Doula Business Advisor: I am not a fan of partnerships.

My regular Tuesday blog is designed to support the establishment and long-term sustainability of private doula businesses and doula programs. Excerpted from my book, The Doula Business Guide-Creating a Successful MotherBaby Business (coming Summer 2010).

To be fair, I must own that my personality is such that I may be unsuitable for partnership. Perhaps some readers do not share my same failings and tendencies. Three failed attempts would lead any sane person to reflect that perhaps it is not the partner alone who is at fault, but, as in any relationship gone bad, it takes two. Nevertheless, I have noted certain patterns, shared by failed partnerships in general, manifest in my own relationships or those of close contacts. And so, I think it is worth considering in greater detail the various types of challenges common to business partnerships.

Tensions may arise because one partner is more skillful, more knowledgeable, more experienced, or better organized than the other. Clients may perceive one partner as being more professional or reliable than the other, or simply prefer to work with one partner over the other. If this happens repeatedly, you have a problem. One partner may have a strong work ethic while the other is more laid back. One partner may be beset with personal problems including marital difficulties, health concerns, a spouse’s job loss, or extended family issues, depending heavily on the other to get her through these difficulties, while paybacks are slow to manifest. One partner may struggle with depression or addictions (gambling with company funds for example), while the other is forced to cover for her shortcomings (literally and figuratively). One partner may be coercive or manipulative or a more dominating personality, bulldozing the other while resentments build. One partner may undermine the other or be rude or inconsiderate. There may simply be poor communication between the partners, leading to an array of problems. A common underlying theme is that one partner simply doesn’t pull her weight.

Trust me, it gets old fast if you believe you are doing more than half the work but still have to split the income 50/50. And, in this case, perception is reality. If that is your perception, then you will feel ripped off. In the case of one former partner, I went into the relationship believing that we would both give 100 percent. In the end, I realized that each person’s 100 percent was not necessarily equal. That was an eye opener because I had to admit that my partner’s perception may very well have been that she was, in fact, giving it her all. But I did not feel that her all was equal to mine. And so, it didn’t work for me.

Posted by Patty on June 22, 2010 • Filed under Doula Business Advisor (Tuesdays)
Comments (3)

Comments

3 Responses to “Doula Business Advisor: I am not a fan of partnerships.”

  1. nursing schools on June 29th, 2010 at 12:07 pm:

    nice post. thanks.

  2. medical assistant on June 30th, 2010 at 9:10 pm:

    Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!

  3. Patty on July 1st, 2010 at 12:52 am:

    It’s so gratifying to hear that you find it helpful. Thanks for writing. And more is definitely on the way. Patty