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#123: Co-Founder Breakups: 5 Lessons for Ending Without Burning Everything Down (Lizmarie Oliveras, Creadora)


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Meet Lizmarie Oliveras, my first co-founder EVER.

We didn’t just start a company together, we built a vision from scratch. We were scrappy, driven, and 100% convinced of our vision.

But here’s the thing no one tells you: building a business together is one challenge, but building a partnership that can survive growth, personal changes, and different visions for the future? That’s a whole different game. We hit a point where it was clear - we wanted different things, and pretending otherwise was only going to hurt the business we’d poured ourselves into.

But somewhere along the way, the cracks started showing. Disagreements turned into silence. Trust eroded. Eventually, it didn’t just end, it ended in flames. The kind of split that leaves you questioning everything.

For years, we didn’t talk. But time has a way of softening edges. We found our way back - not as co-founders, but as friends. And with distance, we saw the lessons buried in the wreckage: how we could have built a better foundation, how to spot the signs sooner, and how to end things in a way that doesn’t torch everything in sight.


  • 💡 Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

    • How to Define Your Lanes Early: The Owner Matrix method for clarifying decision-makers, avoiding turf wars, and keeping the business moving.

    • How to Align on Vision Before It’s Too Late: The 1-Page Vision Doc that keeps you and your co-founder rowing in the same direction—even in rough waters.

    • How to Spot the Signs It’s Time to Move On: The Founder Alignment Audit that makes hard conversations easier (and less personal).

    • How to Break Up Without Breaking Your Business: The Exit Framework for leaving with relationships and reputation intact.

    • How to Preserve Momentum Post-Breakup: Strategies for redistributing responsibilities, communicating with the team, and keeping customers confident.

    📄 If you’re ready to activate AND incorporate the learnings from each episode with the tools and templates you can implement to get it done, subscribe to our Growth Playbooks for weekly, actionable frameworks and strategies to help you scale smarter—no fluff, just results. 👉 Join the Growth Playbooks: shegetsshitdone.com/join


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