Читать книгу Six-Week Start-Up - Rhonda Abrams - Страница 33

Hewlett and Packard. Ben and Jerry. Great partnerships often make great companies. But just as often, bad partnerships destroy good companies.

Nothing affects your day-to-day work life more than the people you work with. Yes, work can be satisfying when you have challenging tasks, play with cool technology, or make lots of money. But whether or not you feel like getting out of bed in the morning can be greatly influenced by whom you’ll work with that day.

Partners not only affect your mood but your bottom line as well. They share, or may even control, ownership of your company. Spend time getting to know the business skills, attitudes, and aspirations of any potential partners—even if you’ve been friends or acquaintances for many years. Find out whether their goals, work style, and values fit yours.

If you are going to take on a partner, carefully consider why you want or need one. As you start your business, you may feel uncertain about being on your own, but that feeling of uncertainty may pass quickly. A partner will be around for a long, long time. Remember, partners own a piece of the business. Even if you bring in someone with only a minority interest as a partner, your future is tied to them.

Make certain your partnership expectations are realistic. Are your partners willing to work as hard as you? Do they bring the same level of talent or skill (although perhaps in a different area) as you? Do they have the same long-term view of where they want to be?

You have more leeway, legally, to ask questions of potential partners than of employees. Of course, make certain your potential partner is honest, but also examine their personal attitudes, how they handle stress, how much money they need and how soon, family or other demands on their time, and any other issues that may affect your working relationship.

The best way to take on a partner is with clear-cut definitions of responsibilities and authority. It’s nice to believe you will make every decision together, but that’s not realistic. Who, in the end, gets to call the shots? And be careful about going into business with a friend—often both the business and the friendship suffer.