Co-founding a company is a lot like a marriage. There are good times and bad, but you’re often in it for the long haul together, so be prepared to fight and makeup accordingly.

When you’re fighting for the survival of a new business, things are often chaotic and rarely go according to plan. In order to come out on the other side, you need to make sure you’ve got someone (or several someones) who you can trust to hang in there, keep a level head, and be logical about the decisions you are facing. 

Whether it’s who to hire, what customer to go after next, or how much personal savings someone is really prepared to commit to the business, a co-founder is someone you need to be able to share a level of trust with much like a husband or wife. It’s not something to be rushed into. It’s also not something that is chosen based on which co-worker or friend you’ve known longest, or who brings in the best workplace snacks.

The following Founder Genius clips provide good starting points of what to make sure you look for (or have found) in a co-founder.