Partnership Turned Sour

[Luke Buettner]

I've been working with a local investor now for about 4 months. He just paid me a visit last night and told me we can no longer work together. Now, I know there were some discrepancies, but I thought we really could work through them. We've worked through a lot already. I've basically been working for free since we started. I've received one moderate paycheck of $600 in the entire 4 months we've been working together. 

He can't honestly believe that I can just keep on going like that! Last night I got a call from my bank that my credit card payment is past due. This morning I got a call from Amerin IP that my electric bill is past due. I still have medical bills from months ago. What he doesn't fathom is that I stopped everything in order to help him. Now this?

I know that everything happens for a reason, so it really doesn't bother me as much as it would most people. Lo, I ponder why he gave up when I had the will to persevere. Is it ever easy starting a partnership? My cousin tells me that it's vital two would become friends before anything business related. Do you agree?

Our ideas of work did not mesh together very well. He is of the opinion that one must work very hard for his/her success. I know that my intelligence allows me to work smarter, not harder. In some capacity, I'm happy that this happened because I wasn't learning much from him anyhow. He's been an investor for 2 years. If I were to try a coach again, I would want him to have 20+ years experience.

That's not overly selfish, is it? I care very much about the quality of knowledge I receive. I don't want to grow into a sapling, I want to grow into a mature oak tree. He really couldn't teach me because he was still learning himself. Of course I'm only rationalizing this now, after the fact. I'm still in shock that he could not see me eye to eye.

Thoughts?