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fruityvampire · 6 years

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Damian Wayne is Your Valentine

A/n: Happy valentines day. Here’s a little valentines gift from me to you.

Warning: Social awkwardness? If that makes any sence to you.

After school that day it rained. Peers bustled out of the classrooms with their chocolate boxes, bouquets, and giant stuffed teddy bears. You, on the other hand, had no chocolate boxes or any valentine's gifts whatsoever. Instead, your arms were occupied with your science project and an umbrella that barely even worked.

“Y/n!” Your cousin ran to catch up with you with her shiny black flats clicking against the school floor. “Y/n…” She tapped your shoulder, realizing that you had your earbuds in your ears.

“Hmm?” You looked at your cousin, taking out your earbuds.

“Mom wants to know if you’re coming for dinner.”

“Umm… I think I’m going to be busy tonight.”

She rose her eyebrow. “Y/n. That thesis can take a break.”

“Nuh-uh.” You shook your head

“It’s due Friday though, Y/n.”

“Get ye hence, Satin. I’m not going to procrastinate my thesis and end up screwing up.”

Your cousin then took your hand in her hand that wasn’t occupied with valentine’s gifts. “Y/n. You are going to come for dinner tonight or you will end up super lonely tonight. Plus. My mom is making lava cakes tonight.”

You exhaled, giving in to her proposal. “Fine.” You couldn’t ever resist your aunt’s lava cake.

After a few hours of working on your thesis, you ran over to your aunt’s townhouse for dinner. Your cousin opened the door with haste.

“We’re going to a gala! Y/n! We're going to the Wayne gala!” She jumped up and down excitedly.

You gulped with your eyes widened. “What?...” You couldn’t believe it. The Wayne gala? Oh no.

“Yes! I know right?” Your cousin was filled with absolute glee.

“No. no. no.”

“Come on. You’ll be fine.” Your aunt walked towards you two with an evergreen long sleeves gown.

“Oh no, I won’t.”

It took a lot of wrestling and will to get you dressed up. It was a miracle that they even got mascara on your eyelashes.

“You have to wear lipstick to a gala.” Your aunt requested, forcefully.

“Ooh!” Your cousin squealed like a monkey. “This one suits you perfectly!”

This had to be a nightmare, or else, exactly how your pastor described the fiery depths of Hell. You hated it. Not to mention, you were going to be going to another layer of Hell, a social gathering, where you would be forced to socialize. To make matters worse, the smart Wayne boys were going to be there.

This was not how you wanted to spend your valentine’s day. You would much rather sit in your covers, writing your valentine’s day special fanfiction. No. Not with a straightforward Chinese aunt and cousin. They insisted that you go to the Gala with them. There was no escaping their grasp. Inside your mind, you were screaming for help. Begging God to save you from this Hell and not let you have to go to the Wayne Gala.

You guys soon arrived at a luxurious mansion. One far more luxurious and expensive than your aunt’s townhouse. You felt guilty stepping inside, because you had no ties with any fortune. All you had was your bastard father’s last name and a mother that was too focused working her ass off with work. The only reason why anyone would know you is that you’re one of the finalists for the science fair and your father is in prison for an attempted bank robbery. Suddenly, to your dismay, you found Mr. Wayne standing in front of you. You couldn’t help but to mentally panic.

“Y/n, This is Mr. Wayne.” Your aunt introduced.

Your mind was so filled with hidden anxiety that all you could hear was the quintet music in the background.

“Y/n?” Your aunt’s voice reached your attention.

“Hmm?”

The famous billionaire chuckled warmly.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Bruce Wayne. I take it that you are Y/n Y/l/n. I hear you are one of the top finalists for the Gotham District Science Fair.” Mr. Wayne then shook your hand firmly.

“Nice to meet you too…” AHHHH! What the heck! You swore the universe hated you. “My name is Y/l/n.” You shook his hand back, trying your best to be confident. “How are you?”

You could see your aunt from the corner of your eye, shaking her head with disappointment as you talked to the entrepreneur. She was probably asking why her daughter chose you to come to the gala instead of her pretty more fortunate friends. Why did you poor timid soul have to come to this popping classy gala?

“Have you met my son, Damian?” Bruce asked as the youngest son, Damian walked towards the two of you.

“I believe so.” You nodded forcing a smile

Dammit. Not this kid. This was one of your competitors in the science fair. He claims to already have his Doctorate. He always stuck his nose up in the air as if to sniff out opportunities to prove that he was the best Wayne child. In some ways, he reminded you of Draco Malfoy. Despite his ego, the girls loved him. Even the boys.

“Y/l/n,” Damian called in his cold raspy voice.

“Hi…” Inside you were face palming yourself.

“How do you do?”

“I’m doing pretty good… How’s your thesis going?”

“It’s going alright. Take it that I already finished it last week.”

You smiled and nodded politely. Soon, your social anxiety got the best of you and you had to excuse yourself from the conversation.

“Please excuse me.” You then walked into the crowd, dodging every conversation and human interaction that you could.

Soon, you reached the front doors and opened it to escape any chance of having to interact with anyone. You took in a deep breath and exhaled shakily. Cold air nipped at your nose and fingers as you walked steadily towards the shrubs, where you thought you would hide until the ball finished. Dammit. There in the garden, you accidentally made eye contact with Damian Wayne as he was playing with his dog. With his dog, he seemed like another man. He seemed softer and more like a real teenager than the adult child you knew.

You quickly averted your path and hid behind another bush. Damian then called your name as your heart raced with anxiety. Little did you know your science fair opponent could read you like all of your thoughts and feelings were painted on your face.

“Down, Titus.” Damian caught up with you as his dog raced at you and tackled you with slobbery dog kisses. “What brings you here, Y/l/n? ” He then handed you his tuxedo.

You didn’t know how to respond. You would have never expected Damian to be this way.

“I… I just needed some air.”

“I see you're not used to these kinds of social gatherings.” Damian pulled Titus off of you.

“Not really. I um… don’t even feel like I belong here honestly.” You sighed.

“I see.”

“Don’t get me wrong. Your dad is doing a great job with hosting this event… I just feel so out of place and…”

“I understand.” Damian nodded. “You’re pretty good at adapting to unexpected situations though.”

You looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you have social anxiety?”

You never told anyone that you had social anxiety. How the heck did he know?

“How did you…?”

Damian cut you off. “Face it. I could read you like a book. Though you tried to hide it, I could diagnose it quickly. I had to learn how to diagnose these kinds of things when I lived with my mom.”

A long period of silence filled the void between you two.

