"Let us get married so that we can make more money together." Imagine marrying someone only for the financial benefits.
You would focus more on the legal contracts than on the wedding day.
In fact, you would probably get a lawyer to help write your vows and make sure that there was a pre-nuptial agreement before there was a down payment on the wedding venue.
What kind of a marriage would that be?
Similarly, what kind of a business life would you have if every relationship only focused on the money?
People spend thousands of precious dollars on legal fee's to get a start-up business or partnership protection, just in case something goes wrong.
When or if it does, an additional "fortune" has to be spent on more legal work to get you out of the fix.
Pretty soon you would have wasted all your start-up cash protecting yourself, and in the end you still get burnt.
How much better would it be to build a business relationship (still having the partnership clearly outlined) on trust and transparency instead of legalities and suspicion.
If you don't know what I am talking about then you probably have not started a business yet.
If you catch this principle it will save you a lot of money, emotional heartache and a few intense meetings with lawyers.
(During the first year of operation lawyers often charge you per minute so be careful not to have long chats about your upcoming family vacation with them - nothing against lawyers).
Relationships are key to any business venture. The old adage of its not what you know but it's who you know holds true.
People that you partner with need to be chosen carefully.
Start-ups have potential for high friction levels; cash-flow crises, differences of opinion, fatigue and perceived imbalances in workload.
Prevention of the problem is infinity better than trying to cure it.
I had a question from one of our readers this week that ties in here.
"Where do I invest US$2 000 or US$3 000 today in Zimbabwe?"
Good question and my answer is simple.
A business partner of mine who was a former Wall Street investment banker (I'll keep his name anonymous) answered this way: "You never invest in a business idea. You always invest in a relationship."
Let that sink into your pool of beliefs and give it time to ferment.
I will give some more practical advice in another article.
Here are some buffering questions you can ask yourself when considering: "Is this guy going to be a good partner or person to invest with in the long run".
Question number 1: Is their vision the same as yours?
There must be the same desire to bring about change in your clients' lives as a result of your product.
If their goal is simply to make money, then be prepared for a potentially rough ride.
Do not let the "root of all evil" grow in the backyard of your business. Enriching the lives of others through your product and helping build a better world around you will often bring in the cash flow you desire.
Question number 2: Do they have the same values as you do?
If one member of the team is fine with overcharging while another is not you have a problem.
If your values are not the same it will be hard to have a firm foundation on which to solve problems.
Watch for patterns that repeat themselves, and do not be too quick to say, "let us partner".
Question 3: Is this person always late for meetings?
Is he shifting goalposts? An example: I helped start a business that had brilliant potential.
We got the business to a place where it would be investor worthy and operationally viable.
We had 25 percent of the company on the table for a certain amount of money.
An investor came in with the money, only to later shift his interests and he demanded 51 percent of the business. (There are sharks out there that have great smiles).
My partners and I immediately pulled out of the project because of the violation of integrity.
Legal battles could have been fought but time wasted on spilt milk can cause you to miss new opportunities.
There was no point in trying to build the business with someone who is dishonest.
Question Three: Can you trust this person?
If you cannot trust your partners on a handshake, then it will be hard to hold them to a document.
Once the handshake is trusted, then get roles, responsibilities, timelines and deliverables down in writing.
Let me say that again, all you agreements should be in writing.
Do not get me wrong, problems will arise even if you are doing business with angels and the human memory is too fallible to be relied on in an argument.
Put it on paper, it remembers better.
The truth is you may make or will make a wrong decision on a business partner.
It does not mean that things cannot be solved amicably.
The decision on whether to fight it or walk away remains yours.
Business is people. You need people to help you and to buy from you.
You need people to audit your books and to encourage you when you have hit the bottom of the ocean.
Don't short change yourself by making everything "just a contract". It is more like a marriage.
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