A reader sent in his story of partner woe and asked me to write about partnerships gone bad. It reminded me that I've heard more than a couple stories of business partnerships that turned really, really sour. They may have a higher failure rate than marriages (not touching that subject with a 10' pole).

The following horror stories are true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

An Excavator's Tale (In His Own Words)

Ron,

One mistake I have done in life is about partnerships, you should discuss those issues in your newsletters. For me I had taken on a partner with devastating effects. Now after buying out the partner and back on my own with an economy that just will not let me make a profit is like going to the casino and gambling.

I have been a site contracting for the last twenty-three years and I have lost all my gains from having a bad partner, He said all the right things and was great at his job, but after he got his piece of the pie it turned into Hell for me because of his oppressiveness.

If I had more time, I would write down the dos & donts. So if you had some insight to warn others, you could save others the misfortune of a thief coming into a business.