Starting a Blogging Business with a Friend

You’ve weighed your decision to go into a business with a friend, and you’ve decided full speed ahead! Well, what are the issues specific to a blog partnership? Given that Kaye and I are just beginning this journey and have very little experience in this area, I did a little research to see what help I could get. And may I say there’s not a lot out there on blog partnerships, and even less on two friends starting a blogging business.

I found an interesting article by Darren Rowse at www.problogger.net, “How to Start a Blog Partnership”. I had a good laugh, but not at Problogger. When I first started thinking about blogging, Problogger was the first site I saw that offered helpful advice. Eventually Kaye bought the book, ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income, and we both read it from cover to cover. And we still visit the site for advice. But I digress. No, I had to laugh because Kaye and I had never gotten around to asking the important questions when deciding who to work with.

A lot of the questions were about qualifications and credentials of your blogging partner. Neither Kaye nor I had any blogging experience, let alone credentials. Kaye was familiar with my legal documents for what that’s worth, and I knew that Kaye would be better than me at the technical. We discussed time constraints because we are both working parents. We already had a relationship, and our instant gut reaction was that we would work well together. Actually, we were very excited to find a project that we could work well together on.

In his article, Rowse’s two final pieces of advice were to get verbal, and I cannot stress this enough, and to take it slow. In Parts I and II of this series, I laid out numerous topics for discussion with your business partner. But what are additional issues which come up with blogging, especially amongst friends?

1) Blogging is a writing venture. If your partner will be posting on the blog, you will want to know that she can write. It would be a disaster to begin a business which focuses on writing, only to discover that one of the main writers draws a blank when it’s time to produce or can’t spell.

2) Ego issues need to be set aside. Writing, even on dry topics, can be personal. The writer has to be able to accept constructive criticism from her friend, and the person reviewing the document has to feel free to comment. Also, and this may occur more often amongst friends, you or your partner may find you are writing about something that has happened to one or both of you. You have to be respectful of your friend’s comfort level, or you should both be in agreement as to what, if anything, is off limits to your blog.

3) Decide on the focus of the blog and continuously reassess. Kaye and I conceived of Staingirlz.com as a website targeting a middle-aged female audience with a certain attitude. Because we are beginning bloggers, Kaye and I thought we would be providing a valuable service about beginning a blog and all of the issues which arise on our journey. However, we intend to continue with our main objective and we’ve discussed upcoming posts that align with our initial focus.

4) Coordinate your writing efforts. Kaye and I run all topics by each other. Usually, we take them separately, but we have also done separate blogs on the same topic. See our review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. We have also talked about having a Kaye-Elle conversation within one blog post. By coordinating our efforts, we avoid stepping on each other’s toes, and we make sure that our blogs align with the focus of the blog business.

5) Communicate and keep on communicating. Issues will arise or you will get a stellar (or not so stellar) idea. As long as lines of communication are open both ways, your blog partnership should thrive.

This is not an exhaustive list. As I mentioned, we are just getting started in this venture. We’d love to hear from you if you have any additional ideas, tips or issues which arise when blogging with a friend/partner.

You now know why you want to start a business with your friend and the pros and cons of doing business with a friend. You’ve heard the warnings, but you want what Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard have. You want that thriving business. And it can be yours, but keep in mind that a business partnership is similar to a marriage. You must have constant communication. You have to talk before you go into business and then you have to talk again while in business, and keep on talking. So what to talk about?

1) Share your vision, values and goals. Why does your business exist? What are your expectations for the coming year, next five years? What do you each expect to gain from this venture? If you and your friend share the mission and vision of your business, you will both be committed to your common goals. There may be the occasional disagreement regarding some of the small steps taken toward reaching your goals, but overall you will know you are in this for the long haul together. This discussion will be ongoing throughout the course of your business relationship. You will have to plan and prioritize for a week, a month, a client, etc.

2) Discuss the pros and cons of starting a business with a friend. Both you and your friend need to know what you are getting into and what the potential consequences are. In addition to the advantages and disadvantages discussed in Part One, the idiosyncrasies of your specific relationship with your friend and of your business may require further discussion.

3) Talk about the money. You may be surprised at how differently each of you view this issue. How much money will each of you put in? If one of you puts in more money than the other, is there a specific reason? Is it meant to be a loan to the company? What are the expected expenses for the first year? What happens if the business needs more money? What happens when the business begins to make money? Do you plan on plowing the money back into the business, or were you planning on distributions? What expenses will you consider business expenses? Are you planning on running your meals, cars, etc., through the business?

4) Talk about the little things. A dress code may matter, depending on the nature of your business. What are the hours of business? What are your time expectations, work habits, temperament?

5) Talk about the huge things. How will you handle the disagreements? What happens next? Will one of you have veto power? Will you each have an area in which you are expected to have absolute authority? And what if there is no surmounting the disagreement? How quickly do you want to expand? What is your philosophy in handling employees? What happens if one of you marries, divorces, dies, has a child? How do these developments affect each partner’s interests?

6) Talk about the possible end of the business relationship. If one of you dies, what happens to that person’s share? Is it a legacy for your children or does your partner get first right of refusal to purchase, and at what value? What happens if your are splitting up because you can not work together? Who gets to keep the business, or do you split it?

7) Talk to your respective attorneys. The talking points in this blog are only the beginning. Your attorney will likely have more questions particular to your needs. And each of you will want your own attorney to assist you with a written agreement. This agreement will protect your interest in the business, if not your friendship.

The second document you will want is a business plan detailing the mission, vision and goals of the company. You and your partner will want to review it from time to time to make sure you are on track, and you may adjust it if circumstances warrant.

And once you’ve gotten the talking out of the way – well, actually it should never end – enjoy the ride. May you and your friend have a fantastic voyage.