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Partner(s) vs. No Partner(s)?

by GGM25
15 replies
Hi -

As the pace and workload of online marketing can be overwhelming, it seems that it might make sense to find a good partner (or partners) who you work well with and with whom you can split up tasks. One concentrates on PPC, Social Media and Classifieds, another on Articles, Blogging and Youtube, etc.

To me, it would seem that 1 + 1 = 3; that is, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole.

Would love to hear from peoples' experiences who have done both - with partner and without - what your feelings are on the matter. And also, how you found the right partner for you.

Thanks.
#partners #team #working together
  • Profile picture of the author Marketing Cheetah
    you are talking about synergy here and I agree with you. Finding a good partner is a bit hard unless he/she is someone very close to and you know them very well. Its business, we need some honest person.
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    • Profile picture of the author Gaurav Duggal
      I've been working with a business partner for a long time now, and It has been a tremendously positive experience. You need to find the right person to work with of course, and preferably someone local that you can meet face to face. That said, if you find the right fit for both parties, especially in terms of shared values and goals, just some of the benefits are:

      1. Increased productivity, as you pointed out
      2. Two (or more) minds are better than one in terms of coming up with new ideas
      3. Keeping each other motivated and on task
      4. Overall a greater number of strengths are brought to the table
      5. You business appears more professional to potential clients and / or students

      Before beginning with a partnership, besides having shared goals and values, you need to make sure that each person's strengths are weaknesses are clearly identified so that everyone is doing what they are best at. You can then even help each other grow in weaker areas.

      Also make sure that all financial agreements are in place in writing, no matter who the partner is, ... that's just sound business practice.

      All said, it can be a great experience. I find that overall I'm way more focussed, organized, and doing a lot better than I ever was before, and even though my business partner and I don't work together nearly as much as when we started, I still get a lot more done in my solo ventures due to the skills, resources, and contacts that we acquired together.
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      • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
        Originally Posted by Gaurav Duggal View Post


        Also make sure that all financial agreements are in place in writing, no matter who the partner is, ... that's just sound business practice.
        I would add to that and include the duties of each partner and penalties for failing to execute those duties. It's not uncommon to have one partner just stop working and still be entitled to half of the profits.
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        Founder of JVZoo. All around good guy :)

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    • Profile picture of the author GGM25
      Originally Posted by jugroo View Post

      you are talking about synergy here and I agree with you. Finding a good partner is a bit hard unless he/she is someone very close to and you know them very well. Its business, we need some honest person.
      Yes, perhaps. But on the other hand, I think everyone's heard "never do business with friends" - i.e. when money is involved, it often spells an end to the friendship. Could be the same with a spouse. I tend to buy into this.

      I'd rather find someone, perhaps an acquaintance or someone that I just start working with on a casual basis. Then see if the relationship develops to the point where we would consider each other compatible.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ti
    I'm looking for a person to do this actually.
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  • Profile picture of the author SamuelJon
    I have had a partner for about 3 years now and I would not change a thing. Before we were partners, we shared ideas and methods for about 2 years. I have known my partner since I was in sixth grade but this is not what makes him such a great partner.

    He has the same drive as me. He knows how to buckle down when profits are low and we need a boost. He is not afraid to be creative and do his own thing.

    Have I ever thought of going on my own? Sometimes but it usually doesnt last long because I realize that my partner has skills that he is really good at. Just like me, I have skills that he isn't good at. When we work, we mean business and we get results everytime.

    You know, whenever we come up with a new project or website to make money, there is usually a bit of excitement when we are talking about the project and how we will make it happen. Then I always ask him; "Do you think it will work?".

    He always responds back with the same answer.

    "Were going to make it work".

    He is fearless and knows that where there is a will there is a way. These are the reasons why I will always choose to work with my partner. We have our disputes but we always work out our opinnions and differences and end up making lots of money.

    Will it last forever? Who knows. But i do know this, I would not go back and do it any other way. Two heads are better than one as long as money doesnt come between you and this is the hardest part of a partnership. On top of that, once you have had a succesful partnership, you have to think to yourself, could I have done it without him and would I have got as good of results without him?