“Your dog is really cute.”

“His name is Titus and he doesn’t appreciate being called cute.”

“Well then.” You chuckled as you started to warm up to Damian a bit more. Maybe it was the fact that he could read you and understand you.

Before you knew it, You started to warm up to the adult child. The gala was soon coming to an end and you could see your cousin looking for you through the windows.

“I got to go to my aunt and my cousin.”

“Before you go, I have to give you something.”

Damian then led you back to the manor and quickly went to the basement to grab a pretty gift bag.

“My brothers insisted that I give this to you.” Damian handed you the pretty gift bag, acting cool.

“Thank you.” You smiled brightly.

The corner of Damian’s lip curled into a grin. “Alright. Don’t you have to go to your cousin and aunt?”

“Oh yeah.” You then speedily walked back to the crowd.

Before entering the thinning crowd, you looked back at Damian and smiled. Damian smirked back at you and took his dog out of the dance hall.

“Oh my gosh! I saw you with Damian. What did he give you?”

“Something. I don’t know I haven’t checked.”

“This is the first time. You have ever had a valentine.”

“We’re not dating or anything.”

“Mom. Damian Wayne is Y/n’s valentine.”

For the rest of the car ride, your aunt and cousin wouldn’t leave you alone about Damian. It was as if they were on a talking spell and silence isn't an option. You sat there in silence, reflecting on the Waynes. They seemed pretty nice. Your opinion of Damian changed. You both had your super different social class standards. Otherwise, he was a really cool dude.

Meanwhile, Damian sat on his bed with his tuxedo covering his face.

“Did you give her the valentine?” Dick leaned against Damian’s door.

“Why should it concern you?” Damian asked.

Dick shrugged. “Imagine, your little brother having romantic interests in his science fair opponent.”

“I don’t even have a little brother. Nor do I have any romantic interests.”

“Aww.” Dick teased.

“Don’t even, Grayson.” Damian rolled his eyes then shut his door.

When you got into your room, you opened up the pretty paper bag and sat on your bed. Inside the bag was a bunch of expensive chocolates and a letter. You opened up the envelope containing the letter and smiled.

“Congratulations on your project. Good luck on the Science Fair. -Damian Wayne”

#Damian Wayne #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne imagine #DC #DC imagines #DC fluff #bruce wayne #bruce wayne imagine #bruce wayne x reader #damian wayne's pets #Wayne enterprises #Dick Grayson #robin x reader #valentines day #Happy valentines day #dc valentine

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whatkindofwatch · 4 years

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What Watch Does Bill Gates Wear?

The "$10 Watch"

Casio

Illuminator

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The Casio Marlin Diver

Casio

Duro Marlin

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The Gift

TAG Heuer

Professional 2000

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One of our favorite tech tycoons turned philanthropists, Bill Gates, has an eye for value. The founder of Microsoft and the second richest man in the world (behind Jeff Bezos, but still in front of long time friend Warren Buffett) wears modest Casio watches. Bill Gates is well known for his many philanthropic endeavors. In fact, one of the primary reasons he is no longer the richest man in the world is because he's generously given away a substantial part of his fortune. He, along with Warren Buffet, also influenced other mega-rich celebrities and entrepreneurs to donate at least half of their wealth through "the Giving Pledge". Well played Mr Gates. For a man that could easily buy any luxury watch company, never mind a few Rolexes, it's quite refreshing to see him continually sport watches that anyone can afford. We've featured two of Bill Gates' watches he wears the most below. We also touch on a story that has surfaced about a watch he gifted to an employee that exemplifies Bill's generous character.

Bill Gates' Casio Marlin

Bill Gates has been spotted several times wearing his trusted Casio Duro diver - commonly known as the Casio Marlin because of the marlin logo on the face.

One if these public appearances was on the Stephen Colbert show whilst he and wife Melinda gave their views on taxing the wealthy.

The Casio Duro Marlin MDV106-1AV can be seen throughout the interview popping out from Bill's lavender sweater:

youtube

Images: NBC

4.0

The Casio Marlin Diver

Casio Duro "Marlin"

A homage to the classic Rolex Submariner, there are few other watches that can deliver these features at this price.

Japanese quartz movement

Unidirectional diver's bezel

200m (660ft) water resistance

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The minimalist design of the Casio Duro MDV106-1AV "Marlin" has allowed this watch to maintain it's place as a popular, affordable alternative to more expensive dive watches.

Like any quality dive watch, the Marlin includes a unidirectional rotating bezel to allow divers to track their time submerged underwater.

The 200m water resistance is a great feature at this price. Whilst I've no proof that Bill Gates has ever worn his Marlin diving, I would be happy to take a bet that he's submerged it a few times at his Lake Washington house. The movement is Japanese quartz and comes with a battery that lasts 3 years. What? You expected a mechanical diver at this price? No chance. Other features include a black face with white luminous markers for the hour indices and bezel markers. The hands are also covered in lume, making for impressive visibility at night and underwater. Like the Submariner, the Casio Duro features an easy to read date window at 3 o'clock and a sturdy screw down crown to keep water out. All in all, for around $50 there is little to dislike about this affordable diver. If a man with the disposable income of Bill Gates is happy with a Submariner homage over the real deal, that's good enough reason for me to add one to my everyday collection.

Pros

Very affordable

Clean, minimalist design

Japanese quality

200m water resistance

Cons

Resin band is a little boring and sweats during summer

Specifications

Movement: Japanese Quartz

Crystal: Mineral

Case: Stainless steel

Case size: 44mm

Band material: Resin

Water resistance: 200m (660ft)

Crown: Screw down

Bezel: Unidirectional diver’s

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Casio Marlin MDV106-1AV

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Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose..

Bill Gates

Bill Gates' "$10 Casio"

Given the net worth of Bill Gates, you'd possibly expect his wrist wardrobe to include super exclusive Rolexes, Omegas or similar. But no, fitting with his rather conservative lifestyle, he often opts to wear what he calls a "$10 watch".

This $10 watch is actually a Casio Illuminator W214H-1AV, and whilst it is certainly an inexpensive watch, you may have to pay slightly more than the $10 quoted by Bill.

Check out the video below by Politico where when asked whether the watch he is wearing is similar to a medical watch he is currently speaking about, Bill responds with, "no, this is a $10 watch."

Images: Politico

3.5

The "$10 Casio"

The "$10 Casio" Illuminator

Practical and affordable above all else. The entry-level Casio screams, "I've got nothing to prove."

