only once

i don't really like to vent on my blog. ya know, just wanna keep things light. however. i just wanna say. never, never, never EVER go into business with a friend. without a lawyer. without a signed something. anything. it would be a far better thing to just cut off both your hands with a very dull knife. the sad reality is that going into a business with a friend basically means you will no longer be friends. you suddenly are running something together and it becomes more of a marriage. sadly, when everything goes south and you've been beaten up, cheated on and are generally in a very sucky situation there's nothing to do but get a divorce. THAT, my friends, is ugly. then you have the custody battle over the beloved child i.e. the business. who will be better for it? who will take care of it? who will nurture it into something? who will MAINTAIN consistency? that, really, is what must be decided. HOWEVER, you have the emotions that go along with it. "but, it was MY idea", "no, it was MINE". "you don't like me anymore" , "you don't stand up for me", "you're disrespectful" and blah, blah, blah, blah. are you kidding me?? so then you have the business and it's faithful customers stuck right smack in the middle wondering what will happen to them. if one person takes over there's a chance of survival. if the other? questionable. child services will have to be phoned in a few months because of severe neglect and something that was beautiful will be damaged forever. SO, if you say to me you're going into business with a friend. i will say RUN! NO! you'll have a much better chance with a complete stranger off of the street. got it?