Business partnerships: Think outside the jar

Gerrish junior is ten and this holiday he’s made life miserable for a handful of geckos. Sorry, I must have been looking the other way.

Being a boy, Jay decided to capture as many lizards as possible and study them in a jar. Lo and behold as fast as he pursued them, they dropped their tails through the awesomely clever process of ‘autotomy’.

Time and again, Jay was left with a wriggling tail while clever lizard raced off wishing wonderboy would stick to his iPod or Nintendo like any normal kid.

This amazing survival technique has a parallel for the solo business owner. Too often I witness individuals who will readily go down with the ship instead of giving a little something away in order to survive and prosper.

What’s better: A 100% of something that isn’t working, or 50% of a business that’s going nuts?

I’m not suggesting we all rush out and start formal business partnerships, but I do think it’s a good exercise to at least contemplate a ‘what if?’ scenario now and then.

Want more articles like this? Check out the business relationships section.

How effective might a handful of coaches be compared to a lone gun? How might a web designer approach life if they sat alongside a skilled web developer?

Could three health practitioners handle their admin and marketing more efficiently by coming together under a single brand?

Apparently autotomy is not painful for the gecko, in my experience nor is sharing your business. In fact if I hadn’t invited Sam and Peter to join me in my business, I’d be gasping for breath in a glass jar for sure.

Let me know what you think, by sharing a comment below.