Don't you think it's time to find a partner?

Good comments, Nick.

I think that's one of the main benefits of the regional mastermind meetings that are often posted on WF. It's been said before how it can be hard to chat to family and friends about what it is we do online. How nice is it to speak to people who know what you're talking about and who can bounce ideas around with you.

I'm lucky enough to have a good friend interstate who is also a marketer. We have chatted on skype, but we email each other sometimes several times a day, and have worked together on a couple of projects. It's therapeutic. We're working on getting together in person sometime soon, just haven't decided if we hook up in cold Melbourne or warm and sunny Brisbane.

I totally agree. I never realized just how advantageous it is to have online friends and 'partners'. I have a couple people that I interact with regularly. It's great to talk with others that are living through the same things I am.

I always bounce my ideas and plans off of them. It's great to get their feedback. Another benefit is that we can help each other out in various ways.

The Internet world can be a lonely place - having people like my friends/partners can help make the Internet seem more like home!

Tried that a few years ago right here on the Warrior Forum (via a written agreement with someone who had been a seemingly well-respected member for a number of years). All went well for a while until the ******* suddenly vanished with nearly $20k of my money, which resulted in legal action by me, which, in turn, resulted in him then seemingly vanishing off the face of the earth.

Poof!

Gone!



Having a partner can be a good idea... just make sure they live close enough that'll it'll be convenient for you to call 'round to their house with a baseball bat if they suddenly take an unhealthy interest in your share of the profits.

Tommy.

Thanks for the post Nick.

Partnering up is something I've been seriously considering for a few months now but as was pointed out by Thomas, I want to find someone local to avoid the additional problems it creates if things go pear shaped.

I've even tried to stir up interest in the Local Meetings section but not getting much response which is damn frustrating.

Besides the sharing/pooling of ideas and resources, personally I'd find it very beneficial to have someone kick my butt for spending too much time playing online golf instead of building another site

Cheers

No partners. BTDT... got the t-shirt (and the scars on my a$$ to prove it).

Nick,

Sorry my ribcage didn't vibrate (except when I was on the Central Line the other day...)

However I agree with you but only if by "partner" you mean "mutual mentor".

Actually doing a full on partnership business ... yuk. Been there, done that - not burned financially but it can be frustrating as you have to compromise on your ideas. And you may have issues with who is spending the most time on the project.

Definitely.
However, you need to be careful in finding the right one. It's a little bit risky since you'll need to trust others. Ask everything and demand all the things that you need in order the find the best one.

Great OP... some really good insights there.

Fact is, it's very hard, almost miraculously rare, to find solopreneurs who are break-through examples of independent wealth building success.

Name one successful marketer who does it all alone... no VA's, no outsourcing, no employees, no partners, no mastermind groups or accountability coaches, no mentors or peer groups for feedback and input, etc.

Rare. Very rare indeed.

I can name a few copywriters and freelancers (service providers) who do a significant amount of business, but at some point, the lightbulb goes on in a flashing burst of *Holy Crap!* and they realize how they ARE the business, that they own a JOB, how they are limited by the lack of LEVERAGE they haven't created in their business.

Partners? Like Mike H. been there, done that... the only partnership that's been a long term success in my life so far, is my marriage to Leam, my beautiful and incredible wife (no, she doesn't read these posts... lol). That said, my first marriage - not so successful.

Partnerships take a LOT of work and the best ones start with clarity.

Who does what?
Who gets what?
How is it distributed?
What if you don't pull your weight?
What if I don't pull mine?
What happens if I want out?
What happens if you want out?
Who owns the intellectual capital and copyright's to what we create together?
Who has the final say on decisions?

etc., etc., etc.

To me, the best partnerships are Project Based. In other words... if you are interested in being my partner, on ONE PROJECT, let's talk. Let's work out the details above and see if we can come up with a working plan.

