Partnerships rarely end over one thing. More often, a disagreement about money, workload or direction slowly hardens until every conversation feels like a negotiation. Before anyone calls a lawyer, it's worth answering a few questions.
These twelve won't settle the dispute. They'll show you where you actually stand, what can't wait and whether you can work it out between you.
How to use it
Answer each question in writing, separately. Then compare. Where your answers match, you have common ground. Where they don't, you've found what needs talking about.
About the disagreement
- In one sentence, what do we actually disagree about?
If you can't agree on the sentence, that's worth knowing too. - When did it start, and what changed around that time?
A new hire, a hard year, a health issue, a change at home. Disputes often have a starting point nobody has named. - What have we each already tried?
Include what worked, even if only for a while.
About the business
- What does the business need from us in the next 90 days, whatever we decide?
Payroll, clients and suppliers don't pause while you work it out. - Who else is affected, and what have they noticed?
Staff, family, clients and lenders usually notice before anyone says anything. - Is there anything that can't wait?
A lease, a loan, a key client, a hire or a tax deadline.
About what we each want
- If this were resolved well, what would be different in six months?
Be specific. "Getting on better" is a start, not an answer. - Do we both still want to be in business together?
Honest answers only. "I don't know" is an honest answer. - What would each of us need to feel we'd been treated fairly?
Fair and equal aren't always the same thing.
About the paperwork and the advice
- Do we have a partnership or shareholders' agreement, and what does it say about disputes and exits?
Some agreements set out a dispute process, often starting with mediation. Check before anyone acts. - Do we both have the same information about the numbers?
Disagreements about money are hard to resolve when only one person has seen the accounts. - Who else should we talk to, and in what order?
Your accountant, your lawyer, a mediator. Agree the order together, so neither of you is surprised by a letter.
What your answers tell you
If you can answer most of these together, calmly, you may not need us. Book a coffee, not a mediator.
If you can't get through them without it turning into the argument, that's what mediation is for. A neutral mediator helps you agree on what happens next, whether that's working together differently or an orderly exit, and puts what you agree in writing for your own advisers to review.
This checklist is general information, not legal, financial or tax advice. We mediate commercial disputes between business partners; we don't mediate separation or family law matters.
Free, and yours straight away
Get all twelve questions. They open straight away.
