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Home » The Famous Blog » Before Getting into Business Partnership with Another Blogger

Before Getting into Business Partnership with Another Blogger

January 26, 2011 - Last Modified: January 31, 2011 by Harsh Agrawal 2,620

Business Partnership

Whenever we start a business, after some time, we need a helping hand in a way or another. Most of the time, young entrepreneurs get into a partnership with other entrepreneurs who share the same insight and vision.  Even as a blogger, I’m sure you must be getting lots of proposals to work together or work as a partner.

Like you, even I received such proposals, and I get into a partnership. It didn’t work out really well in the end. I’m sharing few tips on how you can have a better partnership and how you can avoid any clashes or issues later on.

Documentation!

Documentation in Partnership

It doesn’t matter how good of a friendship you have with your parner and how much you trust each other. Paper work is the most important part of any partnership. If you miss this, you will probably regret it later. Most of the people who get into a partnership don’t do legal paper work and thus get into trouble later on. Even if you are working with another blogger and your work is purely online, make sure you people have crafted a document and both of you have signed it. It’s better to get everything done on legal paper (Stamp paper). Alternatively, if it’s a big partnership, hire a lawyer who can do paperwork for both of you.

How to move ahead?

When you get into a partnership, one common reason is both of you share the same vision or insight. This is the basic component that anyone needs for successful partnership. But, this is not everything. There is more to it. How do you work and in what ways do you want your company to grow?  For example: My partner believed in getting clients from freelancing websites whereas I believed in letting the client come naturally through social media marketing and blogging. We both had a valid reason to backup our beliefs, but again, our way of doing things was different. I believed conversion is always higher when clients come naturally, where as on freelancing websites, conversion is far less.

My partner believed that freelancing websites can get more clients and thus more revenue for the company. Now, this is just an example where people have ways of doing things clash. It’s  better to think about such things before getting into partnership. You need to agree on how you are going to market the company and how you are going to grow the company.

Line of control

As a partner of the company, both of you are responsible for its success. But for a successful work flow & business partnership, it’s important to limit your boundaries. For example, if you are responsible for increasing the revenue and for marketing the company, you should avoid interfering with development and coding unless asked. Same goes for your partner. He should not be interfering with your mode of working until it’s going against the company policies.

When you work in a partnership, both of you work for the growth of the company, and the best way to do that is to divide the responsibilities and establish your limitations and department. This way you will avoid any future collision.

Merging and exit clause

Especially if you are a blogger and merging with another blogger, it’s  important to have an exit clause. This is to ensure each other safety and security if your partnership doesn’t work out. If you are planning to work on blog network, better to keep control of your blog for a while and merge everything slowly -server, users, email list and so on. Have an exit clause document prepared. This should have all the details (your blog, your partner blog, new blog which you will create under partnership) included in the document. While discussing these issues, you are likely to be reassured that entering the partnership is right for you or you might be led to reconsider. Also, keep control of your domain and hosting for a  while  (4-6 months) before you share each and every detail. Though if your legal documentation is done properly, you may not need to follow this point.

Money issues

This is where most of the issues come into the picture. Until a company is surviving financially, both the partners need each other. But once you get into a comfort zone, scenarios change. While documenting, make sure you talk about how the wealth distribution will happen if the company grows tremendously and who is going to bear wealth in terms of losses. More over, if you are working as a partner, get possession of company share within that time and keep everything transparent.

Getting into a partnership is more like sharing trust to achieve the vision that both of you have seen separately.

Especially if you are a blogger and planning to get enter a partnership, I would suggest you consider every aspect before getting into partnership:

  • Do you really need to get into partnership?
  • Can you achieve your dream alone?
  • How this partnership will benefit you?

Do let us know if you have ever thought of getting into a partnership and if you have any partnership experience to share, do share with us.

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Filed Under: Online Business

About Harsh Agrawal

Follow @denharsh

Harsh Agrawal is young Entrepreneur and professional blogger. He writes about Blogging at ShoutMeLoud and WordPress Webhosting Discounts.

