In a Partnership, Make Clear the Division of Responsibilities

The one thing that really discouraged me about partnerships is the tendency of a partner to not respect the division of responsibilities.

In the partnership that I was in, my responsibility was marketing and public relations. My partner, without my knowledge, contracted with a newspaper for an ad that obligated us for payment. The ad was poorly written and the contracting price was not negotiated properly. But, we were stuck with it.

My advice as a consultant to any one starting a partnership is to make sure that the division of responsibilities is clearly delineated in the partnership agreement. And, by the way, if there is no written agreement, then no partnership.

Let People Know About Your Business

I often drive by a fairly new restaurant in my neighborhood and I get concerned because I don't see many customers dining. That generally means that the owner is not letting people know about their business. As a small businessman myself and one who provide consultation for those who want to start and grow their business (as well as non-profit organizations), I'm always interested in seeing small businesses thrive.

On the other hand there are other restaurants in my neighborhood, most of whom are take-outs, that are thriving. There is one simple marketing strategy that these restaurant use that separate them from the fairly new one. But, before I mention that, I'm going to give you my definition of marketing. Marketing includes all the strategies used to letting your potential customers know about your business.


When I help a business to develop a marketing strategy, I have to first analyze the business to determine what mix of activities would best get the word out for that particular business. Then I work with the owner to develop an individualized strategy. A marketing strategy can include a mix of activities such as press releases, print advertisements with coupons, radio and tv ads. collecting e-mail addresses and offering specials, etc.

Now getting back to the one strategy the others are using that the fairly new one is not, it is distributing flyers weekly door to door in the neighborhood. And, that flyer is simply their menu. I'm not aware of any other marketing that they do other than serving good food and letting their customers continue to tell others.

Its better to have a mix of strategies, but one strategy is better than no strategy at all.