The Business Partners Handbook
Finance · Nº 56
The Business Partners Handbook
Agreements, Owner's Pay, and Profit Sharing, Settled Before a Fight Forces the Issue
You still split the money evenly. You haven't split the work that way in years.
24 tools, a partnership spreadsheet, and one three-partner software company followed from the first agreement to a partner's exit, so the hard questions get settled at a table, not in a fight.
You get 24 tools to put the partnership in writing: roles, the partners' agreement, owner's pay by role, the profit rule, exits, new partners, and the cases nobody wants to plan for. Plus a spreadsheet with 5 tabs, filled in with the example.
A book explains the method. This handbook puts it to work: the tool, a worked example, and a spreadsheet with your numbers.
One-time payment of $29.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.
You started with the accountant's standard articles of association and a handshake. Now one partner works 44 hours a week and another works 20, and both take out the same amount. Nobody knows how much profit can come out, who breaks a tie, or what happens if someone wants to leave. Every month the conversation gets put off, and every month the same argument comes back, a little louder.
THE SPREADSHEET
Partnership spreadsheet
Use the completed example as a reference and enter your business data in the marked fields. Check the instructions and the calculations before you make a decision.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
Three situations this handbook solves
A partner says they want out
You don't improvise a number. You open the agreement, run the stake value formula, and settle notice, customer handover, and installments. If the price still sticks, the conflict ladder says the next step is mediation, not court.
Two partners, half each, and a tie
The decision doesn't stall for months. The outside tiebreaker you named in advance gets the question in writing and has seven days to settle it, under rules you both signed.
The first Thursday of the month
The agenda went out on Tuesday. The partners' meeting runs on a fixed agenda, decides what's on it, and ends with minutes everyone reads and signs. No more deciding things in the hallway.
INSIDE
What you'll find in each tool
Five parts, in the order a partnership needs them. Choose a partner and read the articles before you sign. Write the partners' agreement: 12 points, votes, and tiebreaks. Pay each partner for their role and split profit by a rule. Handle conflict, exits, and new partners without a blowup. Then plan for death, divorce, disability, and expulsion, with a yearly review. Every tool has a step by step, a worked example, and an exercise.
WHAT YOU GET
Everything included in your purchase
- The Business Partners Handbook in PDF: 24 tools, each with a step by step, a worked example, and an exercise
- The Partnership spreadsheet in Excel and Google Sheets, with 5 tabs (Partnership, Agreement, Draws, Exits and new partners, and Protection), filled in with the example company
- The Template kit: 15 ready-to-adapt texts, including the 12-point agreement checklist, the owner's pay talk, and the exit talk
- 2 worksheets to fill in (roles and time commitment, and stake value) and a 30-day plan, one week per stage
- Access to your handbook on the Consylion platform
Full table of contents
The 24 tools, in the order you'll use them
Part 1 · Part 1 · Before you sign
- 01Why partnerships break upThe four fights that end partnerships, and what to agree on before they start
- 02Choosing a partnerSix criteria scored 1 to 5, and a test to run before you sign anything
- 03Roles and time commitmentWho handles what, and how many hours each partner really puts in
- 04Capital and sharesWhat each partner puts in, in cash or assets, and how many shares that's worth
- 05Inside the articles of associationThe nine clauses to read before you sign, and what applies when they say nothing
Part 2 · Part 2 · The partners' agreement
- 06Partners' agreement: the points to decideThe 12 points to settle among yourselves and then take to your lawyer
- 07Decisions, votes, and tiebreaksWhat each partner decides alone, what goes to a vote, and who breaks a tie
- 08What a partner can do on the sideOther businesses, competition, customers, and confidentiality, agreed in writing
- 09Partners' meeting and minutesOne meeting a month, a fixed agenda, and every decision on record
Part 3 · Part 3 · The partners' money
- 10Owner's pay by roleEach partner gets paid for the work they do, not for the shares they hold
- 11Profit distribution ruleHow much comes out, when, and in what proportion, after the reserve
- 12Reinvestment ruleThe share of profit that stays in the business, with a purpose, a cap, and a deadline
- 13Capital contributions and capital callsWhat happens when the business needs money and one partner can't put in their part
Part 4 · Part 4 · Conflict, exits, and new partners
- 14Alignment scorecardEight scores a quarter that surface disagreements before they turn into fights
- 15Conflict ladder and mediationFrom a one-on-one talk to a mediator, one step at a time
- 16A partner's exitNotice, customer handover, and non-compete, agreed long before anyone leaves
- 17Valuing the stakeThree ways to calculate what a departing partner's shares are worth
- 18Bringing in a new partnerOwnership in stages, with targets, deadlines, and a price agreed up front
Part 5 · Part 5 · The cases nobody wants to plan for
- 19Death of a partnerWhat happens to the shares, and the insurance that pays the family without draining the business
- 20A partner's divorceShares, marriage rules, and what an ex-spouse can claim
- 21Disability and extended leaveOwner's pay, a stand-in, and time limits when a partner can't work
- 22Expelling a partnerSerious breaches, the vote, and the procedure set out in the articles
- 23Continuity planPasswords, accounts, and customers that can't depend on a single partner
- 24Annual partnership reviewOne day a year to review shares, roles, draws, and the agreement
Who it's for
It's for you if
- You have a partner, or you're about to, and you've never written down who takes out how much and who decides what
- The workload has become uneven, but the money is still split down the middle
- A partner wants out, a new one wants in, or you need to put a value on the shares
- You want to plan for a partner's death, divorce, or long leave while everyone is still on good terms
It's not for you if
- You're the only owner and want to set your own owner's pay and keep household money apart. That's The Owner's Finances Handbook
- You want to organize the paperwork and deadlines you share with your accountant. That's The Small Business Tax Paperwork Handbook
- You want negotiation technique for a tough sit-down with a partner or investor. See The Negotiation Handbook
- You want a ready-made contract or legal advice on your case. The handbook gives you checklists and scripts to take to your lawyer
Frequently asked questions
I've had a partner for ten years. Is it too late?