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{ 61 Responses }

  1. Louis Trombley says:
    definitely a good set of things to be up front about when entering into a partnership, especially if it is strictly online.
  2. Shashank says:
    I guess it is always better to hire some one rather than involve in a partnership.
  3. Jeevan Jacob John says:
    Hi Harsh, Great Article, Man ! I think this information is very useful to bloggers to who are planning to work together. It sure has helped me (I am planning about starting a collaborative project with 20+ bloggers in - I hope I can get 20+ bloggers). Thank you for sharing, Jeevan
  4. Murlu says:
    I've been networking with a lot of bloggers more frequently now which have opened up a few projects which we'll be working on that are product related, I'm really excited for them and glad I read the article because one of those issues was to figure out how we were going to handle things like money and reinvesting into the business, ya know?
  5. jhon says:
    Paper work is very helpful for partnership.It solves many future disputes. First of in partner ship money issue should be solved. If two partners have harmony in money matters,they can run their partnership for long time.
  6. Brad Harmon says:
    The truth is that partnerships are more likely than not to fail. It doesn't matter if it's blogging, business, or even relationships. For this fact, your suggestion to have an exit clause is a very appropriate one. Too many partners enter into an agreement thinking it will never fail, and when it does it tears apart more than just the business. Great points.
  7. Chadrack says:
    Hey Harsh, at first when I saw the post title, my thoughts were blogging partnership? Should you really open your blog to a partnership? But knowing that blogging has gone beyond just some shoaring your thoughts and ideas into a business model of its own, I agree that forming a partnership as bloggers could really be an option. Apart from these your points are quite ok. I just think going into a partnership as bloggers should stem from mutual trust. Aside the legal precautions, trust should be the basis. Do your due diligence and if you think trust is lacking then don't commit yourself.
  8. Lasma says:
    This article, Harsh! Sometimes we think we have a friendship with another blogger and it kinda puts "a fog" in eyes and doesn't let us see that we are being ripped off. Thanks.
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      I agree with your Lasma.. Initially everything looks good but you will get to know the real person later on..And moreover business and friendship doesn't go along well... better never get into business partnership with any friend....
  9. TJ McDowell says:
    Having a lawyer draw up the contract is definitely a good idea. As far as partnerships go, they can be a big headache or a good fit. One big company that takes a pretty strong stance about going on your own is GoDaddy. Bob Parson's makes a case against having a business partner: http://www.bobparsons.me/video/210/things-wish-learned-business-school-plus-smoking-hot-blonde.html Not your run-of-the-mill advice for sure, but something to consider.
  10. Piyush says:
    Nice article. I think the 1st thing should be done is to do the paper work and make it legal before only. So as to avoid any disputes later on.
  11. Isabel Rodrigues - Pro Blogger Journey says:
    Something unique to the plate of blogging knowledge. Thanks for sharing this useful information
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Thanks Isabel for stopping by and dropping a comment. :)
  12. יוסי ג'אנה says:
    I had same (well not exactly same) salivation with my partner. My partner was just jealousy that i am the one who gets money to the business and he asked me how is that how is this. I just ended this partnership becouse he just wanted that i learn him what i am doing. I hate people that want you to do the work for him, To make research for him and he just come and say "tell me what to do". Hate people like him.
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Thanks for your comment my friend and when you get into partnership, this is one thing which bring clash most of the time. I know it's hard but you can't ignore such facts. Probably this thing one should clear at the first point and after effects if one of the partnership is unable to achieve his Goal/target within anticipated time because of lack of dedication.
  13. Mani Viswanathan says:
    Nice article Harsh. Getting things on a Stamp Paper should be the first thing the two people should do, when they start a partnership.
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      I know Mani, that's one big mistake which I did and that's why I wrote this post to make sure others don't make the same mistake.
  14. Pooja Arora says:
    Really nice post harsh, keep it up !
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Thanks Pooja for your comment. :)
  15. Navid says:
    Hey Harsh, Thanks for the tips! The real takeaway for me was the question "How this partnership will benefit you?" Thanks again, Keep up the good posts.
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      I'm glad that this post has given something. Do share any tip if you have for others who are planning to get into Partnership.
  16. Dennis Edell says:
    I don't really believe at all kin the "traditional" sense of blog partnerships, where two people 'own' the same blog ...I have a drafted post somewhere on my blog discussing my side; to be published soon.
