Questions to Ask about a Business Partnership

When I started my second business, to be completely honest, neither my business partner nor I were in the best place of our lives. We didn`t have the time or energy to build a high level of confidence, and that worked against us from the beginning. “It`s important to understand where you and your business partner`s skills compare and differ. In my experience, the best business partnerships are those where partners have complementary skills, but it`s also important to understand where the overlap occurs. A thorough understanding of each person`s strengths and weaknesses will help to share tasks and work together. “~ Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before deciding if a partnership is a good idea: How Dr. Raymond Baxter once said, “Do what you do best and work together for the rest. There`s no point in working with someone who can already do what you`re doing.

Great collaborations occur when people and companies with different skills and expertise bring those skills together. Find partners who have coordinated expertise, not the same. Carrie Fox, Mission Partners Build a pipeline of deals: Not all business partnership opportunities are right for you, so you should take your time to evaluate all your options. Research and create a database of multiple potential business partners who can then consider working with you. Build a multi-level relationship: The more relationships you can build with members of a company, the better. Spending time getting to know several members of the company you want to work with will make it easier for you to speed up the transaction process. In the best partnerships, you will find a deep level of trust and awareness of the other party`s goals and values. Everyone involved is interested in building something together in the long run. “It`s important to know what motivates your co-founders and what their `endgame` is.

Some may be motivated by financial goals, while others may be interested in the idea of running a business and developing teams. Communicating this in advance will go a long way in identifying each other`s strengths and weaknesses while establishing a business relationship. “~ Tyler Arnold, SimplySocial Inc. “What is your current financial situation?” You both need to know what kind of capital the other is working with. This tells you how to approach start-up costs, lenders, and future investments. Find out about their existing portfolio and any outstanding debt; and be prepared to share this information about yourself as well. “What`s a personal goal you want to achieve right now?” The best entrepreneurs are constantly looking for ways to improve. This is one of the most revealing questions when you`re trying to understand how ambitious and motivated someone is.

Then it`s time to measure their money mentality. To find a successful business partnership, you need to share the same attitudes towards money, or at least balance each other. You also need to know who brings what to the table and how the profits are divided. Financial matters may not be appropriate from the beginning, but always take the time to talk about money before doing business together. When you`re ready, discuss the following financial issues with your potential partner: “Partnerships are great when everything goes according to plan. But what happens when something goes wrong? How will they react? What does she care about the most? What resources are available if needed? Whether it`s an investor, reseller, or development partner, you need to understand how they react under duress and what steps you can set to identify problems quickly and react quickly. “~ Trevor Sumner, LocalVox Finding the right business partner is crucial for a successful transaction. You want to make sure that your business partnership helps you achieve the greatest possible success. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to attract the right partner. I agree that it is extremely bad that all parts of a partnership, a know-how, monsters, get to work to break it after working hours can be unfair.

The reason for this is that a person may be responsible for a certain aspect of the business (e.B inventory), which can take twice as many hours in a few weeks as the other weeks. In addition, you should only become so good at work that they can complete the tasks in half the time they used to, in which case they will do the same job but work fewer hours, which may seem unfair to the person who is progressing even slower than the other partner. The key is to find someone with a skill that complements yours. In other words, find a person whose strengths are your weaknesses. Ask these 15 questions to any potential partner you`re considering to better understand their business skills, financial history, and personal preferences: you should look for a business partner who brings something different to the table than you do. If you`re creative, you may need a more detail-oriented partner. If you have money to invest in the business, you may want to look for a partner with access to a market or good relationships. Or if you`re shy, you may need a good “human person” to balance the equation.

If your potential partner has a pregnant wife or is caring for an elderly relative, they may be distracted from the business. That`s why you need to be brutally honest when thinking about entering into a partnership. “If you want to do business with someone, you have to be clear about why. Knowing where you`re going is great, but if you don`t know why you`re both going, then you are. Always start with the why and let the circle widen from there. “~ Jonathan Mead, Playbook “What does success and failure look like to you?” Go on the same page about successes and failures now and thank me later. You need to know what they consider a challenge or a victory in order to know how to deal with these situations. For any partnership, it`s important to know in advance if you`re going to be an equal partner – or if one person will have more influence. “If someone just doesn`t make their weight, you need to be able to get them out without destroying the company,” he added. “And if it`s in writing, there`s no challenge.” For a business partnership to be successful, both parties must be in full agreement. Everyone needs to be open, honest and transparent about who they are and what they know so that each party understands who they are dealing with. That`s why it`s important to get to know someone on a personal level in order to have a successful business relationship.

“You need to understand how your business partner will behave if things don`t go as planned. How have they dealt with bad situations in the past? You want to make sure you work with a rational, reasonable and respectful person. ~~ Chuck Cohn, Varsity Tutors It all comes down to the question of character,” Phibbs said, adding, “Payroll taxes are a federal obligation. If it`s negotiable, you can bet that your partnership is also negotiable. “If you define success at the beginning of the partnership, you are on the same page, with clear expectations. If both partners have the same idea of success, they will both be responsible for working towards the prosperity of the partnership. Be direct and concretely discuss what needs to happen on both sides for the partnership to be successful. – Scott Scully, Abstrakt Marketing Group “This is a simple question that can tell you a lot about a person, such as their passions, interests, drive and motivation.