No. A long-standing partnership has one advantage: it already knows its fights. Start with the snapshot of the past year's arguments and the 12 points of the agreement (Tools 01 and 06).
My partner doesn't want to talk about exit or death. What do I do?
Start with the money, which matters to everyone, and put the unexpected on the agenda of the second agreement meeting. Then show the insurance math. Tools 06 and 19 walk you through it.
Does the partners' agreement replace the articles of association?
No. The articles create the company; the agreement holds the rules among the partners. Your lawyer makes the two say the same thing (Tools 05 and 06).
Can partners with equal shares take different owner's pay?
Yes. Owner's pay covers the work, by role and by hours; profit follows the shares. The handbook shows the math, and your accountant checks the payroll side before the change (Tool 10).
Does the handbook include ready-made contract wording?
No, on purpose. Partnership rules differ from country to country. The handbook gives you the lists, scripts, and checklists to make the decisions, and the wording goes to your lawyer, who knows your case.
How much time does this take?
About 2 hours and 24 minutes of reading, or 6 minutes per tool, plus the exercises. The 30-day plan sets one stage per week. After that, it's one partners' meeting a month and one review day a year.
What do I get, and in what formats?
Each handbook is a PDF of about 100 pages with 24 to 27 tools. Every tool has step-by-step instructions and a worked example. You also get the handbook's spreadsheet in Excel (.xlsx), which opens in Google Sheets too, with the example already filled in. The message, policy, and clause templates are in the Template Kit inside the PDF, ready to copy and adapt. Read it in the member area or download the files.
How do I know if it fits my business?
Each handbook's page shows the problem it solves, who it is for and who it is not for, the full table of contents, sample pages, and the company used in the examples. The examples come from small businesses in several industries, with illustrative numbers. If it is not a fit, you can ask for a full refund within 14 days of your purchase, as described in the Refund Policy.
What is the difference between a handbook, an area set, and the Series?
A handbook solves one problem. An area set brings together every handbook and spreadsheet in one of the 6 areas, for less than the price of 5 single handbooks. The Consylion Handbook Series brings together all 100 handbooks and 100 spreadsheets, for less than the price of 8 single handbooks, and includes the next handbooks in the Series. Products outside the Series, from Consylion Life or Consylion Business, have their own price. They are sold separately and are not part of an area set or the Series.
Do I need to read everything before I start?
No. Each tool works on its own. Open the table of contents, pick the tool for today's problem, and start there. You can also read it cover to cover.
Do I need to know Excel?
The basics are enough: open the file and fill in the marked fields. The formulas are already built, and the handbook's example is filled in for reference.
How do I pay, and when do I get access?
By card or bank transfer, as a one-time payment with no subscription. Once your payment is confirmed, you get access to the member area by email. Approved card payments are confirmed right away. Bank transfers are confirmed when the funds clear. If access does not arrive within 24 hours of confirmation, check your spam folder and write to team@consylion.org.
How long do I have access, and how can I use the files?
Access does not expire, and you can download the files for offline use. The license is individual. You may read the handbooks, print them for your own use, and fill in and adapt the spreadsheet and templates with your company's data. If you are a consultant, accountant, or manager, you may apply the tools with your clients and deliver the result of your work, not the files. You may not share, resell, or distribute the files or the access.
How do support and refunds work?
Support is by email at team@consylion.org, on business days, with a reply within 5 business days. It covers questions about access, files, and payment. It does not include consulting or advice on applying the material to your case. You can cancel within 14 days of your purchase, without giving a reason, and get the full amount back through the payment method you used. Send the request to the same email. The details are in the Refund Policy.
CONSYLION HANDBOOK SERIES
The 6 departments of your business, for less than the price of 8 single handbooks.
This handbook solves today's problem. The Series solves the next one, and the one after that, with nothing more to pay.
- 100 handbooks with 2,403 ready-made tools, to read on screen and download as PDFs
- 100 spreadsheets for Excel and Google Sheets
- 6 business areas
- Lifetime access, unlocked once payment is confirmed
One-time payment of $197.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.
Finance · Nº 56
Have the conversation while it's still easy
The talk that's easy at the start turns into a fight years later. This handbook gives you the tools, the spreadsheet, and a worked example to agree on roles, pay, profit, and exits now, in writing, while everyone is still on the same side of the table.
See all 100 handbooks · $197.00
One-time payment of $29.00. The order form shows the final amount, with any taxes for your country, before you pay.
Digital delivery: PDF handbook, spreadsheet and access on the Consylion platform.
14-day money-back guarantee: if it isn't what you expected, request a full refund within 14 days of purchase.
Your order is processed by Digistore24, our authorized reseller. By purchasing, you accept the terms of use and purchase · refund policy.