All Quiet Still

 Yesterday was the day that my ex-business partner handed over 10% of the business in shares to his young friend who turned 21.  Now he's done that maybe he will sit back and have a long hard think about what he's done.  Having burnt his bridges and left the business, he has some explaining to do to his friend about what he will do next. He will not know when or if the product will launch or if the business will survive and that's still not a given.  His input is gone and his ability to answer questions on progress too.

I am left to either continue or to shut it all down and walk away.  By this time next week I will probably know what that is to be.  It was immediately stressful and annoying as I have been left to deal with the fallout.  

Of course, now, I'm "in charge" so to speak and can do what I want as sole Director of the business.  I'd run it as if he was an integral part of the business but it was always set up that I'd run this side.  It frees me up from having to accede and play the diplomatic game.  I do not need to step on egg shells when discussing the supplier who is late (horrendously late) delivering nor for all the changes etc.  I should be able to get this to market without feeling that we are never quite going to get there.

The supplier has been warned that this is the last throw of the dice too.  So that's good, I've had to re plan and rework what's going to happen and I've positioned it in such a way as to be able to make a decision next week on where we are.

I feel sorry that my ex-business partner can no longer continue the journey but I am surprised that he decided to burn his bridges and cut off all opportunity of even discussing his decision.  He cited his wishes hadn't been carried out and the letter confirming that his wishes had been carried out but he was not answering the phone to me to clarify the missing information from his instructions.  Obviously he felt that I was ignoring him which he now knows was not the case at all and he decided to send abusive and threatening correspondence, resigning at the same time.  A bit silly but there you go.

An old saying was that he "Snatched defeat from the jaws of victory" is about right here and I've written about this before where it is almost a self fulfilling prophecy and people talk themselves into defeat.  After 10 or even more years of struggling to get here, with the test version actually with us and just a few iterations before delivery, he concocted a walk away event that must be very hard to get to a point to recover.  His problem not mine.

Sure, I'm left with some issues around his leaving but his actions just remove him from the scene entirely and we can soldier on without him.  I just have to hope that he doesn't go around telling people that I stole the business and his idea from him.  As long as it is all run above board and properly that is not the case and his last set of letters can bear witness to this sudden turn in events.

Onward and upwards (maybe).