When one is greater than two 2
Bumped into (while web browsing) a very old friend of mine here in Denmark yesterday, who I haven’t seen for 15 years. It turns out that he is also a bit of a serial entrepreneur and boy did we have a lot to talk about. He’s working solo on a new venture right now for the same reasons I am. I hadn’t really formulated it well until last night.
We’ve both come out of some challenging partnerships that eventually failed. These things can tear on your morale and it is easy to get into a period with a mixture of blame and low self esteem. In many ways its exactly like a divorce.
For me to get out of this cycle it is important for me to work completely solo for now. This simplifies things and keeps the noise and bickering of a partnership out. To do this you do need to pick a relatively simple business that you can manage and pull through yourself.
All this doesn’t mean that partnering is bad. Partnering is fantastic if you have a good partner. It is also definitely the preferred way to go, but as I said there are times in your life when partnering is not right. If your new solo venture is successful you may actually want to bring someone in once you have the basics of the business operational.
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I went through something very similar to this situation not too long ago before going solo on a new project.
The problem I’ve experienced with past partnerships is that things often move slower that when you go at it alone. And the longer it takes to get a new business off the ground, the tougher it is to stay motivated. You also have to spend more time on cultivating a relationship instead of developing a business, which can end up becoming a major distraction.
The bottom line: if you can do it alone, do it. Keep it simple.
I think we’ve all been through it. I wonder if there’s a business idea in creating a community of burnt-but-not-cooked entrepreneurs?
I am very conscious of the things I cannot do; and only partners or employees can do these things. Some of these roles are impossible to employ, and sometimes, only a partner role is suitable. Having said that, finding the right partner is pretty nigh impossible as a search; it seems to either happen by accident or not at all.