I had been invited by CRAVE Amsterdam as one of the speakers for the CRAVE Chat to talk about my view and experience on entrepreneurial partnership. During this chat I shared my own principles of partnership, collected during my years as an entreprenesse. As promised I have written them down for those who attended and those who did not but would love to read about it too. These 7 principles I have created myself during my years of experience as an entrepreneur.
Pick your partner(s) like you pick your fruit
My dad used to tell me 'Pick your friends like you pick your fruit' when I was making friends as a child. As an adult and as an entrepreneur I have used this as my first principle for partnership. It's not about squeezing, it's about meeting your taste, your flavour, your nutritional value. When these are being met as a basic ingredient, as an essential, a colourful and tasteful partnership becomes a possibility.
Be authentic yourself when looking for an authentic partner Nowadays authenticity seems to be the magic solution to everything. But most of the time when looking for authentic partners, the searcher is not authentic himself. Stick to your authenticity and commit yourself to remaining centred at all times possible. If your signal is authenticity, authenticity will answer for sure. This way you create premises for a healthy and trustworthy partnership.
'Experiencing the world through second-hand information isn't enough, if we want authenticity we have to initiate it.' - Art of flight (movie)
Make sure your noses are pointing into the same direction and put it in a time frame
Define your common goals to achieve and see to it that you are on the same mission. Make sure roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and determined. When it comes to partnership, you'll choose to travel together. So make sure that you are on the same track towards the same destination. Be clear on the purpose of your partnership, so there is no room for misunderstandings. See to it that your mission is put in a time frame. Give your partnership time to grow within a specific time. I myself always use 6 months to one year as a time frame. This way an exit strategy is included. If the partnership did not work out the way you both envisioned, there has always been a lesson learnt.
Be able and/or prepared to talk a new language, the language of entrepreneurial partnership Communication is essential in general, but mostly when it comes to partnership. It is like in marriage, two people with different views, different values and different backgrounds meeting each other and being prepared to understand and to be understood. In order to achieve that, be aware that getting to know each other requires a new language, a language you both can use to understand and to be understood.
Share and unite your vision
1+1=3: it's the synergy of your visions combining that invites a possible partnership. Be transparent to each other when it comes to sharing your vision. This synergetic vision enhances the true purpose of your partnership. Always keep in 'eye' what the purpose of your partnership is, focus on that purpose.
Respect, feed, encourage and believe in your synergetic partnership
A partnership is like a relationship. And like any other relationship, entrepreneurial partnership will grow, develop and flourish when given the proper attention and acknowledgement of its specific needs and space.
By respecting, feeding, encouraging and believing in your synergetic entrepreneurial partnership you will be able to execute your mission and manifest your vision as entrepreneurial partners.
Following these 7 principles I have learnt that a healthy, transparent and synergetic entrepreneurial partnership has added value to my entrepreneurial self, my business partner and our entrepreneurial partnership.
What principles have you collected and do you follow when it comes to building an entrepreneurial partnership?