Is A Partnership Right For You?
How My Partnership With Gideon Shalwick Generated A Quarter Of A Million Dollars In Under 12 Months
When I first started this blog the Internet was younger and many of the current big success story online companies had only recently risen to dominance.
I was fascinated with the background history behind the companies that featured heavily during the dot-com boom, some of which survived post the bust like eBay, Paypal and Amazon.com, and others that had fallen far from their glory days, like Napster.
I read biographical books that covered the people behind these companies and enjoyed hearing how the initial concepts were sparked and what path led from idea to multi-million, sometimes even multi-billion dollar companies.
You can read reviews of some of the books in the archives of this blog, including the PayPal Wars, the The Perfect Store – Inside eBay, Google And The Mission To Map Meaning And Make Money and All the Rave – The Rise and Fall of Shawn Fanning’s Napster.
Two People Are Better Than One
I can’t remember where I read it first, but somewhere I recall hearing that many really successful companies, both offline and online, were started as partnerships. Two people, for all kinds of reasons, are able to achieve more than an individual.
The stories behind some of the big Internet success stories reinforces this idea, as is the case with Google, Microsoft and Apple. There are two founders who drive the vision behind the company, taking it to good performer and beyond to where most companies never go, to industry leader and even cultural phenomenon.
On a smaller scale, many of the people I interview in my podcasts on this blog often are part of a two-person partnership of some kind. One person may be in the limelight more than the other, but behind the scenes, there are two, who complement and motivate each other to get things done.
Up until 2007 I was a solo-entrepreneur, and I liked it that way. I read this fact about partnerships resulting in big success stories online as interesting, but it wasn’t compelling enough for me to run and find a partner. I had no interest in sharing my profits, or needing to negotiate with someone else to decide what to do. I enjoyed my independence as the only captain steering my ship.
Of course there are success stories of individuals creating massive companies too, so I wasn’t concerned that my desire to work alone might hurt my potential for success.
Despite my lack of intention, I have managed to find myself in a successful partnership that will very likely dominate the direction of my business for years to come. It’s worthwhile explaining how this happened, and what it has done for my business, so you can decide whether a partnership could benefit you too.
Random Strangers
One of the wonderful things about life is that you never know what’s coming up next. The only constant is change. This can be a terribly frightening idea if you become attached to something for fear of loss (relationships, objects, places, people, life itself), but also wonderfully liberating because it means whatever you don’t like about your life now will change, it’s a guarantee.
In some circumstances what appears as the randomness of change means you are completely oblivious to what comes next on a conscious level, so when it arrives, it’s a surprise. This idea can make you live in a permanent state of excitement or of course fear, depending how you look at life.
I had no idea that in 2007 I’d attend a typical pitch-fest Internet marketing event, which for all intents and purposes wasn’t anything special, except I met my future business partner there, Gideon Shalwick.
Many people have asked how Gideon and I met, so here’s the story in brief…
Why Ongoing Education Is The Key Ingredient For Success In Business and Blogging
At the start of March I bought a bunch of new products, including Product Launch Formula from Jeff Walker ($997), the Dot Com Secrets Free CD from Russell Brunson ($7.95 for shipping) and paid half of the $997 fee to attend the World Internet Summit in Melbourne. On top of that I subscribe to Perry Marshall’s Renaissance club and Rich Schefren’s private business systems coaching program.
I think I spent at least half of the money I made from blogging in February in the first week of March, but I consider it money well spent.
Top Bloggers Are Thought Leaders
If you read many of the top blogs written by one specific individual you will notice that they know a lot about a certain topic. They usually have spent a significant amount of time working and experiencing the things they write about. Consequentially they can blog with the authority that only comes from experience.
On top of experience, many bloggers tap into the industry they write about, reading other blogs, following industry leaders and buying books, magazines and information products. They realize the necessity to stay up to date with current events so they don’t get left behind. The is especially important if you want to be a consultant or establish authority in your field.
Good Ideas Are Not Enough
A Top Down Method To Establish Preeminence
I just finished writing some newsletters for my Blog Traffic Tips ezine. In them I mentioned the concept of preeminence, which is a business technique I learnt initially from Jay Abraham.
Here is how I described preeminence in my newsletter:
Preeminence is the perception that a person is the best or one of the best authoritative sources on a specific topic. You don’t necessarily have to be the best, but people need to perceive you as the best.
Source: www.BlogTrafficKing.com
Back in July 2006 I was a pretty big fan of a guy named Mike Filsaime. I had recently purchased his product Butterfly Marketing and I was devouring his information and feeling really inspired about the possibilities. I loved his viral marketing techniques and couldn’t wait to make use of the software.
I received an email from Mike talking about his mentor – his business coach – a guy by the name of Rich Schefren who I had never heard of before. Now I know many of the top Internet marketing “gurus” by at least their name, if not their work as well, and Rich was not on my radar.
Mike was recommending I download a copy of something called the Internet Business Manifesto, which I did. I read through the manifesto and found my self nodding in agreement as Rich subsequently described my current situation working online and also the situation I’d like to be in – working a lot less, earning a lot more with a business that runs without my direct involvement.
Rich later released two more critical books, The Missing Chapter and The Final Chapter, which completed his Internet business trilogy. They are still some of the best free books you will find on the subject of online business strategy. If you have not read them already and you currently own an Internet business, I strongly recommend you set aside a few hours to devour these books. They are free.
You can download the Manifesto trilogy here:
www.StrategicProfits.com/manifesto/
I also wrote a few blog articles about the books, one on the manifesto and missing chapter and one on the final chapter.
