Do you feel like your business partner is your biggest liability? You're not alone. This episode rips the lid off the fantasy of 50/50 partnerships and gets real about what actually works.

Perry Belcher and Emma Rainville dives deep into the wild world of business partnerships, personal regrets, and leadership missteps that cost more than money. In this no-holds-barred Q&A episode, they answer listener-submitted questions about finding a business partner, building high-growth companies, and what happens when comfort kills progress.

Perry shares war stories from scaling companies from $2 million to $10 million (and nearly breaking them), while Emma breaks down why she’ll never again hire based on “potential.”

We cover:

- Why having the same strengths as your co-founder is the root of business partnership problems

- The $22.59 question: on how to find a business partner for a startup

- Real leadership regrets (including Perry’s infamous "old lady" story)

- What to look for in a business partner — and when to just hire instead

- Why scaling from $1M to $10M can destroy a company if you're not built for that business growth

- The surprising truth about legacy (and why no one remembers you anyway)

Timestamps:

(0:00) Welcome to the Trainwreck: Blue shirts and sneak attack questions

(3:45) What Perry and Emma look for in a business partner (hint: not “another you”)

(10:25) The $8M scaling failure that nearly bankrupted a water biz

(15:42) Why 50/50 equity splits are usually a mistake

(22:15) Leadership regrets: Perry’s explosive moment + Emma’s biggest hiring failures

(32:10) Can you build a business just for fun? (Short answer: No.)

(38:05) Do legacies even matter?

(46:00) The “Ignite effect”: turning nobodies into seven-figure entrepreneurs

Grab the free companion tools inside the Tool Cage:

👉 https://trainwreckshow.com/companion-tools-optin/

Cheat sheets, GPTs, templates — zero BS, all value.

Resources:

Website - https://trainwreckshow.com

Join the Driven Mastermind - https://drivenmastermind.com/

Join the Ignite Mastermind - https://ignitemastermind.org/

Workshops, GPTs, and Other Resources - https://trainwreckshow.com/companion-tools-optin/

Connect with Perry Belcher:

🌐Website - https://ignitemastermind.org/

👤Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ThePerryBelcher/

📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/perry.belcher

▶️YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@perrybelcher

Connect with Emma Rainville:

🌐 Website - https://www.shockwavesolutionsllc.com/

👤Facebook - https://web.facebook.com/queenofops/

📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/emma_rainville512/