Growing Partners https://growingpartners.org/ 2026-11-02T21:26:55.504163-08:00 The Best Books on Business Partnerships, Stage by Stage https://growingpartners.org/best-books-on-business-partnerships/ 2026-11-02T21:26:55.504163-08:00 2026-11-02T21:26:55.504163-08:00 Growing Partners Editors Most partnership disputes we write about here started the same way: two people agreed on the big picture, shook hands, and never wrote down what happens... Setting Up Bank Accounts for a New Partnership https://growingpartners.org/setting-up-bank-accounts-for-a-new-partnership/ 2026-10-31T21:55:16.367043-07:00 2026-10-31T21:55:16.367043-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A new partnership finishes this task with three things: a federal Employer Identification Number, a business account that holds no personal money, and a... Building a Business Plan With a Channel Partner https://growingpartners.org/building-a-business-plan-with-a-channel-partner/ 2026-10-28T21:25:29.315531-07:00 2026-10-28T21:25:29.315531-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A business plan with a channel partner works best as a single page, signed by both firms, that sets three things: a revenue target, a lead or referral... How to Write a Partnership Business Plan https://growingpartners.org/how-to-write-a-partnership-business-plan/ 2026-10-25T19:59:47.982191-07:00 2026-10-25T19:59:47.982191-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A partnership business plan is a short internal document that the partners write for each other. It records what the business is for, what each partner puts... Vetting a Business Partner Before You Sign Anything https://growingpartners.org/vetting-a-business-partner-before-you-sign-anything/ 2026-10-22T18:17:17.354979-07:00 2026-10-22T18:17:17.354979-07:00 Growing Partners Editors Most founders vet a prospective partner by vetting the partner's business, and that checks the wrong half. A commercial screening firm, The Business Screen,... Online Networking Strategies for Introverts https://growingpartners.org/online-networking-strategies-for-introverts/ 2026-10-19T17:19:59.448202-07:00 2026-10-19T17:19:59.448202-07:00 Growing Partners Editors For an introverted founder, the best online networking strategy looks like the slowest: about five well-chosen connections a week, each warmed by two or... Partnership Ideas by Industry, and Why the Fee Structure Changes Each Time https://growingpartners.org/partnership-ideas-by-industry/ 2026-10-16T10:12:03.198524-07:00 2026-10-16T10:12:03.198524-07:00 Growing Partners Editors Eight industries, eight obvious sets of partners, and one pattern that holds across all of them: the businesses a small owner should partner with are almost... Strategic Partners for Marketing Agencies and the Disclosure Rule That Follows the Fee https://growingpartners.org/strategic-partnerships-for-marketing-agencies/ 2026-10-15T16:08:21.131514-07:00 2026-10-15T16:08:21.131514-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A marketing agency's partnerships are mostly made of other marketers: a freelancer or specialist shop subcontracted for work outside the agency's own... Strategic Partners for Medical and Dental Practices and the Kickback Rules Behind Them https://growingpartners.org/strategic-partnerships-for-medical-and-dental-practices/ 2026-10-15T10:25:00.697524-07:00 2026-10-15T10:25:00.697524-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A medical or dental practice's referral network runs the same direction as the patient does: a primary care practice to a specialist, a general dentist to... Strategic Partners for Craft Breweries and Restaurants and the Tied-House Line https://growingpartners.org/strategic-partnerships-for-craft-breweries-and-restaurants/ 2026-10-14T16:09:01.722293-07:00 2026-10-14T16:09:01.722293-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A craft brewery's growth runs through the same handful of relationships as any other small manufacturer: the bars and restaurants that pour it, the... Strategic Partners for Home Services Contractors and the Licensing Rule Behind the Fee https://growingpartners.org/strategic-partnerships-for-home-services-contractors/ 2026-10-14T10:11:07.269515-07:00 2026-10-14T10:11:07.269515-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A home services business grows fastest by covering the jobs it turns down: the roofer who refers water damage to a restoration crew, the HVAC company that... Strategic Partners for Insurance Agents and the License Line That Caps the Fee https://growingpartners.org/strategic-partnerships-for-insurance-agents/ 2026-10-13T16:59:03.978756-07:00 2026-10-13T16:59:03.978756-07:00 Growing Partners Editors An insurance agency's best referral sources are almost always unlicensed for insurance: real estate agents sending homeowners who need a policy at closing,... Strategic Partners for Financial Advisors and What the SEC Marketing Rule Requires https://growingpartners.org/strategic-partnerships-for-financial-advisors/ 2026-10-13T16:59:03.970274-07:00 2026-10-13T16:59:03.970274-07:00 Growing Partners Editors Two kinds of professional send a registered investment advisor more usable leads than any amount of advertising: a CPA who has already seen a client's full... Strategic Partners for CPAs and Bookkeepers and the Independence Rule That Limits Them https://growingpartners.org/strategic-partnerships-for-cpas-and-bookkeepers/ 2026-10-12T18:09:26.764254-07:00 2026-10-12T18:09:26.764254-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A CPA or bookkeeping firm's referral network is usually one of four relationships: an estate or business attorney, a financial advisor, an insurance agent,... Strategic Partners for Real Estate Agents and How to Pay Them Legally https://growingpartners.org/strategic-partnerships-for-real-estate-agents/ 