How you found a partner?

[volcom5799]

Reading through a lot of articles about startups one of the main things i keep seeing is that most startups fail because they dont have a cofounder that add the extra something to the company. Also that when looking for investments, investors usually look down on companies with only 1 founder and if they do invest with them they make them find another business partner. Anyways i wanted to see if anyone here could share their stories on how they found their business partners. If you knew them before or found them later and the effect this had?

I am a finance major with some understanding of web development (I can create a basic webpage but know nothing about php and database building) who is getting into the tech field. So i believe the next step for me is to start looking for a partner who can fill this hole. Mostly i see people having friends or classmates as partners, but since i am not in a tech field and dont have any friends in web design its hard to associate myself with anyone with the talents needed to help my company succeed. So what does everyone think?

[TheBigIdea]

i could be a potential partner. but you have to layout the business plan first (PM me if you don't want to post it here)

but i can guarantee you, posting it here will do no harm, not like anyone's gonna snatch it away and be market leader - it's pretty impossible these days to do that.

here's how i would do it...

layout biz plan + target markets
calculate potential profits
research scaling limits ( ie how far can the biz go)
start developing

most people develop and then market - I'm not really a fan of that. The market determines what an entrepreneur sells

[volcom5799]

Thanks for the potential offer Big Idea, however i am not going to get into bed with anyone or give out any business plans unless i know more about that persons experiences, connections, skills and that all this suits my needs as well as the money they invest. Also i am not looking for any partners that are located outside the US. If you would like to send me a private message telling me a little more about yourself and how you can contribute to a start up online company i will surly look at it an take it into consideration.

However the whole point of this post was not to seek out a partner, but to get a general idea of how people have found worthy partners for their business. Yes friends and such can be partners but what about when you have to actually go out and look for someone you have never met who holds the skills you need? In my case i need a tech partner but everyone i know is clueless about it. So where do you go? How do you find out if their legit, trustworthy, motivated, hard working? I wanted to get peoples thoughts and experiences on this critical part of start ups.

[rogercbryan]

Check out my blog... I have some posts on finding partners and building boards. Everything you need to know about auto auctions, vehicle donations, non-profits, and the life of an entrepreneur

I think its under the 'being an entrepreneur section'

[ImpliHosting]

Hey there i'd like to be intrested. Can you PM me your instant messenger? We can start a chat and get to know each other

[Vaze]

The best advice I can give is to tap into your network and ask "who do you know". I've had a couple of great partners over the years and a couple who were complete duds. The only real way to try to minimise the risk is by getting a referral.

I'm also interested in connecting with like minded entrepreneurs, have funds to invest in the right project and a great deal of experience with start-ups so if you have something interesting I'd be open to discussion as well. Good luck

[IowaGas]

What I have done is go down to our local college, they had a web design program and talk to the instructor, they know the students, at least thier work habits and interview them like an employee, and build from there. Only problem is most of the students doesn't have much capital to work with. Anyways just an idea. Good luck to you

[silverhawk]

Hello volcom5799,

Reading your post reminds me when I first started my freelance work on website and graphic designing 7 years ago. Good thing I did not easily give up. It is always a learning experience. Some programmers I met they just come and go because they don't value on the project outsource to them simply because they have a day time job and doing freelance work outside their regular day time job is like two cents worth their time.

To answer your question, I met my partner after I organized an IT Security Convention in our city. One participant approached me and invited me to work with him on an online job. Being a Techie and a Marketing guy, I know about managing a business and project management. After doing some projects with him, we eventually decided to form a company because both of us has our own network of clients.

Trust and Commitment for all parties concerned is very important to make the company and the business successful.

You can tell a person if he's sincere or not and not just leave you behind in every problem that arises. You can also read a person literally if he can be trusted. I met some clients over the Internet with no physical meeting and yet we can still deliver our services and do online collaboration.

In every partner, you need to check their commitment, passion and determination.

Don't easily give up. Success is not built over night. Right now, my partner and I are working perfectly fine. Both of us are located in the same city. In fact we are moving to our new business address because we are expanding as well.

Good luck and hope to exchange emails with you soon.

Keep that fire burning!