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What is a common mistake in business partnerships?
To assume the relationship will last forever simply because:
we complemented each other perfectly,
we have already been through so much together,
the business is so valuable today that we have too much to lose,
the business still has plenty of room to grow,
I have invested all my energy into it so far,
there is a rock-solid shareholder agreement.
Unfortunately, all of that disappears the moment one of you becomes convinced that the other is no longer creating value for the business.
The reasons are endless:
one partner is tired while the other believes, “We're just getting started,”
a partner becomes absorbed by something else, a personal project,
someone has hit his professional ceiling,
fundamentally different visions for the company's future emerge,
one partner refuses to evolve as the context changes,
a long-nursed resentment over perceived unfairness surfaces,
prioritizing personal interests over the interests of the business, and so on.
The moment one partner decides he has a passenger instead of a partner, it is over. No past achievements, promises, or agreements will help.
The best thing either of you can do is recognize the trend early and part ways gracefully, preserving both the business and the relationship.
Every partner must prove his value again each day.
People rarely say this out loud. They rarely even think it. Yet that is how it works in practice.
After all, the purpose of the partnership isn't the partnership itself. The potential of the business is constantly calling out to you. But it can't realize itself. It needs both of you.
If you remember this regularly, the partnership is far more likely to remain alive.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
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