Doesn't get much cheaper

Easy to use with large display

50m water resistance

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Certainly a relatively humble watch for a man of Bill's stature, the Casio Illuminator W214H-1AV is digital with a 45 mm plastic case and silicon band.

The Japanese manufactured Casio is water resistant to 50m and has quartz based movement.

Digital features include 3 countdown dials, stopwatch and alarm.

For a cheap watch, it's certainly well built and durable.

Given many ultra-rich decide to show off their wealth with flashy, expensive watches, it's refreshing that all Bill Gates fans can emulate his style with a very affordable Casio.

Pros

Very, very affordable

Simple to use

Basically a risk free investment

Cons

Kinda basic

Design isn't for everyone

Specifications

Movement: Quartz

Crystal: Mineral

Case: Plastic

Case size: 45mm

Band material: Silicon

Water resistance: 50m (150 ft)

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Casio Illuminator W214H-1AV

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Bill Gates' TAG Heuer Gift Watch

You can't help but feel that Bill Gates has put considerable thought into the message he's sending with his watch selection.

For many of us, buying a luxury watch comes with the side benefit that it signals success and prestige. But, for a man that carries both in abundance, choosing a cheap watch sends the message that wealth alone doesn't impress him. Rather, it's what you do with that wealth that matters.

Perhaps this was the message he was sending when he gifted a TAG Heuer Professional 2000 to a conference attendee in the Philippines. As told by watch collector Johann Espiritu in an interview with Fratello, Bill gave the watch off his wrist to the conference attendee who most closely guessed the value of his watch.

Everyone predicted that such a successful business man would be wearing a luxurious high-end watch. All except Johann's father. His guess of a seemingly paltry amount of $600 was the closest and he was rewarded with the TAG Heuer Professional 2000.

To be clear, there is no visual proof of Bill Gates wearing the TAG. But, I've no reason to doubt it and it fits his philanthropic MO. The images below are of the exact watch gifted to Johann's father. While you're at it, check out some of Johann's other sweet watches.

Images: @watchyouwearin, Fratello Watches

5.0

The Gift

TAG Heuer 2000

Popular and iconic TAG Heuer diver from the late 90's and early 2000's that holds up well today.

Quartz dive watch

Bold blue face

200m water resistance

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The TAG Heuer 2000 Professional range was a commercial success and is still well regarded by watch collectors today. The last 2000's were built in 2005 when TAG Heuer transitioned to the Aquaracer models.

Because they were successful, they were also widely produced. So, you can still find a good quality used TH 2000 for around $500-$1,000.

This is the second Rolex Submariner inspired homage worn by Bill Gates. Heuer, and later TAG Heuer after their merger in 1985, never tried to compete head to head with the Submariner.

Instead, they opted to take several of the popular design features from the Submariner, rework them and then repackage at a more economical price point.

This strategy worked very well, with the 2000 range greatly assisting TAG Heuer navigate through the 1990s.

The model worn and gifted by Bill Gates appears to be a 3rd generation TAG Heuer 2000 that went into production in 1998. In particular, it is the blue 'Classic' model variation that is the most common, meaning that you still have a great chance of finding one for yourself at a reasonable price.

If you aren't accustomed to divers from this earlier era, you should know about the size difference before purchasing. This TAG Heuer 2000 is only 38mm, considerably smaller than the 43mm divers that are popular today.

Whilst Bill's TAG Heuer was more expensive than the two Seikos, I think you'd agree it's still an affordable watch that prioritises function above prestige.

Pros

Dive watch with history

Can still find pre-owned for less than $1K

200m water resistance

Cons

Smaller size may not suit all

Specifications

Movement: Quartz

Crystal: Sapphire

Case: Stainless steel (brushed)

Case size: 38mm

Band material: Stainless steel

Water resistance: 200m (660ft)

Bezel: Rotating

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TAG Heuer 2000 Professional

Check prices

The post What Watch Does Bill Gates Wear? appeared first on What Kind of Watch.

from What Kind of Watch https://whatkindofwatch.com/does-bill-gates-wear/

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729renegades · 5 years

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Being Healthy on the Inside and Out – Part 2

Following on from my article last month, I introduced you to the exciting new product that we are developing behind the scenes that’ll help us attract more business owners into the Renegades circle.

Everyone wants different things, but we all want to be successful and this month I continue to discuss what an important part your health and wellbeing plays in being healthy on the inside and out. I firmly believe that if you look after yourself in a small way, you’re better equipped to deal with the demands of running a business and juggling a family and private life.

Let’s be fair, if you feel like shit then you normally can’t muster up enough effort to have a great day. You may get away with the odd day for a cough or cold but if its sustained then everything suffers. This is why when I appraised myself and my situation, I knew things had to change for the better.

How many times have you used that old excuse of working long, tired, no time? Bollocks! It’s a matter of priorities.

Your biggest asset is you and your health and well-being. It doesn’t matter if you have the best ideas, or you are the greatest ever entrepreneur – when you’re dead, you’re dead! If you can’t muster up the energy to do everyday tasks then you’re going to struggle with the demands of running a business, being an entrepreneur, a wife, mother, husband, and a father.

I discovered that if I wanted to work on me, then I had to make time for me.

The good Lord isn’t making any more time.

Your biggest asset is you and your health and well-being. It doesn’t matter if you have the best ideas, or you are the greatest ever entrepreneur – when you’re dead, you’re dead

It doesn’t matter who you are or how much money you have, there’s still only 24 hours in a day. At some stage in that day you have to factor in sleeping and eating, the rest is up for grabs.

I heard a great saying the other day, “Busy is a choice”, I love that saying. How many times do you ask, “How are you?” or “How’s things?” and the reply is, “I’m so busy”. My inner voice screams “Really, really, everyone’s bloody busy”!! I obviously don’t say that, if someone has a genuine problem, I love to help but, on most occasions, they’re just moans and groans about life in general and life choices that people make.

My father used to say whenever he was asked that, “How are you?” question, he would always say “Good, Excellent or Great”.

I found out, as I grew up, he’s a wise man, he used to say, “It doesn’t matter if life is bad and things are getting you down, nobody wants to hear about how bad it is, so they simply don’t listen”.

He’s right, if you ask someone how they are, and they start back with, “Terrible because Auntie Ethel’s got a cold and Mum’s cat got run over….” Straight away you think shut up and switch off. We all have our own issues and problems.

What I’ve found is by saying, “Excellent” or “Super Well” people genuinely say, “really, how so” and are now interested and perked up themselves. I’d much rather people say, “Steve is such a positive person, always happy…” Than “Did you see Steve today, he’s a miserable old bastard…” your behaviour and demeanour can positively or negatively affect you and those around you.

