How is a Business Partnership Like a Marriage?

Partnerships are complicated….sort of like marriages.  You've heard of pre-marital counseling?  I think that every entrepreneur needs to discuss adding partners with someone else who’s also done it….like me.

I have discussed the issues that surround partnerships with many of my entrepreneur clients, as my experience draws both from having a partner of my own for a while and from years of advising clients.  The potential questions that arise often pertain to tax and accounting, since those are the obvious ones.  But what about the touchy-feely questions, like whether or not you actually LIKE the person with whom you are about to share profits and business; what about whether your strengths compliment each other?  Are you risk-averse and prone to hives when things don't exactly go your way, while your partner takes risk believing that "no risk equals no reward"? Not every business question needs to have a dollar sign in front or behind it.

My partner experience ended badly.  Bad experiences fuel great cautionary tales, which is one of many reasons why we established Start-Up School.
Plus, a business partnership cautionary tale is a lot less painful when it has happened to someone else.