"Find a good partner and set up shop…"
entrepreneurship blog – Post 6

Here isn’t the place to describe the whole theory of developing good and effective human relations, and definitely not for a discussion on such an important subject as  creating business partnerships.
Back when we were students, they told us:  “Finding a partner is just like choosing a wife, the only difference is that you spend far more time with your partner, and also it’s usually better not to sleep with him…”
With Sagi, my partner in the Wibizz venture, I was very lucky.  We met while we were studying and spent time together on demanding projects in Betzalel, so we each had the chance to discover some of the less attractive sides of the other.  After finishing our studies, we each found work with leading companies in our field and spent some time as salaried employees.  We kept in touch and often had long talks.  Eventually we reached the conclusion that we were both ambitious and meant for more dynamic things, and we began talking about setting up a business together in the field of industrial design.
Of course, we only left our lives as salaried workers when we felt professionally ready for the next step.  But it was more than professional maturity – we felt we were on fire!!!  It’s a strange feeling, one that’s hard to describe, you’re not satisfied with what there is, you have lots of ideas along the lines of “how could we do this better”, and above all you feel there’s a place you have to get to.  We had no idea where that place was or when we’d get there, but it gradually became clearer.   The great thing is that we shared the same vision about the way to go and the timing.
This entrepreneurial spirit led us to decide to set up a studio where we’d develop and design products for other entrepreneurs.   Although I’ve given the impression we were straining at the leash to get started, we didn’t finalize our business concept until we’d put our partnership to the test in a freelance design project, while we were both still in our paid jobs.  Like they say – to be on the safe side!!   Looking back, we’re really happy and glad we insisted on looking at our friendship through a business magnifying glass!
It worked, and we felt the spark.    The chemistry in a partnership is at least as important as the practical and functional aspects.  Intuition plays a vital role when you’re choosing a partner and helps to keep the partnership on the rails later on (together with a basic “founders’ agreement” of which more later…).
We set up Morph Design Studio, and as we ran it we continued to get to know each other better.   Reality forced us each to learn the other’s strengths and weaknesses, we defined limits and most importantly, we developed together.   Bouncing ideas off each other is essential to creativity and innovation, and without innovation a new business will wither.  We had good feelings about our work together and confidence in our business, and we continued to strengthen our friendship by spending time together with our life partners - meals, events and lots more – that’s really important!
This strong foundation has really helped our venture.  The idea came to both of us almost simultaneously, and we quickly began to define our “baby” and discuss how to raise him to grow and prosper.  We started looking at other businesses and found we lacked a lot of knowledge about entrepreneurship, so investors were hardly likely to look at us.  We decided to study entrepreneurship so that we ourselves could develop alongside our venture.
Any venture starts (and in fact continues) with a lot of uncertainty and doubt.  You have to make a lot of personal and financial sacrifices.  A fully committed partner who shares your vision gives you the courage to continue.  Crises come and go but you must carry on giving and receiving support.
It’s important to remember that a venture is judged not only by the originality of the idea and the sophistication of its business model, but above all by the quality of its entrepreneurial team.  The key word is teamwork.  So if the subject of ego comes up with a potential partner, you’d be better off looking elsewhere.  A good partnership means sharing everything – success or failure.  Without patience and a shared vision, it’s pointless to even start.
And like they say, married couples start to resemble each other after too many years together…  At nearly every meeting Sagi and I have with consultants, contractors or investors, at some point they ask us if we’re brothers!   And that’s just after a few years working together…  I’m afraid to think what might happen after a few decades…

Watch this space…