    If I can give one piece of advice, don't give half of your business to someone who you know does not have any skills. If you really want a partner you have to find someone interested in the same things you are and a partner you know will do what it takes to be a success.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave Rodman
    Banned
    You don't want to hire a partner. Just have employees do those pieces. You'll be pissed off when your "Social Media" partner starts slacking off and taking a 1/3 of the profits that are generated from work that you did.
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    • Profile picture of the author GGM25
      Originally Posted by Dave Rodman View Post

      You don't want to hire a partner. Just have employees do those pieces. You'll be pissed off when your "Social Media" partner starts slacking off and taking a 1/3 of the profits that are generated from work that you did.
      Hiring people to do some of the legwork can make good sense.

      But I don't think it's about "hiring" a partner, but rather finding an associate to work with, who hopefully has the same values and work-ethic as you. Yes, sometimes you'll be the bread-winner, sometimes they will. But as long as you know that you're both putting in 100% (or 110%) effort, it shouldn't matter.
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      • Profile picture of the author Dave Rodman
        Banned
        Originally Posted by GGM25 View Post

        Hiring people to do some of the legwork can make good sense.

        But I don't think it's about "hiring" a partner, but rather finding an associate to work with, who hopefully has the same values and work-ethic as you. Yes, sometimes you'll be the bread-winner, sometimes they will. But as long as you know that you're both putting in 100% (or 110%) effort, it shouldn't matter.
        Yeah, well that's the problem right? I know SO MANY people that just have animosity towards their partner because, at a certain point, one of them ends up doing more work.

        I know a married couple that started a summer camp with another couple. After 4-5 years of VERY successful camps, they started having kids. One summer, one of the wives had just had a baby and wasn't able to make it for a few days out of the week. The other couple wanted to start to prorate all the pay. For instance, if they collect $5K per week, then that breaks down to $250/per day per person. So if you miss a day, you give that up to the others.

        This is where the problems start to come in. Sure, it KINDA makes sense because one person isn't putting in as much work. But they have a newborn child at home. And should they really be docked pay like that, when really they had a HUGE hand in setting up the camp in the first place (previous 5 years) and signed a bunch of kids up (They are all teachers).

        It's those types of issues you run into. I know a bunch of people that have partnerships....and there are always questions like that coming up.
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  • Profile picture of the author Vicky K
    If you are looking for someone to share the workload with, I'd recommend getting a Virtual Assistant or generally a good team of people you outsource your stuff to. Random tasks you don't like doing can be outsourced to Romania or India for like $2 an hour. High quality work can be done on a profit share basis.

    To me, surrounding yourself with the right people is the key to running a successful business.

    A partner though is something else to me. Partners are there to do the management with you, to keep each other motivated, to keep the situation under control together and to stay focussed. More like a friend in the business you are sharing the same projects with. Someone who will keep you accountable while you do the same thing for them.

    I personally find it very hard to find people like that. People you are close enough to, people you trust and people who won't just be lazy and take additional energy from you rather than contributing theirs to yours. People with the right mindset are gold. If you find them, keep them around. If you don't, just don't bother.
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  • Profile picture of the author notionphil
    I am a functioning workaholic and jack of all trades (programming, design, business, finance)...and thus sometimes find working with a partner difficult on smaller projects as they tend to single-task. This can easily create an imbalance in a business...basically as everyone is saying, make sure you get EVERYTHING in writing, especially what happens if one partner stops working.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Towland
    Personally I like to make my own decisions and go down my own chosen path and that is so much more difficult to do with partners.

    So, the way I prefer to work is this:

    It's my business so I decide what I will do and when and because I can't do everything I outsource as much as I can.

    I am then still in control and only have to pay a fixed fee for the work done for me.

    I'm sure this isn't the solution for everyone but it sure works for me! :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author GGM25
      How about "partnering" with your downline? Has anyone considered this and what may be a work-able situation in this case?
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