This is the most amazing time.

This is the most amazing time.

It’s that time at the very beginning, when you are full of anticipation. It’s that time when anything feels possible, when the future looks amazing, when you believe that everything you’ve dreamt of could be achieved.

It’s more than a time of hope, it’s a time of passionate belief. It’s a time of little sleep, lots of conversation, a time of re-checking check lists and being thrilled when you tick each point.

A partnership at this time is full of promise and worthy of ruthless scrutiny. If you have big plans, long-term goals and a vision for where you want things to go, this is the time to really understand your partner, and to also know who else is in the market so that you are sure of your choice. It’s a time to test each other, project scenarios and see how you intend to handle them – the good and the bad. And if you feel satisfied with all the answers, then there comes a point in time where you

just have to jump in and believe that you have got the magic together.

Balance is important, knowing that you are both bringing a different yet equal contribution to the table. Understanding their commitment is another big question, that needs to be asked directly and with clarity. Like any relationship, honesty and ethics are the framework for the possibility of this working. And when you go through and ask all the hard questions, and spend the time playing out various paths things could take, and you find yourself impressed with the answers, trusting of the intentions, and excited by the opportunity …. Well you can be pretty confident you’ve found the right partner.

There are no guarantees of course, things in life can have a way of changing and, at times, despite the best plans, can sometimes not achieve the results you aimed for. Now is the time to agree on the exit strategy, should it ever get to that, so that there is a plan in place. Particularly when the goals are high, the plans are big, and the level of commitment required is substantial. But that’s when you know you’re playing for keeps, you really want it to work, you want it to be “the partnership” you can retire with.  

I’ve been doing my due diligence for a month or so now on the partner that I have selected. I was considering a few different partners, but they were fairly quickly ruled out after spending time in discussions, and left just one clear choice. And I am happy to say, that I feel very comfortable with my decision. Ok, that’s an understatement – I’m absolutely thrilled. I’m full of energy, I’m waking up in the middle of the night thinking about things and smiling. I’m so pre-occupied with my thoughts about the future that I find I have to really focus to get other things done. I want this to work. I am ready to put the work in to make this work. I’m ready.

I am launching a new company, with a business partner that I admire and respect. I still love my existing company, and will keep it – in fact I have just been announced as finalist for Business of the Year, and finalist for Business Woman of the Year (will let you know next month if I actually win, but I am honoured to be finalist in these two categories) but after years of running businesses on my own, I can’t wait for this new chapter to begin. Life just couldn’t be more exciting.

I hope you have found partners - in life, in business, in friendships - that excite and stimulate you, that you can trust and can rely on. This is very new for me, and I just couldn’t be happier. Like all things that are worthwhile, it will take a lot of work. And that’s the way it should be.

Till next month.
Abby

PS: You can write to me at
[email protected]