A partner in your business: what to look for
3 min read
A loan gives you money. A partner also gives you knowledge, hands and a second pair of eyes. That can take your company much further, if it is the right person. Here is what to look for, and at the end you can measure your candidate right away.
What are you actually looking for?
Start with your own company. Where are you stuck? Is it sales, marketing, technology, money, or all of it at once? A good partner adds what you are missing. Two people with exactly the same skills soon get in each other's way.
Example: who takes on what?
YouPartner
Five things to look for
1. What has this person built?
Talking about growth is easy. Ask what someone has set up themselves, and take a real look at it. What came of it?
2. The same ambition
Does your partner want the same as you five years from now? To sell, to grow, or to keep building calmly? A difference in ambition gets bigger every year.
3. Time and effort
How much time will someone put in? Will they also do the work, or only think along? Both can work, as long as it is clear.
4. How someone handles setbacks
Every company has weaker months. Ask how someone dealt with an earlier setback. That says more than a plan that looks good.
5. The same values
How do you treat customers, staff and agreements? If you think differently about that, you will notice it every day.
Measure your candidate
Give each point a score from 1 to 5. The meter shows what you still need to talk about. Your answers stay in your own browser.
Partner meter
Ask these questions out loud
- What do you bring in: money, knowledge, time or a network?
- What do you expect in return?
- Who decides what?
- What happens if it does not work, or if one of us wants to stop?
Start with a trial
You do not have to do everything together straight away. First work together on one concrete project. You will see how someone works, decides and communicates. Then make the agreements final, with a notary or lawyer.
How we do it
Akalra only steps in as a partner, with a stake in the company. We first look as an investor: where is the growth, and what is holding the company back? If we see potential, we step in and do the work with you: strategy, brand, website or app and marketing.