How to Fix Business Partnership Problems in 6 Easy Steps

A 50/50 business partner deadlock is a decision failure, not automatically the end of the company. Mediation helps equal owners identify exactly what is blocked, separate business facts from accumulated grievances, and negotiate a workable path – renewed decision rules, a division of authority, a buyout, or an orderly separation. The mediator does not impose the result; the owners retain control of the outcome.

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.”

This Page is a searchable index of all posts pertaining to Business Partnership Mediations. This page is an excellent resource for articles about partnership mediation. Find all categories including Partnership Disputes, Family Business Mediation, and Partnership Agreement.

As Moderator to many family businesses, I have helped with succession planning, compensation planning, and resolving of key questions around the operation of the enterprise. It can be difficult for an adult offspring to talk with Dad about a raise.