I said I would share what works for me so here goes:

The alarm is set of 0545, I either go to the gym or I get to the office, whether that’s the home office or work office. I try and do between 3 and 5 workouts a week. Doing it by yourself at that time of the morning can be tough, so get a kindred spirit or do as I did and get a personal trainer. When I started that, could I afford it? No, my mindset was, could I afford not to? The answer again was. . . No. You don’t need to be loaded to get a trainer, again it’s about priorities. A decent trainer will cost you about £25 a session, that’s 3 bottles of wine a week or one take away – you pick!

I normally do 2 sessions with the trainer a week, Monday and Friday mornings are my preferred choice. Monday ensures the odd glass of wine on a Sunday lunch doesn’t spread to two bottles over the day! Friday finishes the week off when the energy levels can be sagging slightly and sets the weekend up perfectly. On the other occasions I’ll do a session the trainer has given me, hit the weights or even take a class in the gym.

One way I have found that spurs me on besides the thought of getting killed by my trainer is to set myself crazy challenges. I have done Duathlons, Obstacle Courses, Triathlons, 10K runs, I’ve already mentioned that Cardiff Half Marathon.

Most recently I set myself a target of raising £10,000 for a Cancer Hospital that saved my Mother’s life when she had breast cancer. She was 70, it was 15 years since she had the treatment. I agreed to cycle 400 miles in 5 days across the North Island of New Zealand with a bunch of other crazy folk I had never met before. That kept me going for a year!

On other days when I get in the office, I try not to get into work stuff until after 0830. That’s the same as if I’ve been training. On these days I do some self-development stuff. I write, I read, I listen or learn.

Recently I’ve started using an App called Headspace to meditate and that has really helped my sense of wellbeing.

The App allows you to meditate even if you’ve never had a go before or if you are a seasoned expert. It helps you and sets you on course.

For me I found it when I was struggling with a feeling of anxiety, but I use it now most days just to give my mind that time, perhaps 20 minutes, to switch off and declutter.

It certainly helps me as I find myself thinking fast from the moment my eyes open until they close at bed time.

Meditation gives me that peace and time to put things back in the places they should be. It’s like my brain files things where they should be while I am concentrating on my breathing!!!

These mornings are my saviour and it’s my working on “me time”.

A word here for all those people who say, “Oh I hate mornings” or “Sorry, I don’t do mornings. I was one of you, but I changed because I wanted to, and I saw the value in changing. I made a choice, you can too.

If you had asked my wife if she could see me getting up before 6am and doing what I do now, she literally would have died laughing. When we first met, I’d be in bed until after 8 most days. I was lazy and depressed. That allowed the negativity to keep eating away and I gave it the fuel it needed to survive by my routines and choices.

I find that once I’ve started the day off well, I make a sensible breakfast choice, I have energy, I feel good and that feeds through the rest of the day. When I feel like that and a challenge comes in then I’m ready to face it and find it easy to roll with the ups and downs of the day with a positive frame of mind. When I was in a bad place and bad routines then if a challenge came in, I’d blame every man and his dog and wished I’d never got up, the negativity would feed my day and it would go pair shaped from there.

There’s a saying, “Win the morning – Win the day”, and there have been loads of books and people to follow on this. Miracle Morning is a book that I read. It advocates getting up very early. I liked it but I made my own way. One guy that I follow on Social Media is Jocko Willick. He’s an American ex-Navy Seal Commander and he’s passionate about his morning rituals. He has started a 0430 club on twitter and takes a photo of his watch every morning showing something like 0431 Rise and Shine with his favourite #getafterit. Maybe he appeals to my ex forces mentality, but it does make me smile.

The morning is key for me. But what time is best for you? When will you be able to start a positive routine and stick to it?

I get the exercise done and, in the bag, early doors. It’s at a time that doesn’t give me an excuse that it could hamper with family – they are all still in bed and work can’t get in the way because that hasn’t started yet either. It gives me time to think and plan and I can sometimes kill two birds with one stone by listening to an audiobook or podcast while training. Self-development and exercise done by 7.30am!! If you honestly think you have no more time in the day – set your alarm earlier. I appreciate that those with young children may disagree but find your space at other times. If you have a young family, that normally means they are in bed for 8pm so instead of watching Netflix with a glass of wine, start your positive routine then. Get your running shoes on or just do something with your spouse or partner, read a book, work on yourself until 10pm. I know you’re tired, funny enough I am in the morning when I wake up for the gym! It’s a matter of choices. As I said at the beginning, be happy with your choices but don’t complain if they are not serving you.

One thing that does help me on those early mornings is a positive mantra I say to myself every morning when I wake up and swing my legs out of the bed onto the floor. As I sit there for a moment gathering myself together, I just say, “Great people do great things” and I’m away. Its sounds better than, “Move fatty!” I am sure you’ll agree. Find your mantra, something that works for you. There are no shortage of great quotes and motivational snippets to help inspire you. Just Google “Motivational Quotes”. Another of my clients was hit by the idea in one of our sessions to use the phrase, “You choose your attitude” and he uses that every day now. That has worked well for him.

Napoleon Hill talks about positive affirmations and mantras in his famous book Think and Grow Rich in the chapter Auto Suggestion. If you haven’t read that then that can be one of the first things you do in your new routine!!

Look at every aspect of your day and how you can install good positive routines that eventually become habits. Email can suck the life out of every day. We’re fixated in holding our smart phones and replying instantly to emails as they arrive. Try and segment the day and only answer emails at certain times of the day.

Again, I don’t have all the answers, many will have all the excuses, others will give it all a try and adapt to make it fit for them and gain little wins and that’s all you can hope for.

Fact of the matter is this. . . If you want things to change in your life you have to make changes yourself. If you keep doing what you’ve done, you keep getting what you’ve got. Think into your life and what you want from it, I doubt that lethargy, reactive and negative will be words at the top of anyone’s list. If that is the case make sure what you do every day ensures those words can’t get on your list as its filled with other more positive ones like confidence, proactive, energy, positivity etc.

Your behaviour and demeanour can positively or negatively affect you and those around you

There will be some tough choices and you need to give yourself a talking to in order to stop the lure of Netflix and the red wine bottle but, remember, these are YOUR choices – nobody makes them for you.

A great routine doesn’t have to start at 5am, what about 8am or 11am, what about using your lunch break or 3pm. Why not 9pm?

Do something every day that evolves around your values and energises you.

Walking, reading, meditating, breakfast with your family, a song sung at the top of your lungs with the kids on the school run. Whatever it is makes little difference, as long as it’s positive.

