It gets frustrating fast when someone else’s dream starts eating into the work you’ve spent years building.

Imagine your partner kept pouring time and money into a side hustle that barely earned anything, yet still expected your established business to cover debts you never agreed to take on.

What would you do? Would you help them pursue their dream? Or would you finally set a boundary?

In the following story, one partner finds herself in this situation and wants to stop helping.

Here’s what’s going on.

AITA for not wanting to depreciate my (43yrs) business to support my partner’s (38yrs) side hustle

My partner and I both do retail, selling at conventions and pop-ups. I sell more new stuff, and he’s strictly a reseller.

I’ve been doing what I do since 2011. He has been doing limited online sales for about 10 years.

We don’t have a plethora of funds. My business has $3000+ months. They may have broken 1k once in over 2 years. But the majority of our resources are going into his inventory and what he wants to do.

He doesn’t want to make it official, but still wants her help.

Now he’s sitting on these reseller groups and has a whole thing in his head about needing a big POS system, storefront, etc. We’d agreed 2 months ago that he would stick to online sales, as that was where his money primarily came from.

Originally, I offered to partner with him and split things formally. He refused to sign any documents formalizing a partnership or incorporation.

Most of what I bring in goes into household bills. I get regularly told I don’t contribute enough. When I have a full month of vends and earn good money, I have to hear about how I don’t do the housework. When I try to discuss this, I’m being disrespectful.

Here’s how she feels.

A lot of what he’s said makes me feel like he expects me to be responsible for the debt he incurred building up the resale business. From purchases I did NOT agree to, and many of them I was against, but “not my money/not my problem.”

My incurred debt is a fraction of his.

When I bring up the situation, I have to hear about how it was always his dream to own a hobby store. And that’s great, but he can’t afford to take that step right now, and I do not want to take that step with him.

Now, she feels put out.

I’m also getting on my feet after a bad divorce.

I feel a bit put out b/c I have been working in the industry I am in in one way or another since 1996.

This has been the closest thing to having a direction in my life, and I have been involved/making connections since I was a teenager.

AITA?

Eek! It’s easy to see why she’s so frustrated with him.

Let’s see what words of wisdom the folks over at Reddit have to offer.

This person thinks they need to talk and get on the same page.

For this person, the whole thing is unfair.

According to this comment, he doesn’t get to make decisions about her money.

Great point.

She needs to step back, because this relationship sounds very one-sided.

She may be better off without him.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.