Here's a scenario for you guys. Lets say you meet someone you really get along with in the business world and the two of you establish a business together. You really like them a lot and you're happy to spend time with them. So you figure running a business with them would be a lot of fun. A first they make up for their lack of experience in your field with hard work, being easy to communicate with, and seeming extremely loyal. You agree to sign on as partner in the business equally because emotion is dictating your choices. You don't vet your new partner at all because it would be "mean" to do so.

You would've been better off bringing all the risk upon yourself and having a boss and employee relationship. It would be smarter to be the sole controlling owner But to you they seemed to be such a valuable asset due to emotional markers and your personal relationship that you basically promised them half of your livelihood for the foreseeable future. You allowed an employee skill set holding friend to be part. You raised their value by giving away your own because you liked them. You would have been better off not overcommiting yourself to them like that, simply because it's "the right thing to do" due to social pressure.

Keep in mind, even if you felt mislead, that you chose to sign the contract and no one forced you into it. You came by all this willingly even if you didn't know what exactly you were getting yourself into. You don't gain much benefit from becoming ruthlessly pragmatic and spending all your time in regret about making someone only skilled enough to be employee into a full partner. You have to realize that law firms make their employees work their fingers to the Bone to even have a sniff at being any kind of partner. For someone who should only be an employee they should have to prove their Merit over a long period of time and not just make partner by emotional manipulation. It's natural human behavior to try and get the best "deal" we can even if it's unfair to the person on the other side of the equation. We can't be upset when we didn't implement preventive policies to shield us from people seeking deals that are detrimental to our prosperity. We aren't really victims, just stupid. Luckily stupid can be fixed with some practice.

Instead of losing sleep over your bad business venture, you need to weigh the pros and cons of dissolving the relationship, and come to a decision. In the future you'll make your next employee to prove their worth and test their character instead of "gifting" some of your value to them. Instead they'll be compensated according to their merit. BUT if you decide you need to stay in business with a shitty partner all you can do is patch all the holes in your game. And don't fall asleep at the wheel. Don't let them drive and then be mad when they don't take the route you expected when you know them to be untrustworthy. Manage them in a way that shows disdain for their weak work ethic. Always take the lead only delegating tasks that are secondary in the big picture.

But whatever you do, don't fucking whine about your own initial bad business decision. Because life doesn't have to happen TO you unless that's what you want. As the man you are taking all the risk, if you promise a shitty employee half of your business it's your fault. If you completely trust a person based on emotions... Your fault. If you're stuck in a marriage because of your convictions it's your fault. If mine went sideways again and I didn't leave because of my faith... My fault. But I don't get to sit around being bitter towards her, she took the best deal she could get because it's her nature.

The great Dante Nero says, "if you're in a relationship, you're losing." If you make the choice to do so, make it worth it. If it catastrophically fails... It was your choice. Don't be petty and spend your life in regret about the next guy getting a better deal. Its pointless. You can only do you and play the hand you receive the best you can but how much you wager is up to you. Don't be a dumbshit and push all your chips in on the first hand that looks "decent". Learn how to play the game first dummy.