Twelve Ideas That Will Make Your Business Partnership a Success

Are you considering forming a business partnership, in the middle of a partnership, or looking to leave a partnership? Then read on while I share 12 lessons I learned from Jerry Lewis.

In the book, Dean and Me: A Love Story, Jerry Lewis tells the story of his ten year business partnership with Dean Martin. The memoir tells how they met, their early success together and the troubles that came with fame and their ultimate breakup.

Subtitled “ A Love Story, “ the book details Jerry’s love and respect for Dean. Jerry comments again and again about Dean’s comic genius that was overlooked by most fans and critics. Jerry says that Dean was a man’s man and that even Frank Sinatra was mesmerized by Dean Martin. From a working class family in Steubenville, Ohio, Dean found his way out through his voice and gift for singing. But it was the cool persona that he created over the years that made him a star.

I have identified 12 lessons about business partnerships that can be drawn from the stories that Jerry tells. If you are in a business partnership, take this opportunity to evaluate how your partnership is working. Is it headed for success or failure? What can you do about it?

1. Have fun working together. And this Jerry and Dean did in the early years of their partnership. They enjoyed being in each other’s company. They spent time together.

2. Be sure to laugh together. They were always cracking each other up and experiencing those deep belly laughs that are good for the spirit and the body.

3. Communicate! Communicate! Communicate! In the early years of their relationship, Dean and Jerry communicated well. In last few months of the partnership, they stopped talking to each other.

4. Dress for success. Become the person you want to be. Martin and Lewis wore tuxedos in their live shows and elevated their performance to the next level.

5. As you are growing your business, don’t underprice yourself. Martin and Lewis were offered half of what the other clubs were paying to play the best night club in New York and their agent turned it down.

6. Trust your gut and the gut instincts of your partner. Dean time and time again trusted the instincts of Jerry even if there was no plausible reason. Sometimes you have to do what your partner believes to be necessary even if it don’t make sense.

7. Don’t listen to negative associates. Dean and Jerry let the so-called friends come between them. These friends would whisper negative things about the other partner. Do not let others come between you and your partner.

8. Don’t bad mouth your partner to others. You have to have each other’s backs. You have to protect each other.

9. Don’t listen to your press — either positive nor negative. The press reviews spoke often of Jerry’s genius but claimed that Dean was second rate. They failed to see the comic genius of Martin. Over the years this negative press ate away at Martin until he started feuding with reporters — a game you can never win.

10. If your partnership is on the rocks, don’t take your anger at your partner out on your employees, family members and friends. Learn to work through your anger together. Good partners learn how to fight and still love and respect each other.

11. Know when to call it quits. Every relationship has a beginning, middle and an end. Go out when you are on top. Don’t let the relationship peter out.

12. There is always a second act. Both Martin and Lewis went on to successful careers without each other. Nothing lasts forever. Be ready to move on when the time is right and have faith that you will find your way.

Partnerships like marriages just don’t happen. They have to be worked at on a daily basis. Ask yourself what you can do today that will make your partnership better tomorrow.

The world of business is filled with successful partnerships as well as many failures. How many of these successful partnerships are you aware of:

1. William Procter and James Gamble, P & G

2. Wilbur and Orville Wright, inventors

3. Bill Hewlett and David Packard, Hewlett-Packard

4. Gordon Moore and Bob Noyce, Intel

5. John Lennon and Paul McCarthy, music

6. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Apple

7. Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft

8. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream

9. Jerry Yang and David Filo, Yahoo

10. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google

11. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, show business

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Harley King has been speaking and training professionally for more than 30 years before groups ranging from 10 to 600. He has trained more than 7,500 people to speak and train.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.