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Dennis do let us know when you go live with your post. Will love to read another point of view for the same topic.
      • Dennis Edell says:
        Keep watch on the comment luv links, it'll be there eventually. ;-)
  17. Val says:
    As for me, I prefer to keep it really simple, and restrict any partnerships which involve money to simple service fees or affiliate deals. Maybe I'm missing out on something, but at least it's manageable, and my thoughts are focused on developing my business.
  18. Lennart Heleander says:
    Hi Harsh, As an estate agent and lawyer in business transfer and the corporate assignment, do I always recommend, no matter how small or big business is now, to going through everything and put it on paper, the work, money, wages, future sales and even a split between the parties and the business. (Very good article)
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Thanks Lennart for your comment and it's a pleasure to receive such comment from someone whose day to day work revolves around the same... :)
  19. Mike says:
    One important thing that we all have to do is to research the portfolio of another blogger whom we will be dealing with. If it's a friend, a fellow blogger, that's ok and we can move on. However, if it's a stranger, the smart way is always check for his backgrounds and reputation so we don't fall into a situation of trapping ourselves, you know :)
  20. rohan says:
    Insightful post harsh!! It is very difficult to divide the tasks and the gains equally, it especially poses major tiffs if one of the partner is over ambitious r vice versa!
  21. Suraj says:
    Sometimes we believe in our close friend and start partnership without any documentation, but money is very dangerous ;) This post reminds me The Social Networks movie! Thanks for these valuable tips Harsh!
  22. Kevin says:
    This one is an "iffy" subject. I don't know if I'll ever have business partner with any of my online ventures. It can cause a lot of problems especially if the company starts making money. People can get greedy! I'd probably hire someone to help when the time comes for it. But I'd rather do it myself with a helping hand.
  23. Alex says:
    Hey Harsh, This are some great advices. Like you said, no matter how good of a friend you are with your partner making a paper that settles the parts of the business everybody owns is a great start and a way to avoid later problems and maybe lawsuits (because I think you must know that money change people). After completing the legal matter, you have to make sure your are not the only one who is doing the work but that the workload is shared, because if you wanted to work alone you wouldn't need a partner in the first place. Of course, if the deal drops you have to have some clauses that help you in this situation. If the deal is a bust and you end up in debt without nothing it's really bad.
  24. element321 says:
    Harsh, Thanks for sharing. This is great advice for anyone thinking about making a partnership. I recently was about to buy into a partnership, but after reading the fine print on the contract, I backed out. I think documentation is one of the most important parts of a partnership. It doesn't matter how well you think you know someone. When money and buisness is involved, people change. Documentation before you even start can resolve almost any issue. I think getting lawyer's involved for more delicate partnerships will also help. Lawyer's can write contracts and documents that will be fair for all parties (or burn everyone but the one who brought in the lawyer) I would also say, reading all documents created carefully and ask questions to those who created them to get clarification and make changes before you agree to and sign anything would be a good idea.
  25. Juliemarg says:
    One of the disadvantages of participating in a group blog, is that there might not be enough profits to go around. Are you doubling your revenues? Are you doubling your opportunities? I work with some companies on blogger relations and I advise them to avoid group blogs unless they're spectacular. If we have a product we want them to try, we need to provide two instead of one. It's a pain.
  26. Asif says:
    There is one thing I would like to say. Even Paper Work doesn't assure you that you will be saved. The best thing is to Avoid Partnership to the last extent. Same thing is happening with my friends who are now partners in a business. I can say that the partnership has ruined the friendship also. Nice article for people who think Partnership is the last option to be successful.
  27. Navjot Singh says:
    Nice post Harsh, In my sigh just go as long as you can without partership.
  28. Saket Jajodia says:
    GREAT Advice... Thanks for sharing your experience... Why do we need partnership, can't we work alone? If need anyone then hire them for any position in business...
  29. Dan Lew says:
    One thing I can't stand particularly when it comes to having a partner is when they say what they will be doing and never do it and your the one left with the doing all the work, because I am a big action taker I have been taken for a ride in partnerships well too often, I am usually the one doing most of the work and when I put the pressure on them saying well when are you going to do your share, it really brings out color, if they can't handle doing shit or living up to their agreements, than fuck off! I rarely go into partnerships anymore.
