What it means to be a partner

A vendor makes more when you spend more.

A partner makes more when you win.

Everything else follows from that. The test for whether something is partnership is simple: would a vendor do it, knowing it costs them money?

A partner talks you out of features. A vendor bills for every one, so the list only grows. I'd rather cut half of it. The first version should prove one thing.

A partner tells you to scale down. When the product is steady, you need fewer people. A vendor's revenue depends on you not noticing. We can tweak this as we go. No fixed contracts.

A partner tells you when it isn't working. A vendor can keep building something nobody uses for as long as you keep paying. I'll tell you early, because my upside depends on the company working.

A partner puts money in. When it makes sense, we invest alongside you as angels, on the same terms as your other investors. A vendor never puts its own money at risk on your outcome.

None of this needs a lock-in. You own the code and every account, and either of us can end it with 30 days' notice. If the only thing keeping you is the contract, it isn't a partnership.

I've come in as a contractor and stayed as a co-founder more than once. That's usually how it starts.