Give yourself permission to spend time working on you. One of my clients has triplet girls and the mornings are filled already with breakfasts, teeth cleaning, school uniforms, hair, pony tails and that’s before 7am!! How can you possibly throw some me time in there? We talked about giving himself permission to take an hour in the day, after all he works late, after the girls have gone to bed so why can’t he allow himself that hour in the day. By giving yourself permission, you avoid that feeling of guilt, “I should be at my desk…” that feeling is serving nobody. I’m sure that when you spend that Saturday morning at your desk you’re thinking, “I should be with my family” or when you work to 10pm every evening you say, “I should be with my wife”. That feeling is common amongst us business owners and is not helpful. If you’re like me, you’ll never get it spot on but with permission you will be better at it.

There are so many other things that people do and believe in, like journaling and time blocking but I don’t do those things.

Other people make to do lists, but I find that they make you feel pressured and worse, especially as we tend to make long ones and leave them unfinished.

This leads to frustration, feeling of inadequacy and helplessness.

Something that I do and advocate for everyone’s health and wellbeing is to write that list and make it as long as you want but when it’s done sit there and get a highlighter pen and mark the one, most important thing that you can do today that makes today a success.

Once you’ve done that, just do that one and you can leave the office with a win.

It doesn’t matter how big or small that task is but by highlighting it as the one thing and doing it – you’ve won the day and you can go home with a sense of accomplishment.

How many times do you write that list and don’t even do anything but spend all day running around like a crazy person? You fill the entire day and sometimes don’t even have time for lunch. When you get home your lovely spouse says, “How was your day?” and you feel like you’ve achieved nothing.

You can stop that ever happening again by picking that one thing and doing it.

Go home every day a winner.

That’s a great tip for being healthy on the inside and the outside.

All the things I’ve outlined over the last two months help me achieve good health on the inside and the outside.

Routines

Exercise

Self-Development

Meditation

Mindful of outside negativity

Never compare yourself to others

Doing what is right and works for you

Daily mantras

Positivity

Challenge yourself

Owning and taking responsibility for your choices

So, over to you –

How can you feel healthy on the inside and the out – every day?

What will you do tomorrow morning that could change your entire day?

How can that first hour really set you up to win the day.

What will you say to yourself when you put your feet on the floor as you sit on the edge of the bed? What will your mantra be?

What will you give yourself permission to do today?

Be intentional about looking after yourself on the inside and the outside and it’ll make a huge difference in your life.

Good luck!

from Blog | 729renegades https://ift.tt/2XIy7Ta

#Blog | 729renegades

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williamjharwick · 7 years

Text

A Dos and Don’ts Guide to Finding Business Partners

Some of the most common questions I receive from the SPI audience are about the legal aspect of starting a business. Although I’ve had my fair share of legal-related experiences (both positive and negative) since starting my business, I also know that I don’t know everything and need someone in my corner who does.

That’s why I’ve been working with Richard A. Chapo from SoCalInternetLawyer.com for almost ten years now. He’s my attorney, and he’s here to help all of us understand the bits and pieces of legal information we might need to know to protect our online businesses.

Richard was featured in Smart Income Podcast Session 231 where he and my trademark attorney, Alena Herranen, tackled the most common legal questions for those just starting out in business. Richard is back today to tackle the important decision of starting a business with a partner, and all that should be considered. It’s an important topic a lot of people like to stay away from, because it involves a lot of hard decisions that all those who start a business have to figure out.

Richard will likely be back in the future to tackle other specific topics related to the legal aspect of business, but for now, here he is talking about starting a partnership. Take it away, Richard!

No formula guarantees business success. If one existed, you can bet we would all be following it. Instead, your goal when starting a business is to create as fertile a field as possible for company growth. Gathering a talented collection of partners to run the business is a time-tested strategy for priming the pump. One problem exists. How exactly does one distinguish between individuals who can take a company to the next level and those who will be anchors? Picking partners is very much an art, but following the Dos and Don’ts can improve your chances of success significantly.

Plenty of information exists online regarding the business partner selection process. My intention is to provide something a bit different today. The following tips will be based not on general concepts of “missions” and “ecosystems.” Rather, the focus will be on what I’ve observed and experienced in twenty-five years as a business attorney. I’ll even present examples where clients have consented to show how certain situations might play out. No, the stories do not involve Pat.

For clarification purposes, I’ll refer to individuals taking an ownership position in a business as “partners” and the business as a “partnership” regardless of the type of business entity selected by the founders (e.g. corporation and limited liability company).

Entering into a business partnership is the equivalent of getting married. It is not uncommon to spend more waking hours with a business partner than with a spouse. I’m going to assume that you would find the notion of walking into a bar and marrying the first person you see as laughable. Unfortunately, many partnerships are formed in this manner. Picking partners on a wing and prayer is asking for trouble. Following a process gives you a much better chance of identifying reliable and competent talent.

Here are the Dos of finding business partners.

The Dos

1. Do Match

Entrepreneurs launch businesses for a variety of reasons: Passion, financial independence, to fulfill a dream. In twenty-five years of practicing law, I’ve yet to meet a single person who launched a business because they hoped to be miserable. Yet, a life of misery is a definite possibility when forming a partnership with an individual who has a personality that grates on you like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Take a moment to reflect on romantic relationships you’ve experienced in life. The reasons those relationships might have failed are likely not akin to the dramatic soap opera betrayal (“You slept with my twin I didn’t know I had while I was in a coma after finding out your uncle is my father’s mother!). No, most relationships unwind because of small personality conflicts. He might be pretentious. She might always be late. He might be unduly sensitive. She might be offensive at parties.

Personality conflicts kill business partnerships at roughly the same rate as romances. The corporate buzzword often used is values, but what does this term really mean when considering potential candidates? As the original founder, you are looking for partners who share your position on taking risk, employee relations, and crisis management, among other areas. The optimal method for evaluating the values of another person is to ask questions that produce indirect evidence of those values. While there are serious legal limits regarding questions you can ask an employee, few limits exist when considering a co-founder who is not your employee. Questions could include:

What interests you about this business idea?

Have you ever failed at anything?

A company programmer publishes pictures on their Instagram account where they are clearly drunk. Fire them, warn them, or none of our business?

What are your expectations regarding the time commitment for this business?

Is there anything about your family life that could impact the time commitment?

How do you foresee the decision-making process working out?

Should employees be given equity or not?

We don’t have the cash flow to pay the employees one month. Do we dip into personal savings, tell the employees there will be a delay, or . . . ?