Don't be offended if I say no - it's better to know up-front if a potential partnership isn't a good match than to get married and then go through the whole divorce process, separating assets, deciding custody, etc.

However, its a simple fact - "A team of two can accomplish a LOT more than an island of one." And when the team is a great match, that's when magic can happen.

This new world of global connections and the fact that you now have virtually unlimited access to billions... with a "B" - BILLIONS of potential partners from all over the world, surely opens doors that have been welded shut in past history.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes, be careful in your planning, find partners and outsource workers whom you can trust, work hard, build relationships, be trustworthy and hard working yourself, be honest in your dealings with others yourself, become someone other's WANT to partner with or get to know better...

Know you are gonna get screwed all the same - sometime, once or twice or ten times, along the way.

But also know that the alternative - no partners, no outsourcing, no employees, no collaborations, etc. - means that you ARE limited to how much you can accomplish and how fast, large, or influentially you can grow your business.

It's just a fact.

You can't get your heart broken if you never ask anyone to date - but you also won't go on any dates.

If my first marriage kept me from dating, I'd never have met Leam - and the result of that partnership has been wonderful.

By the way... in the last three years alone I had multiple partners in my real estate business leave me hangin' to the tune of over $250k - life goes on. Next.

Now get out there and create something great - together.

I'd never want a 'fixed' partner. I rather do the main part of my busniess alone and then work with a partner for projects that I can't do alone. That way I only have one person to be responsible for.

Leslie

Attending a Marketing seminar, learning
and mingling with other online Marketers
and possibly a few Joint Ventures
is as far as I care to go.

PS. A quality Seminar will make you feel like you
have a partner.

as the old saying goes "two heads better than one"

You'd think it'd be a great idea, right?

A mentor, professional friend / buddy to bounce ideas off, hold accountable to one another, and progress your business. A sort of checks and balances, if you like.

Wrong.

After a year of organising a local meetup group in the Midlands, based on this superb idea, I gave up. The idea - discuss all things IM, and occasionally throw in more specific topics, to help those new to IM, or to add more ideas to those well established in the area. Follow up with those members at future meetups to see how they were getting on.

The reality?

"I can't make a weekend".

"I can't make a weekday".

"I've got to do X, Y, Z".

(Honestly, how many times can you service a car?)

Those who are successful at IM forge partnerships with others who are successful - and most of them get to that status themselves through hard work. Whether any of them had such a mentoring / buddy system would be interesting to find out.

Those who are unsuccessful at IM fail to put an ounce of effort into such a simple idea, which would easily catapult their business forward in a short space of time. Instead they're happy to drift along, p*ss money up the wall buying WSO's and keep dreaming the dream.

It's a real shame, but I can't see partnerships happening with the current trend of attitudes.

Partnerships are great - they can be death traps too. Some things I've learned:

1) The law will never be able to legislate morality. Look for someone whose business ethics and long term reputation means more to him or her than a quick buck

2) Have the same business objectives. If someone is hard up for money and you try to partner with them, if you want to make long term investments that may take a while to pay off, you're going to have problems

3) Watch how people behave with money - even if it's $1. If you are in a partnership with someone and they don't pay their bills, that's a RED FLAG

4) Make sure you are giving and receiving equally. No you shouldn't keep a score card....What I'm saying is that there has to be a geniune desire to help the other person succeeed, irrespective of whether or not there's an immediate pay off for you....

These are just some tips, but they've helped me immeasurably. Now when I meet potential partners online, I'm quick to spot "takers" and I'm also extra careful to let the "givers - the honest, good natured folks out there - know how much I appreciate their generosity and business ethics because it's RARE indeed!

Having a partner is always a good idea. You can hire somebody for a fixed amount and get your work done and pay them in installements. In that case you will not be cheated finally.

Partnerships don't work... Invariably one partner ends up working harder than the other... And then resents the fact that he is giving away half of the profits for mostly his work. Seen it happen so many times.