Having dealt with this issues personally, it’s a tough conversation; especially if you are close to your partner. As a founder, it is important to establish operational procedure, even when working with “creatives”. Using this identifier as a cover for not wanting to deal with the minutiae of a business plan means the may or may not be truly invested in the concept. It might be worth discussing where they see the business in 3-5 years and the road to getting. Happy to jump on a quick call to talk further about this. Dan

All team members, regardless of team size, can benefit from clear expectations related to their performance and professional demeanor. Expectations can be set formally, in terms of annual goals, and informally, in terms of company culture. As a person who has worked for you for 10 years, do you have a relationship with this employee to understand id personal circumstances may have changed? Sometime people outgrow companies and vice versa. Have job functions for this employee evolved and were these changes communicated to them? Happy to jump on a quick call and discuss a few tactics to ease the tensions and retain good talent. Dan