What does this business look like in one year?

You learn the spouse of a good friend is cheating. Tell the friend or not?

What does this business look like in five years?

Legal counsel indicates we are conducting business in a gray area. Proceed or not?

Should we be aggressive or conservative with the company tax returns?

What are your expectations of me?

At the company holiday party, an employee throws a pie in your face in good humor. Fire them, laugh and take pictures, or . . . ?

What do you expect your role to be in five years?

Should the company contribute to political causes and, if so, what types?

Engaging with the person in as relaxed an environment as possible is likely to produce more insightful answers. Being questioned in an office screams “job interview,” and puts the candidate on the defensive. Being asked the same questions at happy hour or a casual dinner as part of a general conversation tends to mitigate any defensive mental posture.

I once worked with an angel investor who wouldn’t put a penny into a business unless the founders had enjoyed dinner with him at Morton’s Steakhouse where a belly full of wine and steak tended to loosen the lips. You could do worse than take such an approach.

2. Do Look for Complementary Skills

A person should only be added to a partnership if they bring one of two things: a complementary skill or capital.

Capital no doubt peaked your curiosity, so let’s get it out of the way first. If Elon Musk emerges from the VIP room of the local club on a Friday night, chats you up, and offers to invest fifty million in your scrapbook-for-blind-elephants startup, write out the deal on a bar napkin and have him sign it then and there.

As you can imagine, the “randomly meeting super successful business leader at clubs” partner generation business model is not often successful. Finding a partner with complementary skills is a more realistic scenario. Consider an online partnership you are likely already familiar with: affiliate programs. One partner provides a product or service. The other provides traffic. If both partners just provide products, sales are going to be a bit slow.

There are exceptions to this rule, with Google being an example. Larry Page and Sergey Brin were both computer scientists at Stanford when they created BackRub, which later became Google. The gentlemen seem to be doing okay.

Still, failure is the more likely result. For example, I once was approached by a corporate client that comprised three founders, all of whom were programmers. The gentlemen had launched a company providing marketing and programming services. The programming side of the business was doing rather well, which made up-selling the marketing services a breeze. Any goodwill established with the programming services was quickly squandered when it became apparent the marketing department was borderline incompetent. The company ultimately failed. The outcome likely would have been different if one of the partners was a qualified marketing professional.

While there are exceptions to every rule, try to find partners who complement the skill sets of the founders already in the business.

3. Do Have an Exit Strategy

When considering partners, make sure the person understands your exit strategy and agrees to it. No exceptions. An exit strategy is a plan the partners settle on for cashing out of the business. The three options are to sell the business to a third party (e.g. Amazon purchases Zappos), take the company public (e.g. Facebook), or pass ownership to younger family members in exchange for a significant buyout.

Settling on an exit strategy is critical because that decision shapes all other important decisions for the business. Let’s assume we create a company selling lampshade hats online as party accessories. If the exit strategy is to sell the site to a third party within three to five years, then all management decisions will focus on producing short-term results while long-term investment is ignored. For example, we might pump every spare dollar into advertising one-off sales while ignoring developing a mailing list that could give the company a significant advantage over competitors in five to ten years.

If your plan for the business is to leave it to your kids, but potential partners are focused on a lucrative IPO, take down my name because you are going to need a lawyer sooner or later.

4. Do Conduct Due Diligence

Due diligence is critical when evaluating a potential partner. Don’t think so? These postings on co-founder nightmares will change your mind. Due diligence is the process of evaluating a partnership candidate based on independent resources. The focus should be on:

Does the candidate have a history of business ownership, and what is it?

Is there anything alarming in the candidate’s history (criminal conviction, etc.)?

What is the candidate’s reputation?

Does the candidate have a history of filing lawsuits or being a defendant in litigation?

Is the candidate a job hopper, and does it indicate a problem with commitment?

Has the candidate filed bankruptcy or had other financial issues?

Keep in mind that nobody is perfect. I, your humble attorney, earned a speeding ticket the very day I received my driver’s license. I also may have been involved in a “misunderstanding” in an Eastern European country in the 1990s that fortunately no longer exists. (RIP Yugoslavia!) As Oscar Wilde once said, “Never judge anyone shortly because every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.” An event that occurred in 1998 is likely less of a concern than a negative mark arising in 2014.

Before we continue, let’s be clear about something. There are few limits on due diligence when the target is a potential business partner. The same is not true when evaluating an employee. Speak with a labor attorney before using any of these techniques to evaluate a potential employee. With that caution out of the way . . .

Due diligence begins with online research, and social media accounts are your first destination. PeekYou.com is an excellent tool for identifying a person’s social media accounts. Just perform a search for the candidate’s name on the home page, and the site will generate a list.

Read through all the social accounts, but pay particular attention to Twitter. While browsing through original tweets can be illuminating, pay particular attention to their disagreements on Twitter. If the candidate loses their composure or explodes at another person, it may be a preview to how the individual will react during partner disagreements.

Next, conduct a Google search using the following commands:

“Person’s name”

“Person’s name” + lawsuit

“Person’s name” + arrested

“Person’s name” + accused

“Person’s name” + judgment

“Person’s name” + settlement

Reputation management firms specialize in burying negative listings in search results. Take the time to review the top ten pages of results for each search command. Keep an eye out for mugshots and newspaper or television news show listings.

Obtaining background and credit checks is also advisable. However, you should only ask for consent to obtain the information from the potential partner if you are willing to provide the same information to that person. Obtaining a background check on the sly, for example, could come back to haunt you in the future if the partner learns of the report a few years down the line. Spokeo.com is an excellent tool for background checks. Every person is entitled to one free credit report a year, which can be obtained through AnnualCreditReport.com.

And then we have criminal record databases. There is one database you should always check potential partners against: NSOPW. NSOPW is the National Sex Offender Public Website. A bit of free legal advice: avoid sex offenders as partners. To use NSOPW, just visit the home page and conduct a search using the name of the potential partner.

Finally, we have referrals. Ask for referrals from every business the candidate has listed in their employment history. Contact those companies to verify position and dates of employment. You’ll be surprised by how many people lie about where they have worked. You can also ask for impressions of the candidate, but understand the responses often carry little value. Companies are worried about being sued for defamation when responding to referral requests. Many either no longer provide any response or will give a vaguely positive reference regardless of the actual experience with the candidate.

Why conduct due diligence? The time to discover problems with a potential partner is before committing to them, not when a bank or venture capitalist is conducting due diligence on your company.

