Need advice on a family situation

[silentbob]

I agree he probably is depressed.  You also shouldn't take advice from internet shrinks.  You should get your advice from T-shirts.  I like the one that says "you'll never see a motorcycle in front of a psychiatrists office".  Get him a Monster and his problems will disappear.

[mstevens]

"you'll never see a motorcycle in front of a psychiatrists office".

Well, you'll see one in front of mine most days.

[Wanwo]

His real problem is that he has severe depression. We've tried everything to get him help, but he refuses to see a doc or go to a shrink. He refuses medication.

My Dad had to have a triple bypass in his early 50's. Afterwards he became severely depressed - very uncommunicate, no enthusiasm for anything. He started with anti-depressants and they really worked. Fifteen years later he still takes them and is quite a positive person. So, at least in some cases it can be turned around without too much difficulty.

[c_rex]

Yep, I certainly did! He shouldn't listen to me any more than any other stranger who doles out advice on the 'net. Even if I am right. The posts that preceded mine give great advice, too. The OP should ignore that, as well, and make his own difficult decisions since he's the one that's got to live with the outcome, not us.

couldn't agree more.  I'm certainly not qualified to make clinical suggestions!  big respect to your words o' wisdom mstevens.

[PizzaMonster]

I'm curious what you mean when you said you took him on as a business partner.  Has he put money in?  Do you work as a team and split the proceeds of each job or do you pay him a wage?  I'm assuming it's an informal partnership and isn't incorporated as a business?

If he has put money in you have a bit of a problem.  One or the other of you has to somehow buy out the other's interest.  That takes some amount of cooperation.  I suppose it depends on how much equity you have invested after 3 1/2 years.   (Hopefully not too much)  If you both basically own your own tools and share a pickup truck and a few sheets of plywood maybe it's best to just walk away.  Tell him when the jobs presently in the pipeline are finished, so is the partnership.  You will be striking off on your own.  Make it seem like you are the one quitting.

If he's just a paid employee then you know what happens next.


Disclaimer:  As usual, this advice might not be worth a pinch of coonsh!t because I don't have first hand knowledge of the situation.  I'm looking at it purely as a business decision and trying to keep family politics out of the  mix.  It's hard to do.  I spent 31 years working with family before I finally bailed.