stress), why you can't have an ego, and how to handle the conversations about money, risk, and equity that most partners avoid.
But we also talk about the magic—the velocity that comes from dividing and conquering, the freedom of knowing someone has your back, and the profound personal growth that happens when you build with a true partner.
This episode is for the lone wolves who think they have to do it all themselves, for the founders considering a partnership, and for anyone who wants to know what it really looks like to be in the trenches with a work wife. 💍✨
🎧 EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 🎧
[00:01:59] Our origin story: From mastermind to CMO to co-founders
[00:02:47] The co-founder "dating" questionnaire and why it matters
[00:03:32] Overcoming the "lone wolf" mentality to embrace partnership
[00:05:35] The myth of the 50/50 partnership and navigating financial realities
[00:07:01] Why unhealed ego is the #1 partnership killer
[00:08:37] How we handle stress, conflict, and communication (aka "Smaug" mode)
[00:11:52] Why confrontation avoidance almost killed our partnership
[00:15:25] The power of daily realignment on vision and values
[00:16:36] The real ROI: Sharing the load and counting the summers
[00:18:16] The co-founder questionnaire that changed everything
⸻
📚 RESOURCES 📚
Maison Network: https://joinmaison.com/
Apply to Join: https://joinmaison.com/application
Co-Founder "Dating" Questionnaire: https://review.firstround.com/the-founder-dating-playbook-heres-the-process-i-used-to-find-my-co-founder/
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US 📲
Follow Maritza: @_maritzatobon
Follow Hannah: @hannahmnieves
Follow Maison: @joinmaison
⸻
Subscribe for more episodes—and meet us inside the vision.
View all episodes
By Maritza Tobon and Hannah NievesWelcome back to The Final Edit—the podcast for high-level founders rewriting what success, legacy, and leadership actually look like.
In this candid and revealing founder episode, we're pulling back the curtain on the most requested topic we get: our own partnership. Everyone romanticizes having a co-founder, but few talk about what it actually takes to build a relationship that can withstand the weight of a billion-dollar vision.
From our origin story as client-and-mentor to a co-founder "dating" process that involved a literal questionnaire, we're sharing the unedited truth about how we built Maison together. We get into the messy middle of navigating different communication styles (especially under stress), why you can't have an ego, and how to handle the conversations about money, risk, and equity that most partners avoid.
But we also talk about the magic—the velocity that comes from dividing and conquering, the freedom of knowing someone has your back, and the profound personal growth that happens when you build with a true partner.
This episode is for the lone wolves who think they have to do it all themselves, for the founders considering a partnership, and for anyone who wants to know what it really looks like to be in the trenches with a work wife. 💍✨
🎧 EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 🎧
[00:01:59] Our origin story: From mastermind to CMO to co-founders
[00:02:47] The co-founder "dating" questionnaire and why it matters
[00:03:32] Overcoming the "lone wolf" mentality to embrace partnership
[00:05:35] The myth of the 50/50 partnership and navigating financial realities
[00:07:01] Why unhealed ego is the #1 partnership killer
[00:08:37] How we handle stress, conflict, and communication (aka "Smaug" mode)
[00:11:52] Why confrontation avoidance almost killed our partnership
[00:15:25] The power of daily realignment on vision and values
[00:16:36] The real ROI: Sharing the load and counting the summers
[00:18:16] The co-founder questionnaire that changed everything
⸻
📚 RESOURCES 📚
Maison Network: https://joinmaison.com/
Apply to Join: https://joinmaison.com/application
Co-Founder "Dating" Questionnaire: https://review.firstround.com/the-founder-dating-playbook-heres-the-process-i-used-to-find-my-co-founder/
⸻
📲 CONNECT WITH US 📲
Follow Maritza: @_maritzatobon
Follow Hannah: @hannahmnieves
Follow Maison: @joinmaison
⸻
Subscribe for more episodes—and meet us inside the vision.