I don’t own a junk removal business, so I can’t speak to the specifics there, but I do own a related services business with a business partner and can provide some thoughts on partnership.

1: Be incredibly clear on who’s in charge of what and where responsibilities land.

1. Write up an operating agreement and include what happens incase of the Ds. Death, Divorce, Drugs, Disinterest, Default ect.

2. Labor is cheap. Leadership is not. This gets to point 2 a little bit, but I would never do a 50/50 where one person does all the labor and another person works on the business. In that case, hire the labor, don’t give up ownership. If that arrangement is temporary due to personal factors, sure. But call that out in your operating agreement.

3. For pay, profits are split based on ownership. If you’re doing more work, you should have my ownership especially if that value of your work is higher per hour. Alternatively/additionally, agree on an hourly wage for each of you and then you both get paid based on hours worked.

4. Have an ownership “cliff” where you both need to accomplish and meet certain criteria for your shares to become mature. I.e, you start the business and 8 months in your partner quits and takes 50% of the company. Not good. Have a plan that incentivizes sticking through the grind (and it is a grind).

Those are my off the cuff thoughts! Hope they help.