There is one key thing you must do to develop and nurture your business partnership:
Have a heart-to-heart.
I call this Building a Human Foundation, but in simple language, what you are really doing is talking and listening, from one heart to another.
Your partnership will involve nearly as much closeness as your marriage or other significant relationship. It’s personal. So to navigate the ebbs and flows, you must commit to the following:
- Don’t attack. Ever.
- Communicate. Then communicate some more. Over-communicate.
- Understand and embrace that partnership is an ongoing, never-ending process. The more you put into it, the better you become at it.
- Define what you want and don’t want.
- Define what you will and won’t do.
- Define your job, expectations and concerns. Be very specific.
- Say what you mean and mean what you say.
- Don’t keep score. Ever.
- Learn to compromise.
- Cherish each other.
- Be fully aware of each others’ financial realities and philosophies.
- Stay close. Don’t let anything create a wedge between you.
- Stay private. Partnership business is private. Your employees don’t need to or want to know what’s going on inside the business.
- Always have fun! Otherwise, why bother?
- Be adaptable. Be open to re-evaluation. Be open to change, because change is guaranteed.
