The Hard Talk I Had as a Founder (And Why It Saved the Partnership)

By Akram Alqadasi

It didn’t happen in a boardroom.

No NDAs were signed.

Just two people, one long conversation, and a brutal truth:

The way we were working… wasn’t working.

Let me explain.

PART ONE: When Smart People Drift

You can tell a lot about a partnership by the silence in the room.

We’d built momentum together – a platform to systematize strategic clarity for founders. We had validated demand, unlocked opportunities, and even helped another company raise with our help for good six months.

But lately? We were drifting. The meetings felt heavy. Execution was slowing. And under the surface, something unspoken was weighing both of us down.

Until we finally spoke it out loud.

PART TWO: The Conversation I Didn’t Want to Have

“Honestly,” I told him, “you’ve gone quiet. It feels like you lost interest.”

He paused. Then said what I wasn’t expecting:

“I didn’t lose interest. I just started feeling like I was wasting my time.”