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How to resolve a dispute with your business partner 

On Behalf of | Dec 9, 2021 | Contract Disputes

It can be challenging to get your business to the position that you desire. Over the years, you are likely to have invested a lot of time, emotion and finances into the project. In short, your business is probably extremely important to you. 

When you reach a certain level, it may be impossible to carry out all of the work on your own. For this reason, you may opt to enlist a business partner. While they may ultimately share your values, passion and objectives, you might not always see eye to eye. Even the most successful business partnerships experience occasional disagreements. 

How do you cope? You want to preserve your working relationship, whenever possible – and you definitely don’t want the dispute to negatively affect your business. 

Outlined below are some ways that you might resolve a dispute with your business partner. 

Take proactive measures

As a general rule, it is best practice to resolve issues as soon as they arise. On the other hand, if you can plan for potential disputes before they occur, even better. 

Sometimes, partners feel like they are taking on too much of the burden. Clearly setting out the rights, responsibilities and expected workload of each person at the beginning of your relationship can prevent a lot of hassle further down the line.

Be sure to listen

Frequently, business disputes are fuelled by nothing more than a person feeling undervalued. You chose your business partner for a reason, so it may benefit you to hear what they have to say. 

It could simply be the case that they share the same level of passion that you do, but have been unable to portray it openly. Setting a few minutes aside each week to listen to each other’s ideas can facilitate the progress of your shared venture and keep disputes to a minimum.

Running a business is rarely easy, but having the right person on your side can make all the difference. If you are caught up in a business dispute that you cannot resolve on your own, then there are legal options open to you.