maybe not everyone is a business partner?

2 minute read time

And you thought I forgot to send a newsletter! Okay, probably forgot but promise the delay was on purpose. More on it below.

Today’s issue: How I avoided murdering my new business partner, learning our differences, and finding a happy middle (kinda).

I spent the week helping a friend bring her business idea to life. We tested a free product on Facebook that blew up. So I wanted to practice my challenge funnel skills to help her monetize.

But then reality hit HARD.

Here’s what I picture working with a friend looks like:

• laughing

• high-fiving teamwork

• working through ideas we agree on

basically like the Breezi team.

Here’s what I got:

• arguing

• pure exhaustion

• daydreaming about quitting multiple times a day

So after being yelled at I pulled back for a while half pissed and half resenting this partnership — again.

We literally spent a WEEK to get a simple outline with bullet points and each days goal with tools. It made no sense and I thought she is a shit person to work with, but that conclusion is too easy.

Since blaming her wasn’t helping us… I eventually realized I’m half the problem.

So I sat and thought about why we didn’t get along. Literally what drove us apart.

Here were my conclusions:

• She doesn’t believe her idea will work but I believe in it so hard I bleed enthusiasm.

• She wants to start with creative tasks and uses descriptors like ‘machine’ and ‘awesome’. I need an outline and clarity above all else.

• She doesn’t care much for details whereas I can’t comprehend how anything functions without them.

Turns out we are polar opposites everywhere it matters.

Side note:That is not to mention half the reason it took a week was because of her health issues and my work time limitations.

To be honest, at this point, I’m wondering what you would do in this situation?

It might not be a partner, but a client or new connection.

Is this the tipping point where you say fuck it and leave? And if you stay, how do you decide when it is? When you’re plotting murder or?

Because I sat with those questions more times than I could count.

And the only answer I found was shifting how I spoke to match her ‘language’.

Now it’s not because I was having a ‘I’m a bigger person’ moment. In fact, I have no problem with taking the low road sometimes. But this idea (which I can’t disclose because she doesn’t want to yet) is incredible and there’s nothing in real estate like it. I want her to win, I want us to win, and I want the people who desperately need this challenge to get it. The money part wouldn’t hurt either.

I came to her with a challenge example since my words didn’t reach her and we worked through each step of the challenge together. In 20minutes we cracked the outline, facebook message, and pre-planned the dead simple landing page with a payment gateway I’m doing tomorrow (Thanks Blake Emal).

I’m going to repeat that because it’s insane. 20 minutes to do what we couldn’t do in a WEEK.

Maybe communication is the answer. Maybe we will be back to yelling tomorrow. Maybe some people make better friends than partners?

Who knows? Seriously because I don’t.

But here’s what I think: We haven’t killed each other so there’s hope!

Okay but seriously, we choose who we give our time to — it’s not forced on us.

That’s not a new idea, but maybe we’ll actually believe it.

But here’s the question for the week (with a lil assumption):

Why do you force some relationships to work? What are your beliefs about clients/partners/connections means that you HAVE to suffer?

cool stuff

2. Google ‘find lost money’ by states where you lived. It’s funny how the government might have money waiting for you. Ironically I found a couple hundred in a state I haven’t lived in for 5+ years from college.

3. Idea: If you’re scared an idea won’t work launch a Failure Challenge. Either you win or lose but will learn something. Learned that from a friend and then tested in my biz partner. She loved it and the anxiety of succeeded disappeared.