  30. Karan says:
    I guess you got the idea from your experience with your ex-partner, who was stealing your affiliate Income., right?!
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Yes Karan..This post is my personal experience after partnership...
  31. Rajan Balana says:
    Absolutely right points, Its always a good practice to do the paper work before joining other blogger. I agree with Harsh's Points :)
  32. Lakshmi says:
    Hi, You mentioned about the aspects joining with a blogger. We do blog content writing and haven't given a try for a joint venture. May be after reading this article we will look at that point of view and see what works for us. Lakshmi
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Lakshmi blogging is a combination of lot of things like content writing, marketing, monetization. If you are serious about your blogging career, you can consider partnering with someone who is good with stuff which you are not... This way your blog will get great growth...
  33. Kathleen Maher says:
    I'm book marking this. Without it, I'd tend toward pure trust; that's my guess. Certainly, if I ever endeavored to participate in a blog partnership, I'd consign myself to the creative aspects, not the business side. But this looks like solid advice. Thanks.
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Thanks Kathleen for your comment and glad you liked this post. :)
    • Hesham says:
      Sorry, this is off topic, but I want to say Hi to Kathleen, one of the best connections I ever made in the blogosphere :)
  34. Ryan Biddulph says:
    Hi Harsh, You pose important questions here. Even the best of friends need to bring paperwork into the equation. It's good business. I would only partner with someone who shares such a similar vision that they resonate with me instantly. No need seeking a partner; if you're on the same wavelength, they will find you. Thanks for sharing. RB
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Thanks for comment Ryan. I wrote this post after my personal experience with a partner. My biggest mistake was trusting him and not doing paper work.. Though it was a good learning experience and one thing which I have clearly understand, business doesn't run only on words but requires paper work and lots of trust too...
  35. Tran Tinh says:
    The last point usually happens with newbie bloggers but if they think strategically, it will soonly be solved. Great points mate :-)
  36. Robert Dempsey says:
    Great post Harsh. I'm glad that a contract was #1, as that's the most left out part of most relationships. And when it hits the fan, the paper can help cool things down. I had a partnership with someone in the past that turned very sour, and not having the paper in place only hurt things. No more of that. I've found that before going all in on a partnership it's good to test the waters. My wife has a saying that you know who someone really is within 3 months. If you work with someone that long their full personality is sure to come out. When we're literally oceans apart we don't see each other fully. But when it comes down, personalities come out. If you know that up front you can save yourself a lot of heartache.
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Robert seems like we shared the same boat in a way. And I second your wife opinion as initially everything seems to be good and great. Later on true personality of a person starts showing and that's the time when one can judge if it's a good decision or one should stay away from other. In my case, at initial stage my partner seems to be great as he was my mentor but later on I realized his true shades and glad after 6 months I have decided to leave him and start my own venture... And now after 7 months of breaking up partnership, I pat my back coz I have taken a wise decision. Thanks for your time to comment here.
      • Robert Dempsey says:
        Good stuff Harsh. My experience turned out badly (albeit it was many years ago) but the person and I have never been friends since. It's hard to trust someone that screws you over you know? Better off today for sure.
  37. Henway says:
    Having a business partnership with another blogger can get tricky. I like to establish a real world, face to face relationship with the person before I get into business with any blogger. Partnerships work when you relate to each other on more than the business level - your personalities have to mesh
  38. Patricia says:
    Hi Harsh You mention some really important aspects of having a successful joint venture. I have been approached several times about this. So far have not accepted any of them as didn't fit with my business plan. Have a couple in the background and will be exploring them further probably at a later date this year. I like how you also talk about the pitfalls. Sometimes it is too easy to look at the advantages without being realistic about the negatives if things don't work out. Patricia Perth Australia
    • Harsh Agrawal says:
      Patricia seems like you been getting lots of partnership offer lately. Always look at both pros and cons before getting into partnership with anyone. Specially in online world, it's too hard to judge a person without meeting him. Better take your decision wisely and consider 3 questions which I have written at the end of the post...

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