As an entrepreneur, you hear all the stories of "dream teams": employers who make perfect hires to form a group that grows together over time, inspires each other and works together to achieve great results. You look around and wonder where your perfect find is. Is it you? Then finally, you meet someone you think could be your protégé. You've never been so excited to give someone an offer to come work with you, and you can't wait to get started.

But--not so fast. Much like a personal relationship, you can't sit back and hope the two of you will stand the test of time.

So how do you avoid the "employment breakup" in business?

First, recognize that you need a strategy from Day One to keep your hire (whether full-time, part-time, contractor or intern) motivated and interested. You can't just assume that he or she will be with you for eternity just because your business is the most fascinating, exciting thing to you.

Sure, you're offering a professional opportunity to someone, and it's reasonable to want that person to be excited by it. She probably is; otherwise, you wouldn't have hired her in the first place. But you need to accept that no one is going to have the same drive or passion for your business as you have, and you need to put in some effort to sustain that person's level of motivation. Here are some tips on how to do this:

1. Give up equity. No, not literally. Deciding who should be an owner in your company requires a complicated analysis. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't give up ownership of certain projects. "Giving people the opportunity to take ownership over projects will make them feel more engaged with the company as a whole," says T.J. Duane, principal of Lateral Link. "However, the important thing is making sure the company is backing these projects as well, and sees them as necessary and not just exploratory."
    
2. Reward good work. We all like to be acknowledged, particularly if we're working hard and achieve a good result. "If the company is making a profit and a team member goes above and beyond, do your best to give a bonus," says Melissa Meyers, founder and CEO of the lifestyle resource, Ask Melissa. "This shows your appreciation and encourages the employee to continue performing." Not in the position to give a bonus? There are several other ways to communicate your appreciation. Think about sending an e-mail to the entire team honoring the achievements of your star, or giving an extra vacation day. At a minimum, a simple "thank you for your hard work" goes a very long way.
    
3. Put it all in perspective. As a business owner, you jump out of bed every morning ready to tackle opportunities and challenges. You have a vision for your business, and every day you get one small step closer. Remember to share that regularly with your team. "Keep the big picture in focus," says Shu Kim, co-founder and co-CEO of Shustir.com, an online marketplace for small business. "One of the worst feelings is when your job just becomes a mindless repetition of meaningless actions. Help your team keep its sights on the bigger picture you're going for."
    
4. Have fun. We all like to enjoy what we're doing. Having fun in the workplace is not a distraction; it's an incentive. Lori Dernavich, employee performance advisor, suggests, "Encourage team interaction. The more friends employees have at work, the less likely they are to leave the company."

Last but not least, acknowledge that breakups happen. But at least with each one, you'll learn a little bit more about how to avoid the pitfalls the next time around.