As a mother and a small business owner I have discovered that I rely an inordinate amount on the people I work with both at home and in the office. These people have become my partners. Not in the legal sense of the word but in the real working sense of the word.
After having my first child I discovered that in fact, I did not have the kind of family that would always be there to help me out. This was a harsh blow for me. But I hunkered down and decided that I could do everything on my own and didn’t need any help.
Another child later, I realized that I could not in fact, run the household, run the business and keep my marriage alive all on my own. I slowly discovered how important partners are. I hired a lovely caregiver and began to let her actually care for my children (as hard as that was). I began to carpool with my neighbor and I started asking people for help.
In my business partners are equally as important. Too often small business owners make the mistake of wearing so many hats that inevitably one or two of them fall off. I am not a web programmer; I am not a graphic designer. You get the idea! I have learned that I need to rely on people to help me in my business as I do at home. The tricky part is that by the time the hats fall off we are desperate hire the first company or person we find. However, the right partner is critical. I recently ended a situation with a web partner 8 months too late and now my product is late and everyone is frustrated.
Here are a few of things I have learned about finding the right partner:
1. Trust your instincts. Someone may come with a stellar reputation but if the personalities don’t fit, it won’t work. You can tell something like that by the first phone call or face to face meeting.
2. Do your research. There are literally thousands of web programmers, or IT specialist or graphic designers. Make sure you dig around, ask questions and check references. It may take some upfront time but it will be well worth it in the end.
3. Find a good communicator. All too often deadlines are missed, key points in a project are missed because of lack of communication. You can’t work with a partner that you can’t communicate with. It is a two way street and you have to be sure all lines of communication are working.
