“Culture fit is at the heart of any successful team. Products are created by teams, and teams are created by the personalities and motivations of their people.”
~Garry Tan (Y Combinator, a start-up funding firm)
The moment you decide to bring another human being into your business, you have created a partnership. As you continue to add people to your team… your partnerships become more complex. When the team gets along and produces great results, you are thrilled! But when even one team member turns “sour,” it can impact the positivity and productivity of the entire company.
“Business partnership coaching was invaluable for us. Being able to bring topics out into the open, and get validation that we are more aligned than we might have guessed before… it was a relief. We felt cared for by Martha and Laura. They created a safe environment where we felt we could say anything. We would recommend this coaching to other business partners – ideally on a regular basis, like a health checkup for your partnership.”
~ Judy Muller and Veronica Brown, co-founders, True Fruit
The Truth: You must work as faithfully on your business relationships as you do on your business content. You might like to read my blog post on this topic.
That’s a hard truth for some. It’s all too easy to get focused on the work, the clients, the nuts and bolts of your company – and take the relationships for granted. I have seen businesses fail not because of a faulty product or bad marketing plan, but because the business partners did not take the time to nurture their relationship. In a non-nurtured partnership, when things go well, it doesn’t last. And when things go badly, well, it can get quite ugly.
Common complaints I hear from business partners:
- You realize that you and your partner have very different goals and ideas about how to run the business
- You decided on a 50/50 partnership, but one partner feels the other lacks commitment and drive
- You disagree frequently, and it’s slowed down production and the growth of your company
- You are experiencing a high rate of disgruntlement and turnover among your staff
- You can’t get the company to grow, despite working your fingers to the bone
- You feel like your business partner is holding something back, and you are losing trust
Your company may be growing well, doing great work, building profitability… and if there is a “relationship virus” lurking, even quietly, in the business partnership, eventually that virus will erupt into a full-blown illness that can hurt your company. Or even kill it.
Whether you are in a trouble spot or things are flowing beautifully, Business Partnership Coaching can truly elevate the playing field for your company. Race cars periodically pull off the track to refuel, inspect the tires, and give the driver a moment to regroup before zooming back into the furious pace of the race. Think of Partnership Coaching as your “pit stop” to sustain the current success of your company and make it even stronger for continued growth.
I have a number of packages and programs available for business owners who want Business Partnership Coaching. Please contact me and we can talk about your needs and what the best option is. (Email or call: 404-377-3855)