5. Do Attempt to Conduct a Trial Run

Most people would agree that buying a vehicle without first going on a test drive would be unwise. We can say the same thing about a partnership. Instead of “marrying” your potential partner right away, why not date for a bit by pursuing a single project to determine if you are a match? Matching skill sets and personalities will take you a long way in establishing a successful partnership, but the outcome will always be in doubt until tested in a real world environment.

In the early 2000s, I was approached by a person who was considering launching a business in the natural products industry. This person, who we’ll call Sara, was looking for a partner who had relationships with distributors and retailers in the industry. Sara identified what seemed to be a perfect partner match. The match, we’ll call Bill, had relationships in the natural products industry, a good reputation, and was one of those people who could chat up just about anyone.

A partnership was formed. And it was good . . . for a bit.

Unfortunately, Sara soon realized Bill lacked common sense, which manifested one day when Bill managed to erase the software program the company used for inventory and bookkeeping. The entire program. I swear this is a true story. One tech told us Bill would’ve had to click through something like ten different warning messages before deleting the software. Despite appearing to be a great match, Bill eventually resigned from the company after a number of other incidents.

While it isn’t always practical to take a potential partner on a trial run, the strategy is worth its weight in gold if you can pull it off. All potential partners talk a good game because all entrepreneurs are optimists at heart. Running a trial campaign reveals whether those talking the talk can deliver on a daily basis.

Now let’s get into the Don’ts to finding business partners.

The Don’ts

1. Don’t Seek a Partner for the Wrong Reasons

If you are contemplating adding a partner, stop and ask yourself a simple question: why? The answer may have merit, but many partnerships are created because the original partner lacks confidence and is looking for a security blanket. Here is a little secret—every person starting their first business lacks confidence and is fearful. I worked for a well-known law firm for ten years and had relationships with enough clients that I knew I would be fine when starting a firm in 2000. I was still worried. It’s natural.

As a general rule, avoid giving away equity in your company if at all possible. If you can’t program, pay a freelance programmer instead of taking on a programmer as a partner. I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t pursue a partner, but just make sure you have an objective reason for seeking one.

Once you’ve decided a partner is a necessity, begin the process with a personal evaluation. I am a big believer in personality tests such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test. The MBTI is based on the psychological theories of Carl Jung, and classifies a person by four factors:

How we interact with the world—Extroversion vs. Introversion

How we prefer to take in information—Sensing vs. iNtuition

How we make decisions— Thinking vs. Feeling

How we deal with the world—Judging vs. Perceiving

After answering some questions, the system will assign you a personality profile based on the capitalized letters above. So a person with an ISTJ result has Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging personality traits. From a business perspective, this person would be serious and dependable, but quiet and practical. This individual would likely clash with a partner who is extroverted and makes decisions by the seat of their pants.

To take the formal MBTI for $49.95, visit this page. Alternatively, you can take a free version of a simplified MBTI at 16Personalities.com, which also offers an explanation of the test results. Keep the traits of your personality in mind when evaluating potential partners and their personas. If you are highly organized, a partner who isn’t will slowly drive you mad.

2. Don’t Settle for Unequal Commitment

Nothing sinks a business partnership faster than bitterness. Nothing breeds bitterness more quickly than partners with different commitments to the company. If the partners are splitting profits equally, but one is working twenty hours a week and the other seventy—Mount Partnership is going to erupt spectacularly sooner or later.

When evaluating a partner, make sure the candidate is prepared to make an equal time and effort commitment to the business. A good way to ascertain whether this is the case is to ask the candidate very specific questions about what they foresee as their role and daily activities. Do not tip them off and do not make suggestions. Let them talk. If the person describes a list of tasks that could not possibly take more than four hours a day to complete, there may be a problem if you are expecting a forty-hour commitment each week.

Although an equal commitment is not a legal requirement, you should consider it a practical one. With the exception of partners solely making financial contributions, all partners should have similar commitment levels.

3. Don’t Agree To Handshake Deals

Here’s a typical co-founder scenario. You have a smashing business idea. You need a partner who has mastered Facebook advertising, and you identify the perfect person. A 50/50 ownership split is agreed upon, the partners kick in an agreed upon capital, you form an LLC but never get around to an operating agreement, and off the two of you go to launch the business. A year passes, and the perfect partner starts missing days.

Can you fire them?

Can you just revoke their ownership interest or do you have to buy them out?

Do you even have the right to buy them out?

A staggering number of businesses carry one or more “zombie” partners that siphon profits off like leeches because the founders never stopped to put their founders’ agreement in writing. With no written contract in place, there is no mechanism for dealing with problem partners. The only option is to pursue a solution in court—a process that is so expensive and aggravating that the functioning partners resign themselves to keeping the zombie partner.

Always retain a lawyer to draft the founders’ partnership agreement for you. The agreement should cover:

The contribution to the company of each party

The obligations of each party

How long a party must be with the company to vest in percentages of their promised ownership

Whether partners can be fired and under what conditions

Whether partners can be bought out and under what terms

What voting percentages are required to validate any of these actions

Any other issues unique to the business

A quick word about limited liability companies (LLCs). You will often read that one of the advantages of the LLC is no written operating agreement is required. The reasoning behind number one should be obvious. As to the LLC, an operating agreement is critical because it will contain a procedure for addressing partner disputes and removals. If you form an LLC with another party, get one. Otherwise, you are sitting on a ticking time bomb.

Finally, avoid partners who are hesitant to put your agreement in writing. There is no valid reason for refusing. The fact that a candidate is reluctant to do so is a major red flag.

4. Don’t Avoid Friends

“You should never go into business with friends.”

Nonsense.

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak met while working for the same business in 1970 and became good friends. Jobs eventually discovered “Woz” was playing around building computers and thought he could sell the devices. The rest is history. And did it kill their friendship? According to Woz, the two remained friends until Jobs passed, and despite Jobs’s brutally frank nature, “We’ve never had an argument.”

Of course, there are horror stories concerning friends launching companies. In my experience, there are three rules one needs to comply with when considering friends as partners:

Never go into business with a friend solely because they are a friend. There must be some other asset they bring to the partnership.

You must be willing to lose the person as your friend here and now. If the business fails, it is highly likely the friendship will as well. Blame will be assigned. It is human nature.

Recognize that both of your “work personalities” are likely different than your “friend personas,” and determine if it still makes sense to move forward.

Still unsure if you should proceed? Conduct a trial run. If you annoy each other to no end, the business can be put to bed before you ruin the friendship.

Great, But Where Do I Find These People?