2026-10-12T10:10:27.411703-07:00 2026-10-12T10:10:27.411703-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A real estate agent's most useful partners are the businesses that already touch every transaction: mortgage lenders, home inspectors, title and escrow... Haley v. Talcott and the Personal Guaranty That Broke a Buyout Clause https://growingpartners.org/haley-v-talcott-personal-guaranty/ 2026-10-11T16:08:26.908383-07:00 2026-10-11T16:08:26.908383-07:00 Growing Partners Editors An exit clause that lets one owner buy the other out is not an exit if the owner who leaves is still guaranteeing the company's loan. That is the holding of... Meinhard v. Salmon and the Opportunity a Partner Cannot Keep https://growingpartners.org/meinhard-v-salmon-partner-opportunity/ 2026-10-11T10:08:47.479246-07:00 2026-10-11T10:08:47.479246-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A partner who learns of a business opportunity because of the partnership has to tell the other partners before taking it, and that rule traces to one New... Connelly v. United States and What It Means for Buy-Sell Life Insurance https://growingpartners.org/connelly-v-united-states-buy-sell-agreements/ 2026-10-10T16:07:38.205166-07:00 2026-10-10T16:07:38.205166-07:00 Growing Partners Editors When a company owns life insurance on its owners to buy out the first to die, the insurance money counts toward the company's value for the dead owner's... How Business Partnerships Work, Explained From Scratch https://growingpartners.org/how-business-partnerships-work/ 2026-10-10T10:25:34.892946-07:00 2026-10-10T10:25:34.892946-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A business partnership is two or more people sharing the ownership of one business, and almost everything that seems confusing about how one works comes... How to Add a Partner to an Existing Business https://growingpartners.org/how-to-add-a-partner-to-a-business/ 2026-10-09T16:12:24.667807-07:00 2026-10-09T16:12:24.667807-07:00 Growing Partners Editors Adding a partner to an existing business is a two-part decision that is easy to run together: what the new partner actually gets, and whether every existing... When a Business Partner Is Not Pulling Their Weight https://growingpartners.org/business-partner-not-pulling-their-weight/ 2026-10-08T16:10:40.588438-07:00 2026-10-08T16:10:40.588438-07:00 Growing Partners Editors One partner doing most of the work and both partners splitting the profit evenly is not a mistake the law will fix on its own; it is what the law assumes by... SBA Joint Venture Rules for Small Business Contractors https://growingpartners.org/sba-joint-venture-rules/ 2026-10-08T10:12:29.834437-07:00 2026-10-19T17:00:01.346245-07:00 Growing Partners Editors Two small businesses can team up on one federal contract as a joint venture without the Small Business Administration combining their revenue and employees... Referral Partner Agreements and How Referral Fees Work https://growingpartners.org/referral-partner-agreement/ 2026-10-07T17:26:38.375817-07:00 2026-10-07T17:26:38.375817-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A referral partner agreement pays someone for sending business, not for doing the work itself, and most of the time that is a contract any two businesses... Joint Venture vs Partnership https://growingpartners.org/joint-venture-vs-partnership/ 2026-10-07T13:13:06.487882-07:00 2026-10-07T13:13:06.487882-07:00 Growing Partners Editors Two companies that sign a document titled "Joint Venture Agreement" have not thereby avoided partnership law. In nearly every state, the Uniform Partnership... Tax on Selling a Partnership Interest https://growingpartners.org/tax-on-selling-a-partnership-interest/ 2026-10-06T16:07:25.634303-07:00 2026-10-06T16:07:25.634303-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A partner who sells out rarely pays one tax rate on the whole price. Section 741 of the tax code treats the sale of a partnership interest as the sale of a... Going Into Business With Your Spouse https://growingpartners.org/going-into-business-with-your-spouse/ 2026-10-06T10:10:15.693919-07:00 2026-10-06T10:10:15.693919-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A married couple who jointly run an unincorporated business are partners for federal tax purposes whether or not either one would call it that, for the same... Can One Partner Sign a Contract Without the Other https://growingpartners.org/who-can-sign-for-a-partnership/ 2026-10-05T16:08:33.859279-07:00 2026-10-05T16:08:33.859279-07:00 Growing Partners Editors Any partner can usually sign a deal that looks like the business's ordinary business and bind every partner to it, without asking first and without anyone's... Partnership Capital Accounts Explained With Numbers https://growingpartners.org/partnership-capital-accounts-explained/ 2026-10-05T10:09:55.327370-07:00 2026-10-05T10:09:55.327370-07:00 Growing Partners Editors A capital account is not a bank balance, and it is not the same thing as an ownership percentage. It is a running ledger, one per partner, that the Uniform... Founder Vesting Schedules and Cliffs https://growingpartners.org/founder-vesting-schedule/ 2026-10-04T16:06:55.982987-07:00 2026-10-04T16:06:55.982987-07:00 Growing Partners Editors Nearly a quarter of two-founder teams split up within their first four years, and the first-year breakup rate nearly doubled between 2015 and 2024, from 4%... LLP vs LLC vs Limited Partnership https://growingpartners.org/llp-vs-llc-vs-limited-partnership/ 2026-10-04T10:00:44.539185-07:00 2026-10-04T10:00:44.539185-07:00 Growing Partners Editors All three of these structures exist to answer one question differently: whose personal assets are on the line if the business cannot pay what it owes. An...