What to do if You've Fallen Out with Your Co-founder

Disagreements can happen in any relationship – sometimes you can work through them, other times they're too big to overcome. If you've launched a start-up and you fall out with your co-founder, it can have disastrous consequences. Arguments between the senior team are the main reason businesses fail. How do you tell if it's just a bump in the road or something terminal?

One of the biggest mistakes start-up co-owners make is not preparing for conflict and then launching into arguments just as they need to be working together. Failing to talk openly to one another is another big mistake. All relationships need to be founded on trust, and if trust is eroded, then you're setting yourself up to fail.

If you find yourself avoiding your co-founder to reduce the risk of conflict, stop. Most minor disagreements can be overcome by having the argument, not skirting around it. A frank conversation almost always leads to mutual agreement on the way forward and will clear the air between you.

You should embrace conflict as a means to grow. Of course, there are occasions where it becomes too much. If you're fighting like cat and dog all the time, there must be something deeper which you both need to acknowledge. If the arguments have caused your relationship to deteriorate irrevocably, then someone has to give in and accept the dream is over.

Walking away is hard, but staying could be harder. If you stay and continue to argue, there's the added pain of seeing your business slowly die. Trust your instincts – patch things up when you can, accept it's over when you can't.