One Man Show VS Partnerships

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prince

War Room Member
Jul 13, 2007
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Whenever someone asks about starting a partnership with a friend,
most people will say it's a bad idea because it will usually turn
out bad, end up ruining the friendship etc. I can understand that,
and that's one of my biggest concerns as well. I hate conflicts
and dramas more than anything else. But there's always exceptions
right?

Now, working alone is cool, i love the freedom but it has really
come to a point where i feel very tired and need some help.
Working as a 'one man show' also stop me from growing, it seems
like I'm just stuck at the same level forever...

I know in order to take the business to the next level, I'll need
to hire people and build a team etc. I'm already outsourcing some work but there's only so much you can outsource,
I don't know how you can outsource campaign creation when there's credit cards and account passwords involved.

So, how do you start hiring when it's so hard to trust anyone out
there? Especially in this business where the entry level is so low
and everything is so easy to duplicate. How do you expand your business as an affiliate?

I'm actually considering bringing in a partner, a friend, someone
I can trust. Hopefully we can work together and go from there. I
think it would be much easier to start hiring staff when there are
already two people in the team.

What do you guys think? For those of you that are doing this with
a partner or as a team, and it's working out for you, what advice
do you have for someone in my position? What are some of the biggest challenges?

Any stories, experience, advice you care to share?
 


Your idea sucks, imho. You already listed biggest challenges. And like you americans say "It's about time!".
 
make sure your partner has a skin in your game (be it money, time or whatever).

no 2 people that know of think the same way and act the same way; to avoid headaches, write your agreement in writing (a.k.a. contract) and make him or her sign it.

if you can help it, don't choose your family members or best friends. trust me on this one, you do not want this headache as you can't fire him or her without causing more problems.
 
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Unarmed Gunman said:
I can see
what you're saying
by reading
what you wrote
but I guess
I just don't see
the fucking point.
Click to expand...

Ugh... Okay?

To the OP, I'm pretty much at the same place as you.
I've outsourced anything that can be trusted to be outsourced...

And while I have a problem with hiring people, my partnership problem (at least in terms of trust and secrecy) was in many ways solved by working with my relative (1st Cousin). Working with your brother or something also may work. Of course, as with every partnership, there are a ton of underlying problems (like workload distribution), but if you are working with a close family member, most major problems can be avoided.

I'd say that's a good starting point. But going outward, in terms of employees, I'd also like to know what you guys do... I'm with the OP.
 
spock49 said:
make sure your partner has a skin in your game (be it money, time or whatever).

no 2 people that know of think the same way and act the same way; to avoid headaches, write your agreement in writing (a.k.a. contract) and make him or her sign it.

if you can help it, don't choose your family members or best friends. trust me on this one, you do not want this headache as you can't fire him or her without causing more problems.
Click to expand...

I'd have to disagree. Workload split was a huge problem when I did this, among other problems, but the level of trust between us was pretty extraordinary (something that likely couldn't be duplicated with an outside person).

I mean, it really depends on whether you have a good relationship with aforementioned person.
 
Friends and business, oil and water.

I've done it 3 times, it NEVER turns out well.
 
Every partnership i have had has failed. Also you will lose the friend you do it with. Best bet is to hire random beneath you, tell them as little as possible.
 
It's tricky and I agree with bb_wolfe.

#1 single issue: this business has zero entry barriers whatsoever. this also means there is zero quantified motivation for anyone to retain an employee position other than sheer personal goodwill. people will end up working for you because they 'like you' [...] or 'you're my best friend' [...] etc. frivolous reasons -- not because you pay them to work. work-wise they would be better off just packing their bags 2 months down the road, taking out a $5k loan and continuing the whole thing for their household alone. because aside of moral obligation there is jack sh*t left they'd still need you for.

Roll the dice...
 
I outsource all the time but I don't like the idea of a partnership. I have major trust issues when doing business with people, so I really would hate giving up any control. Plus I would be paranoid all the time. Not for me at all.
 
the answer might be to get someone with design skills who will also do administrative work? and just shut up about how to test and the reasons you use phrases in ads and so keep them from seeing the whole picture.
 
Hey thanks for the advice guys. Sorry about the paragraphing, was kinda drunk yesterday and I typed everything in a notepad before pasted it here, didn't know it will screw up like that.

DavidLerner said:
But going outward, in terms of employees, I'd also like to know what you guys do..
Click to expand...

Yea, even if the partnership is working out, it will still be difficult to hire the first employee. So, it comes back to the same problem I'm having now.

After weighing the pros and cons, I think it's better for me to remain solo until I can find a better solution.
 
Partnerships are sinking ships. I have been in 8 and they all failed. One man shows are the only way to go. When you need help, just hire employees and and or outsource the things you can't or do not want to do.

We all must rely on ousleves and do it ourselves.
 
my school is based on project based learning and group projects. I've taken this knowledge to my AM work and I will tell you things will work if you know how to handle your business and will absolutely fail if you dont. Number 1 most important thing in this industry is trust.
 
I always wondered how shoemoney does it, managing a team that big I mean. How is it that no one learns/tests everything and just bounces to set up their own shop?
 
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