Hi coaches,

I need your help on some models I’m working on.

Here is the context. 3 years ago I created a company with a close friend of 10 years. We worked together for 1year, and I got sick (nervous breakdown) just as we opened the shop. So I left the business to take care of myself and decided not to come back. I’ve felt very guilty for leaving my partner to continue on his own but really feel like I couldn’t work with him without burning out slowly. He’s been blaming me for that ever since, more or less clearly. For 2 years, he has been working on the shop on his own and seems to love it (from what I see on the Facebook of the company). We don’t talk as friends anymore and when we discuss the situation on business meetings very rarely, he says it’s very hard and he does it to pay back as much of the company’s debt as possible so we don’t get indebted too much. In this sense he works for the both of us since we are both involved in the future of the company (if the company goes bankrupt before paying back its debt to the bank we are responsible for it). I invested some money at the beginning that I now believe I deserve to get back if the company succeeds. If it doesn’t, I’m accountable for the debt as is my partner.

The company seems to have done really well recently with lots of articles in papers and an increase in the money on the bank account. A few days ago my partner asked me how much I wanted to leave the company and give my shares away (I’m still 50% owner). I said I wanted to get back what I had invested initially. Yesterday he gave me an ultimatum. Either I leave with 30% of what I have asked or he stops working and the company goes bankrupt.
And in this case we might both get into debt.

He says he doesn’t want to keep working as hard as he has done for the past 2 years so that I can get my money back. Hence the ultimatum. My opinion is that even if I see where he’s coming from, I believe I deserve to get my money back. And I also believe he is bluffing, that he might not go through with his threat because the company is doing very well and his hard work would have been for nothing. He just doesn’t think I deserve to get my money back and does all he can to prevent it. So he tries to scare me with the threat of stopping everything and go bankrupt.

So here where I stand now.
Either I give up 70% of what I put in the company or I decide we lose everything together.

Here are my models. Do you think they are accurate?

Unintentional model :
C. Choose not to settle to ultimatum (not accept to leave with 30% of what I invested)
T. It is so shabby to choose losing everything rather than take the money he offers
F. Uncomfortable
A. Question my decision
R. I don’t make a definitive choice on this.

Intentional model
C. Choose not to settle to ultimatum
T. I am making this choice to take care of myself and that’s ok.
F. Confident
A. Make my decision with peace
R. Follow through with consequences (negociation or bankruptcy)

What do you think?

Thank you for your precious help,