I suppose repeatedly hearing me say, “If you go alone, you may go faster, but if you go with someone, you’ll go far,” led Francis, my ex-friend, to talk to me about becoming a partner in his retail business. I agreed quickly because I had some experience in that line and believed I could contribute to its growth. Over lunch, while discussing our ideas, I helped refine the business strategy — I could see the excitement on his face. Just two days later, Francis rushed back to share how one of the ideas I suggested had already triggered some customer orders. The only challenge was that he had no money to fulfill them, and since he was new, clients wanted to pay after delivery. I was hesitant at first. We had yet to finalise our partnership terms, and he had already started working on our ideas. But I still provided the money—I didn’t want to discourage him or misunderstand him. I also made sure to express how I felt. Two weeks passed, the orders were delivered, and payment was expec...