Do you prefer to go Han Solo on your Projects?
While most affiliates run their operations solo, there are a few of us that have opted for business partners on a few projects. While working by yourself can have it’s rewards, it can also become quite lonely. Working with a partner is more fun, but not if you suddenly realize your partner is lazy and you are doing all of the work. Some partnerships can flourish for years while others can spoil overnight. It all depends on your situation.
Which is Better?
I am relatively new to having a partner in this business, but so far I can say that I like it better than working alone. However, I have heard some pretty miserable stories of partnerships gone bad.
Some of the good things about partnerships are:
- You are not alone – Happiness is only real when shared.
- There are expectations – Your partner expects you to contribute as much as they do. You therefore get more done while trying to keep up with each other.
- Better Ideas – Two heads are better than one.
Some of the bad things about partnerships include:
- You split the money – This depends on your agreement.
- Your partner could flake on you only to return on payday.
- Difficulty agreeing on certain ideas – Conflicting interests on which direction to take the project.
I think the pros outweigh the cons for having a partner, but partners are not for everyone.
Working Alone
The Good:
- You keep all the money
- You have complete control
- You answer only to yourself
The Bad:
- You Work Alone which in my opinion gets boring as F!@K
Conclusion
Large projects are often the best projects to seek partnerships for. If you have plans to create a content-heavy site with over 1000 pages then why not have a partner? It can speed things up and put you in the green a lot faster.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damages caused by partnerships that were inspired by this post.
Filed under: Relationships
You did a pretty good job of spelling out the pros and cons of a partnership. I would mention, however, that one of the best options (once you’ve got some capital) is to hire help.
With that setup, you get the personal interaction you’re looking for (though it’s on a different level), you’re not locked into splitting profits 50/50, and you don’t have to deal with the trials that often come with “splitting the workload”.
That being said, I’ve been in a pretty successful partnership for 5 years now. It can be done, but it’s no cakewalk by any means.
Good point Bryan. I did forget to mention outsourcing. I am a big fan of this, as it allows me to get more done than I could ever imagine. It is a good alternative to having a partner.
Having a partner (with capital) to help pay for outsourced work is also another way to get a ton of stuff done in a very short amount of time. Although this is a rare situation.
How many baller affiliates do we know that would go in with another big affiliate on a project instead of just outsourcing all of the work and keeping all of the profits?
“How many baller affiliates do we know that would go in with another big affiliate on a project instead of just outsourcing all of the work and keeping all of the profits?”
Depends on the type of project, of course, but I doubt many of them would take on a partner. If you’re a top level affiliate, you know what it takes to succeed. So you simply put together a project plan, and pay people to do the stuff you don’t want to do along with the stuff you suck at doing.
“So you simply put together a project plan, and pay people to do the stuff you don’t want to do along with the stuff you suck at doing.”
I agree. Once an affiliate reaches a certain level there is not really a “need” for a partner unless they just enjoy working alongside another person.