by Chris Reich | Jul 18, 2026 | Buyout Advice, Partnership Advice, Partnership Disputes, Partnership Problems, Problem with Business Partner
Sadly, the ugly reality is that if your partner complains but doesn’t offer solutions, he’s no longer a partner. A wise lawyer once taught me this important lesson when he was drawn into a nasty partnership dispute that I was working on. One of the partners was always complaining that the other was never bringing ideas to the table. The lawyer, after listening to the whining for 15 minutes said, “Tom, you need to learn to deal with the partner you have, not the one you wish you had.”
by Chris Reich | Apr 20, 2026 | Business Disputes, Business Tip, Buyout Advice, Family Business, General Business, Partnership Advice, Partnership Disputes, Partnership Problems
As you see, a contract can be legal yet not binding. And, the most important take away is that a promise, even if written up and signed, is not binding. If an agreement is not binding, it isn’t enforceable. I assume you want your agreements between you and your partner(s) to be legal, binding, and enforceable. Let’s look at the pieces that must be included to make a valid, binding contract.
by Chris Reich | Jan 19, 2026 | Business Disputes, Buyout Advice, Family Business, Partnership Advice, Partnership Agreement, Partnership Disputes, Partnership Problems
To be fair, many Operating Agreements have at least minimal language regarding a Partner’s voluntary exit from the Partnership. But, most of the time, those clauses are so vague they make the situation worse.
by Chris Reich | Jul 5, 2025 | Buyout Advice, Partnership Advice, Partnership Agreement, Partnership Disputes, Partnership Problems, Problem with Business Partner
Partnerships are much like romantic relationships. When it’s all new and exciting, we can easily become infatuated to the point of overlooking differences. After all, don’t the differences make the partnership stronger? Sometimes. Most often differences magnify with time and become triggers to arguments. As time goes by, the differences you ignored become important. What do you do when the differences break the partnership?
by Chris Reich | May 7, 2025 | Business Disputes, Buyout Advice, Partnership Advice, Partnership Disputes, Partnership Problems, Problem with Business Partner, Rants
Sometimes, in Partnership Mediations, people will dig into very irrational positions. And sometimes, when there is tension in a partnership, as a professional mediator, I can see an easy solution. When disputants won’t do simple things to protect their business, it makes me want to scream!
by Chris Reich | Sep 23, 2024 | Buyout Advice, Partnership Problems, Problem with Business Partner
My business partner and I can no longer work together. We’ve tried to talk about a buyout—I want to buy him out—but it always leads to an argument. Do you have any suggestions for conducting buyout talks that don’t turn into an argument? Read these tips to conduct Buyout negotiations without tension.
