Hi my name is ----- I just started a window cleaning business in St. George about six months ago. Give me a call and I’ll tell you what marketing I am doing and what pricing is working here in St. George. Maybe we should work together and take over Washington County.
Anyway I look forward to talking with you.
so i called him talked to him for just over 40 minutes. we discussed our future goals which are hiring employees and things like that.
so is this a good idea or bad im 16 and just starting and he is around 40 and been going for 6 months what should the business ownership be like 50/50 or 40/60 can i get input?
thanks
Business partnerships are like marriages, unless you trust him with everything you own including your money I would walk away. Your 16 so partnering with someone outside of your immediate family is probably not a good idea and I’m not certain you could legally form a partnership. You would need to check your State laws.
I wouldn’t jump right in. Go slow work out ALL the details, and get to know eachother. Make sure you use a contract. A lot of thought needs to go into a partnership before you start one. Problems WILL arise and you will need a plan in place to resolve them. Good luck and keep us posted.
Don’t partner with anyone, you can do it on your own and you’ll be glad you did a few years down the road. The practicality of a partnership between a 16 year old and a 40 year old working out makes it even less ideal than usual.
ok well for now im going to go with it. we are still in the preplanning stage. nothing is official just getting some ideas. i am going to meet him at a coffee shop or something in the next few weeks and we will probably talk about the pros and cons and why he wants to do it. thanks for you guys input so far but can you guys list some pros and cons for me please?
yeah i like the guy he seems nice and i think we can work something out even if its not “real” partener ship and we just cover each other’s backs i would like to work something out any other feedback?
Honesty, I’d watch out… Not just the business aspect of this but you’re safety. What kind of person who doesn’t know you would ask a 16 yr old to partner with him. With everything going on in the world make sure you bring an adult or someone with you for your safety. I don’t see any good coming out of this. You can start this on your own and be very successfull!
yeah i already had that discussion with my mom she said i will just drive my own car and meet him in a public place. im still going to give it a try though at least meet him. are there any pros to this? i think he can teach me to clean windows and give me expierance those are the pros i see the cons are less money and there are two people making choices not just one.
He’s only 6 months more experienced than you. Just be careful because he may want to take advantage of your money. After your meeting you should post back up here and get everyone’s thoughts about the discussion. Your young and seem aggressive. If you want a partner ask one of your friends to give you a hand if work is too much (which is a good thing)
Yeah, the first thing I thought when you said he is 40 is “weird”. If I were you I’d talk more about it with your mom and any respected close friends as to the wisdom and potential dangers of this. And from a business and think tank standpoint, you’ll get plenty of good advice here.
As others have said, this has got WEIRD written all over it. Besides the ‘creep’ factor, think about this. He only has 6 months experience so he doesn’t have a lot to offer you. His wanting to partner up so soon shows that he is probably struggling. Do you also want to learn to struggle?
For setting up and running a profitable business, you can’t get any better than this forum. There’s not a single window cleaning business out there that could afford comparable business coaching.
And you mention a strong point for partnering up with this guy is to help you learn to clean windows. Well I’ll tell you what, since you’re 16 yrs old and sound like a real go getter, PM me your email address and I’ll send you a download link for my window cleaning instruction DVD for free.
At least get yourself out there on your own for a while before you take on a liability (hmmm…or…partner).
