Sometimes you go into business with someone and after a couple months/years you realise you’ve made a mistake. He’s a crook, or lazy, or simply doesn’t share your values.
One option is to suck it up and carry on. The other option is to part ways early and get on with life.
Entrepreneurs opt for the latter. Rather a divorce now than an unhappy marriage forever.
The question is “how”?
The easiest option is to abandon ship. Start again and be more careful choosing a partner next time.
This entails leaving behind all your effort, contacts and money (its unlikely you’ll be bought out at fair value if the relationship has soured).
Maybe you’ve invested too much money, time and effort to simply opt-out. Maybe you want him to leave. That will only happen if he feels he can make it on his own and if you can agree on a price.
These are very big “if’s”, especially if he is a crook or lazy (afore-mentioned). He’ll never abandon your ship because he knows he’ll starve on his own.
It’s like mediocre employees. The stars are always happy to leave when they don’t like the way a company is going. Not even guaranteed nuclear disaster can rid you of the slackers.
Leaving a business is even more complicated when you have staff that have come a long way. Not only are fighting over who keeps the house, but also over who gets the kids.
There is a story in the bible where two women, Reva and Ari, approached King Solomon for judgment.
They both claimed motherhood of the same baby. After hearing their arguments, his solution was to cut the baby down the middle and give half to each woman. Ari immediately cried, “No! Rather give Reva the baby.”
Solomon knew then who the real mother was and ruled that Ari was to get the baby.
Unfortunately, King Solomon is dead.
Unless there is a King Solomon-like mediator involved, you must be prepared to leave quietly and save your company from a damaging fight.
Choose your partners carefully. If you make a mistake, don’t delay. Get divorced.