Questions To Ask Before You Take On A New Business Partner

When it comes to entering into a new business partnership, it is extremely vital to know who you are getting in bed with for the rest of your life (if things go well.) While most things may seem great and you may click with your partner right away, you can never be a 100 % sure of the other person. Knowing how difficult it is to make a decision like this, we have a list of questions you could ask before entering a new partnership!

1. “What is your goal?”

Picture credits: entrepreneur.com

People who are setting out on their own often know what they want from life. While you may know who the other person is, it is important to know what makes them tick. Like Jonathan Mead from Playboy said, “If you’re going to do business with anyone, you need to get clear on the why. Knowing where you’re going is great, but if you don’t know why you’re both going there, then you’re screwed. Always start with why, and let the circle expand from there.” Almost 32 % of CEOs say most of their partnerships failed because they did not do a thorough research about who their partners were. When you know what your partner’s goals are, you know how far they can go to achieve them. Make sure you understand everything about your future partner’s ideas, dreams and passions.

2. “What are you looking for from this partnership?”

Picture credits: lifehack.com

One of the primary reasons you are looking for someone with whom you can partner is because they have a different perspective on things. While you do need someone who is similar to you in most ways, you also need someone who can bring new ideas to the table. When you are looking for a new partner, understand the other person’s strengths and ask them for what they are looking from this partnership. Maybe you have the strengths they do not have. One of the primary things which you should consider before forming a partnership is, your potential partner and you have a shared goal. Your ideas and thought processes have to be aligned and you have to have see the same end goal together. Only if your ideas match, can you start working toward the bigger picture.

3. “How are you placed financially?”

Picture credits: Inc42.com

Financial stability is extremely important when it comes to entering a new business deal. Get a clear understanding about the kind of financial commitments your partner has and make sure you have a clear picture of how much they can put into the business. While it may be tough to ask this question upfront, it is extremely important to get to know these details from the very beginning.

4. “How much time can you put into the business?”

Picture credits: telegraph.co.uk

Business partners come in different forms. There are certain partners who are hands on and completely involved and there are others who are only part of the deal financially. In order to get clarity about your partnership, ask your partner for what kind of partnership your partner is looking. Moreover, apart from knowing the kind of partnership you are looking at having with your partner, it is important to know how much time they can put into the business. Whether it is full time or part time, getting clarity about these things is extremely vital. Asking this question in the beginning helps you avoid confusions later on during the journey.

5. “What is your long term plan?”

Picture credits: ncat.com

There are several reasons as to why people enter into a partnership. While some may be motivated money wise, others are pushed forward for different reasons. However, while they may enter the deal with a certain idea in mind, they almost always have an exit strategy in place. Make sure you ask the person for how long they want to be in the partnership and what they seem to get out of the deal. Talking about this will help you get a clear idea about not just the business you are getting into at this point, but during the later years as well!

When it comes to partnering with a new person, there are several things you can do in order to have a fruitful and long partnership. If you think we missed out on any other questions like these, comment and let us know!