The right fit is crucial in business partnerships

First off, why we think you should be choosy

Getting the right fit is crucial to a successful business partnership. Over the years, we’ve honed in on what makes these really work, and we’re very selective about whom we work with. To date, we’ve taken on less than 5% of potential partners who have approached us.

We’d expect you to be super critical about working with us, too.

After all, there’s a lot of risk and faith put in by both sides in a venture like this. We’d never ask you to get involved unless you are entirely convinced it’s right for you and, equally, we do a lot of homework before making such a commitment ourselves.

This article is designed to give you a really detailed picture of what we look for in a business partner.

Next, what we’re looking for in a business partner

A product idea with awesome potential

Firstly, we’re looking for an awesome product idea. But it does not have to be unique.

One of the great business fallacies is “You need a great new idea”.

In fact, it’s generally far easier to make a profitable business by providing a well-established product/service. Just do it better than the competition.

Whether your product is entirely new, or an improved offering of what’s out there, we are already looking forward to hearing about how it’ll blow the competition out of the water.

Properly fleshed out business idea

If your business plan is on the back of a napkin, it’s too early to talk.

We do work with companies from “pre-revenue” as they call it, i.e. before they’ve sold anything and sometimes before they’ve even registered as a company.

But, you need to have your homework done. Rivals studied, target market identified. And a spreadsheet too, there’s nothing like a good spreadsheet.

Industry expertise

So, you’d like to open a bakery. Ever run one before? Or worked in one? If not, we are not the people for you. You need to have solid experience in your area.

We know a lot about the business and marketing, and tech side of things. We are, though, relying on you for the bread-making knowledge.

Know your customers, inside and out

A solid, clear picture of your target market. Who are they, and what makes them tick?

If you can tell us what they like, we can make a marketing plan to make them love your new product.

The right business size (just like Goldilocks)

If you are planning a project to turnover €200,000 - €20,000,000 per year, that’s a great size for us.

Now, my crystal ball isn’t perfect - so whether those targets are hit is a different question. But, if that ballpark is your aim, then we’d be a good fit.

You want a business partner

To Share the Pie with

When we work together, the pie is bigger. That’s our ethos. Then, when it succeeds, we are all only too happy that the pie is shared.

We only work with people who are keen to have a long-term partnership, for all its pros and cons.

To bring business advice and guidance

Whether you’re a new Start-Up looking for a business accelerator or an existing business exploring new opportunities, one thing we always bring to the table is our business brains. We only work with people who are excited to have that business guidance and input.

If you just want someone to do your marketing and no more, we are likely a bad fit.

You don’t have to use every service we offer

You don’t need to use all our services. Already happy with running the marketing yourself? No problems. No need for custom software? That’s all good too.

Our business advice and guidance is the one strand that we always bring, so we look for partners who are enthused about having that onboard in their business project.

Ready to dive in, head first

We look for partners who are ready to dive into a new project. A side gig is probably too small for us to be involved in. And if you are going to do this one day, then give us a shout when that day comes.

If your aim is to have a team of two or a team of 200, either is fine with us. As long as you are here to grab the bull by the horns and make the best of whatever scale you choose.

How we can be useful

We’re looking for projects where we can be really useful. We’ll not waste your time or take your money if we cannot bring something awesome to the table.

Fancy opening a sports shop in town? We have to be honest - we know nothing about that. And, the best digital marketing is not gonna help that project. Amazing software is probably not the key either. We are not your people.

We are looking for projects where at least one of our four main strands can be a linchpin to success.

• Cash Investment, that’s the magic it needs

• Solid business advice and guidance can make this project fly

• If it grows, there’ll be loads of data to handle, and custom software, to do that well is the key to unlocking growth

• World-beating digital marketing. That’s what’ll blow the competition out of the water

We’ll be asking ourselves; can we really contribute something amazing to at least one of those areas? If yes, we’d love to be involved.

Give us a grilling

It’s a big commitment to join our Partnership Scheme.

What if we are useless? What if we are bone idle? Maybe we’re all talk, and we’re actually totally incompetent?

You are welcome to give us a good grilling. In fact, we’ll be happier if you do.

There’s no question we mind being asked. We want all our partners to know us, warts and all, before making that big decision. Only once you’ve done that, would we be happy you know enough about us to decide if working together is right for you.