As I’ve written many times here, the entrepreneur’s nightmare is to lose control of your business creation during the expansion process and then find yourself dumped by the incomers.

Whatever happened to Duncan Riley, for example? Now thriving at TechCrunch, he wouldn’t be a man you would want to lose in a hurry.

That is the cautionary tale of JPG Magazine, an online and print business that morphed into 80/20 publishing which resulted in disaster for its founders.

The story is told at some length by Derek Powazek, who describes himself as a thinker, designer, and writer in San Francisco.

His conclusions from the experience are :

If it’s any help to other entrepreneurs, here’s what I’ve learned.

1. Make no assumptions when it comes to roles and responsibilities. Like my dad says: “Someone’s gotta call quittin’ time.”
2. Communication between partners is mandatory. And you cannot communicate with someone who is not communicating with you.
3. Decisions aren’t decisions if you have to keep making them. Set on the course and stick to it. If you keep talking about things that have already been decided, nothing will ever get done.
4. When someone says one thing, but acts in a contradictory way, you have a choice between believing their words or believing their deeds. Believe their deeds.
5. Never let anyone tell you what you want. When someone says, “You don’t want that,” what they really mean is, “I don’t want you to have that.”
6. Don’t stay where you’re not wanted, respected, or happy. Even if it’s your company.

That goes without saying, but it’s still worth reminding people that business is a tough environment unless you hold the best cards.