up, make sure you and your partner discuss short- and long-term goals for yourselves and for the business. Make sure you are on the same page with things such as how many employees you want, how much time you want to spend in the business, and truly how big you want to grow the business. We have all heard the saying, “some people can get you here, but they can’t get you there.” Some part- ners as the business grows may not want to leave “here” to get “there.” Make sure that you don’t only dis- cuss those goals at the beginning, but throughout the business to make sure that you are on the same page. SHOULDYOUPARTNERWITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY? Of course it makes sense to team up with a buddy or a family member to operate your business because you get along, have the same values, and want to help each other, but the
take the lead and the other person has to be ok with that. Even if the business is split 50/50, businesses struggle to operate when there are two people sitting in that CEO seat. There needs to be one person that can make the final decision or judge - ment call. Consider the roles of each per- son in the partnership, what each is bringing to the table, and the chain of command as the business grows. Can you come to decisions together or can someone take a back seat and allow the other partner to drive? •
thing that many people don’t con- sider is what happens when things do not go as planned. A question you have to ask yourself is, “Am I going to be able to fire this person if it is the best thing for the business?” Growing something with a friend or family member can be great, but there are going to be bumps in the road, money issues, and things that happen that are simply out of your control. Can your relationship with- stand those times, and is it worth it? A lot of times partners will get into business with each other because they are great friends, have a ton in common, and are very similar to each other. This isn’t always the best thing. The best business partners balance each other out. If one part- ner is strong in sales, a great situa- tion would be for the other partner to be strong in operations.
Brian Snider graduated from Ohio Northern University with a Bachelor’s in Middle Childhood Education and spent 14 years teaching reading and math. After
working on his Master’s degree to become a Principal, he decided that was not the path he wanted to take, so he took a job with Brett Snodgrass and Simple Wholesaling where he was Marketing Director, Dispositions Manager, then COO. He took over as the company’s CEO in June 2020.
WHO’S THE BOSS? In a partnership, someone has to
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