I’m a strong proponent of business partnerships – not in the legal sense (LLCs seem much safer), but definitely in the collaboration, motivation, teamwork, and synergy sense.  I think it was sometime in college, when I was thinking more seriously about a future as an entrepreneur that I got this idea in my head.  Was it from articles I read?  Companies I looked into?  Other media influences?  I can’t remember now.  All I know is that I soon formed an opinion that the best way for me to find success in business was by pursuing ventures with a partner.  Maybe I’d have a different partner for each project, or one who I could do multiple ones with.  Maybe it’d be a man or a woman.  That much didn’t matter insomuch as 1) we both worked hard toward a common goal, 2) we had similar values, and 3) we had complementary skills.

Once I got this idea in my head, I kept a watchful eye out.  At professional events, at social events, and even during chance encounters.  I met a lot of interesting, smart, driven people throughout my years in college, but none meshed with me the way I wanted my business partner to.  I was always thinking in the back of my head, “Is this person someone I could build a working partnership with?”  Sadly, the answer was always no.  Usually it was because we didn’t share the same interests – they didn’t want to go into the same industries I did, or they didn’t have the entrepreneurial drive that I did.  Sometimes other factors came into play, like clashes in personality.  I thought I might have a chance when I went to work in Singapore, but that fell apart before we ever got going.

After years of dreaming, I decided it was time to address the real life issues I had to face.  I got a normal job at an established company and settled into an average workweek.  Luckily, the company was small, young, and still had a start-up vibe.  I had a lot to learn and got plenty of responsibility.  Over the next two years, I learned a lot and experienced a lot of change at the company!  Things were pretty stable and I was getting antsy.  That entrepreneurial bug came back to bite me and it was an itch that I needed to scratch.  I had a business idea that I felt was worth pursuing and finally, finally, I had met a business partner!  After six long years of searching, it kind of just fell in my lap and I was not about to let it go.  Oh, life.  😛  Well, now that I saw the opportunity, I went for it.  I felt confident that within a couple of months (ok, maybe a year), we could make it work.

Ultimately, I don’t know if I would have pursued my own venture if I didn’t have a partner to collaborate with.  Even in some of my personal side projects, my mom is my proponent and unofficial business partner.  Even if I do the majority of the work, I feel so much more confident when there is someone else there, whether as an equal partner or more of a supporting role.  I’ve even gotten so much self-belief that I’m looking into pursuing some of my own little side gigs!  As they say, nobody succeeds on their own, and I am so grateful to the support network that I have behind me.  While partnerships may not be the optimal approach for everyone, it is for me and I think it’s worth considering no matter who you are.