the analogy we always say is date before you get married. to the extent that you can start working with somebody, get a little feel for how it's going to be, pay them on a consulting basis or say, look, i'm not prepared to commit to your involvement in this business. let's start working informally and see where it goes. that's always better than rushing to form a partnership really early. often times that doesn't end well. >> what do you think, stella? >> the very fact that the question's being asked means that the role this partner is going to play isn't defined. and the strength that they're going to balance out in the team isn't clear. if you're going to take someone on, make sure that they're a genius at something you're not and really contributing. also, your equity is the most valuable thing you have in a small business. so often small businesses are hand i handing it out for things like a website and logo. hold on to that for as long as you can until you really need a partner. >> seems to me, also -- a lot of people forget to have these really big talks.