Partnership success stories

[ihabkal]

I have been looking for a partner for a long time and my wife keeps warning me about people. Does anyone have a good success story about how he teamed up with one or more artists like him and became a team that changed everything in his business life to the better?

Maybe something positive?

[Justin Hunt]

Having attempted to try this a few years back and failing one thing I have learnt is it has to be the right person and be clear about both your strengths/areas of expertise and weaknesses are essential.

 

Too often to strong creatives get together and end up fighting over creative control whilst no-one looks after the business.

Some of the best partnerships are those where one takes control over the business and the other the creative.

 

As a creative with weak business skills, I tend to look at their business skills when considering someone to team up with.

 

jhv

[ihabkal]

well said!

Everyone please contribute your experiences and thoughts.

[Nic H]

that guy who started facebook did well and he ripped off his partner.

[ihabkal]

maybe but I was looking more into personal experiences from people in our profession, positive ones like Neoscape founders, but I guess you need to be good friends like they were before you become good partners.

[Mario De Achadinha]

Could not agree more with justin. Creative + Business = good business! Because there is a balance! Maybe find someone who has a marketing + business accounts background. But more important is you need to be able to trust that person.

[Arnold Sher]

I have been looking for a partner for a long time and my wife keeps warning me about people. Does anyone have a good success story about how he teamed up with one or more artists like him and became a team that changed everything in his business life to the better?

Maybe something positive?

 

Hi Ihab,

 

Perhaps i can be of some help. About ten years ago i left a very suspect practice that had trouble paying salaries at the end of the month and was very reluctant to go back working for some else (trust issues).. Not having financial or business expertise of any kind i approached my brother who had no idea about architectural viz but was a very successful businessman. He backed me up and became a partner in my business and for the last 10 years has been looking after the business side of things. He does not get involved in the creative process but is fully aware of every project that goes out the door and i leave him to make sure that business is financially sound and keeps on growing. We never fight both realizing where our strengths are and we trust each other to handle that side of the business. I can honestly say it is the best thing i've ever done and it has worked for us. Hope that helps!!

[Ernest Burden III]

I have a partnership with another renderer in the form of Alizarin Studios. I have worked on projects with Sven Johnson for many, many years, either me subbing when he was swamped or him subbing on my projects. And yes, he is better at business than I am and the studio's 'look' is more based on my work than his previous work. He had stuck with watercolor rendering while I struck out into full digital about eight years ago. He still does his own jobs as Sven Johnson Illustration and I still do my own as Acme Digital, but most often we split projects as Alizarin Studios. At some point we may decide to just do the one, partnered studio.

 

So perhaps you could find someone to initially work with on a project basis and see how it goes before forming a formal, legal partnership or company.

[Jonathan Sanchez]

I've tried to create a network of sorts. I don't need a partner full time, neither do I have the demand to hire full time employess, so I've established connections with lone artsist like me worldwide whom have become my "partner(s)" when needed.

[Nils Norgren]

Hi Ihab, Sorry for the long post.

 

My personal story is that I met my partners in school, specifically in architecture studio. First time we really spent time together was when we had a big group project where we bonded down in the trenches, after then we each got jobs in Denver (from a mutual friend), we further got to know each other working together on Engineering projects. After making contacts in the AEC industry we decided to strike out on our own. The situation was, one of us was going to quit and the other 2 didn't want to stay at the big firm without the other so we left together and started the company. As for my partners, they are brothers, so they got to know each other fighting for the remote, after Rod (younger) started at the arch program at CU, Rob (older) came out to Colorado, he had previously studied mech engineering, but it did't like it.

 

As all have attested above, we have our strengths and weaknesses and recognize them. I would add that a partnership is very similar to a marriage, there are going to be hard times, nobody is perfect, there are personality differences, sometimes different expectations, misunderstandings, miscommunication, etc. You need to be sure that everyone understands that it is work to maintain the relationship. Everyone should have the big picture in common, all need to be willing to compromise, always keep communicating, most of all don't let things fester, resentment is probably one of the most difficult things to overcome once it has taken root.

 

I hope this helps, it is hard to manufacture situations to test out possible partners, but if there is someone (like Ernest has above) has who you have worked with on a few projects that would be a good start. I would be as active in the community as possible, meet as many people (face to face), you can then reach out and look for informal situations where you try working together on a specific project or projects.

 

Another idea would be working in an "Incubator" type space, you may then meet people totally outside the arch vis field, but there may be someone who is a strong net-worker, or a good salesman, or someone who is a good source of generating work, and that could blossom into a partnership.

 

hope things are well,

 

Nils Norgren, Neoscape

[Ernest Burden III]

Hi Ihab, Sorry for the long post...

 

What you write tends to be valuable, so by all means, post long-form.

 

Another idea would be working in an "Incubator" type space, you may then meet people...

 

That is a fantastic suggestion.

[amer abidi]

Hi Ihab,

 

I think i add my own personal outlook on this.

 

I've tried both approaches, so to speak. Initially i partnered up with a fellow CAD technician to start up our Studio, he provided the office space and i got the furniture & equipment. His strength was in modelling while mine was in texturing, lighting and rendering. we did very well for the first couple of years and got our name out with big clients and an emerging portfolio.

After a while, i got an opportunity to get into my other passion, interior architecture. I spent some time away from the office supervising the construction of a club, only to come back and find out that my partner has been involving the company with all sorts of media (outsourcing to other companies) and producing work way below our threshold - some as carelessly done as with spelling and grammar mistakes.

 

We talked and i bought him out and went to being alone. It was very overwhelming having to handle everything by myself. I was from the Janitor to the CEO, and everything in between! Then i hired some help, things picked up and i had my company up and running again. After a year, one of my most influential clients loved the work and setup and saw an investment opportunity. He invested huge amounts into my company and we became partners. The company went from 3 employees, to 16, huge offices, high caliber, etc...

 

Naturally, i was dumbfounded in the beginning and thought I've finally made it.

 

Little did i know that with great power comes great responsibility!

 

My partner was a shrewd business man with numbers and dates and dates that had to be met. He projected sales based upon a eutopian business model, and i struggled to meet those figures due to our limited market and natuire of business; So 3 years later i had the choice: sell or buy. I loved my company, it was my baby, so naturally i bought... which put me in debt for many years to come.

 

I have now liquidated the company and work for a big architectural Company heading the CGI department there. I think i should have done this a long time ago.. the fact that i now sleep at night alone is worth it!

 

Bottom line, Partnership is sought because of a lack of a certain resource; be it talent, know-how or just financing. No one would go into a business partnership if they could do everything by themselves! So what you really need to realize is that one day this partnership will be over, and you need to have this figured out and discussed openly and legally BEFORE you sign up for anything. Nothing beats realistic discussion and honesty... backed up by a legal framework of course!

 

Plan your landing before your departure, so to speak, and good luck on your ventures!

Edited July 4, 2012 by amer abidi

[ihabkal]

Thanks everyone for their replies, this forum truly has some special people.

Thanks Nils I really like the incubator office idea

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