A good partner can help you finish a project you couldn't finish alone. A bad one can eat months of your time and leave you with half a product and a sour taste in your mouth.
The difference usually comes down to two things: where you found them and how carefully you checked before saying yes. Both are skills, and both can be learned.
By the end of this lesson, you'll know where to look for partners, how to reach out in a way that doesn't feel like spam, and how to vet someone with a few simple checks. If you're new to the idea of partnering, read Joint ventures: how to partner without getting burned first.
The short version
- Look for partners where people are already doing the work in public, like niche groups, newsletters and people you already buy from.
- Reach out with something specific and small, not a vague "let's collab."
- Vet before you commit: check their past work, talk on a call, and test with a tiny project first.
Know what you're looking for first
Before you go hunting, write down what you actually need. A partner should fill a gap, not duplicate what you already do.
Grab a sheet of paper. Answer these three questions on it:
- What am I good at? Writing, design, building pages, teaching, organizing.
- What am I missing? An audience, a skill, a product, time.
- Who would my ideal partner serve? The same kind of people you do, or close to it.
That last one matters. If you make planners for new parents and your partner's audience is retired truck drivers, the fit is going to be awkward. Look for people serving the same folks from a different angle.
Where to look
The best partners are usually people already doing visible, steady work in your niche. You want someone you can watch for a while before you ever talk business.
People you already follow
Start with newsletters, blogs, podcasts and creators you already read or watch. You know their work, their tone and roughly who their audience is. That's a head start.
Niche communities
Online groups, forums and membership communities built around a topic are full of people building things. Spend time being useful there first. Answer questions, share what you know, and notice who does the same.
People whose products you've bought
If you bought someone's product and it was good, you already know they finish things and treat customers decently. That's a better sign than any polished bio.
Local connections
Don't skip the real world. Local business groups, meetups and community events can lead to partners who serve the same area you do.
How to reach out
Most partnership pitches are bad. They're vague, they're all about the sender, and they ask for a big commitment from a stranger.
There's a better way. Try this:
- Show you know their work. Mention something specific they made and why it was good.
- Say who you are in a sentence or two. What you make, and for whom.
- Suggest one small, specific idea. "Would you be up for swapping a mention in our newsletters?" beats "Let's build something together."
- Make it easy to say no. "No pressure if the timing's not right" takes the weight off.
Keep the message short. If they say no or don't reply, let it go. One polite follow-up after a week or two is fine. Three is too many.
How to vet a potential partner
Vetting means checking someone out carefully before you trust them with your time, your audience or your money. Liking someone is a good start. It is not the same as checking them out.
Check their track record
Look at what they've actually finished and put out. Products, newsletters, posts, past projects. Someone with a steady history of finished work is a safer bet than someone with big plans and nothing shipped.
Read what their customers say
If they sell things, look for honest reviews or comments from real buyers. Look for patterns over time, not one glowing or one angry review.
Ask about past partnerships
It's fair to ask, "Have you partnered with anyone before? How did it go?" Listen to how they talk about it. Honest answers include what went wrong and what they learned.
Get on a call
A video or phone call tells you things email can't. Do they listen? Do they answer questions directly? Do they talk about the work or only about the money?
Check their audience fit
Ask who their audience is and how they reach them. You're not looking for big numbers. You're looking for real people who'd actually care about what you're building together.
Test with something tiny
Even after vetting, don't jump into a big project. Start with a test that's small enough that it can't hurt either of you much if it goes wrong.
Keep it simple. Some ideas:
- Swap mentions in each other's newsletters
- Write one guest post or lesson for each other
- Co-host a single live chat or Q&A for your audiences
Pay attention to the small stuff. Did they hit the deadline, and did they speak up when something slipped?
Most of all, did they do what they said they'd do? How someone handles a small project is how they'll handle a big one.
Knowing when to say no
Sometimes the vetting tells you this isn't the right person. That's the process working, not failing.
You can say no without a long explanation. "Thanks for talking with me. I don't think this is the right fit for me right now, but I appreciate you taking the time." Polite, clear, done.
For a list of red flags to watch for, see the joint ventures lesson. And when you do find a good fit, put the deal in writing before you start building anything.
Do this next
Take your time picking a partner. You'll spend a lot more time with them than you spent choosing.
Veteran. Gen Xer. Thirty-plus years building things on the web. I write these so you can skip some of the expensive mistakes.