So, where does one find potential partners in the real world? The good news is you likely already know the person. Co-workers are an ideal place to find partners. The beauty of co-workers is that you’ve had a chance to observe each candidate in action and should have a pretty good idea of who is talented and reliable versus who gossips and avoids responsibility like the plague.

Other possible sources for partners include:

Employees of competitors who have impressed you

Individuals who you communicate with online in other niches

Your mentors

Individuals suggested by a mentor

Freelancers who you have hired in the past

Don’t speak with just one candidate. Play the field until you find the optimal choice.

In Closing

The addition of valuable partners can be a galvanizing event for a business. This guide should assist you in identifying those individuals who can be invaluable as well as those who should be avoided.

To your success!

Richard A. Chapo

SoCalInternetLawyer.com

A Dos and Don’ts Guide to Finding Business Partners shared from David Homer’s Blog

0 notes

andrewmrudd79 · 7 years

Text

A Dos and Don’ts Guide to Finding Business Partners

Richard will likely be back in the future to tackle other specific topics related to the legal aspect of business, but for now, here he is talking about starting a partnership. Take it away, Richard!

Here are the Dos of finding business partners.

The Dos

1. Do Match

What interests you about this business idea?

Have you ever failed at anything?

A company programmer publishes pictures on their Instagram account where they are clearly drunk. Fire them, warn them, or none of our business?

What are your expectations regarding the time commitment for this business?

Is there anything about your family life that could impact the time commitment?

How do you foresee the decision-making process working out?

Should employees be given equity or not?

We don’t have the cash flow to pay the employees one month. Do we dip into personal savings, tell the employees there will be a delay, or . . . ?

What does this business look like in one year?

You learn the spouse of a good friend is cheating. Tell the friend or not?

What does this business look like in five years?

Legal counsel indicates we are conducting business in a gray area. Proceed or not?

Should we be aggressive or conservative with the company tax returns?

What are your expectations of me?

At the company holiday party, an employee throws a pie in your face in good humor. Fire them, laugh and take pictures, or . . . ?

What do you expect your role to be in five years?

Should the company contribute to political causes and, if so, what types?

2. Do Look for Complementary Skills

A person should only be added to a partnership if they bring one of two things: a complementary skill or capital.

While there are exceptions to every rule, try to find partners who complement the skill sets of the founders already in the business.

3. Do Have an Exit Strategy

If your plan for the business is to leave it to your kids, but potential partners are focused on a lucrative IPO, take down my name because you are going to need a lawyer sooner or later.

4. Do Conduct Due Diligence

Does the candidate have a history of business ownership, and what is it?

Is there anything alarming in the candidate’s history (criminal conviction, etc.)?

What is the candidate’s reputation?

Does the candidate have a history of filing lawsuits or being a defendant in litigation?

Is the candidate a job hopper, and does it indicate a problem with commitment?

Has the candidate filed bankruptcy or had other financial issues?

Next, conduct a Google search using the following commands:

“Person’s name”

“Person’s name” + lawsuit

“Person’s name” + arrested

“Person’s name” + accused

“Person’s name” + judgment

“Person’s name” + settlement

Why conduct due diligence? The time to discover problems with a potential partner is before committing to them, not when a bank or venture capitalist is conducting due diligence on your company.

5. Do Attempt to Conduct a Trial Run

A partnership was formed. And it was good . . . for a bit.

Now let’s get into the Don’ts to finding business partners.

The Don’ts

1. Don’t Seek a Partner for the Wrong Reasons

How we interact with the world—Extroversion vs. Introversion

How we prefer to take in information—Sensing vs. iNtuition

How we make decisions— Thinking vs. Feeling

How we deal with the world—Judging vs. Perceiving

2. Don’t Settle for Unequal Commitment

3. Don’t Agree To Handshake Deals

Can you fire them?

Can you just revoke their ownership interest or do you have to buy them out?

Do you even have the right to buy them out?

Always retain a lawyer to draft the founders’ partnership agreement for you. The agreement should cover:

The contribution to the company of each party

The obligations of each party

How long a party must be with the company to vest in percentages of their promised ownership

Whether partners can be fired and under what conditions

Whether partners can be bought out and under what terms

What voting percentages are required to validate any of these actions

Any other issues unique to the business

Finally, avoid partners who are hesitant to put your agreement in writing. There is no valid reason for refusing. The fact that a candidate is reluctant to do so is a major red flag.

4. Don’t Avoid Friends

“You should never go into business with friends.”

Nonsense.

Of course, there are horror stories concerning friends launching companies. In my experience, there are three rules one needs to comply with when considering friends as partners:

Never go into business with a friend solely because they are a friend. There must be some other asset they bring to the partnership.

You must be willing to lose the person as your friend here and now. If the business fails, it is highly likely the friendship will as well. Blame will be assigned. It is human nature.

Recognize that both of your “work personalities” are likely different than your “friend personas,” and determine if it still makes sense to move forward.

Still unsure if you should proceed? Conduct a trial run. If you annoy each other to no end, the business can be put to bed before you ruin the friendship.

Great, But Where Do I Find These People?

Other possible sources for partners include:

Employees of competitors who have impressed you

Individuals who you communicate with online in other niches

Your mentors

Individuals suggested by a mentor

Freelancers who you have hired in the past

Don’t speak with just one candidate. Play the field until you find the optimal choice.

In Closing

To your success!

Richard A. Chapo

SoCalInternetLawyer.com

A Dos and Don’ts Guide to Finding Business Partners originally posted at Homer’s Blog

0 notes

judithghernandez87 · 7 years

Text

A Dos and Don’ts Guide to Finding Business Partners

Richard will likely be back in the future to tackle other specific topics related to the legal aspect of business, but for now, here he is talking about starting a partnership. Take it away, Richard!

Here are the Dos of finding business partners.

The Dos

1. Do Match

What interests you about this business idea?

Have you ever failed at anything?

A company programmer publishes pictures on their Instagram account where they are clearly drunk. Fire them, warn them, or none of our business?

What are your expectations regarding the time commitment for this business?

Is there anything about your family life that could impact the time commitment?

How do you foresee the decision-making process working out?

Should employees be given equity or not?

We don’t have the cash flow to pay the employees one month. Do we dip into personal savings, tell the employees there will be a delay, or . . . ?

What does this business look like in one year?

You learn the spouse of a good friend is cheating. Tell the friend or not?

What does this business look like in five years?

Legal counsel indicates we are conducting business in a gray area. Proceed or not?

Should we be aggressive or conservative with the company tax returns?

What are your expectations of me?

At the company holiday party, an employee throws a pie in your face in good humor. Fire them, laugh and take pictures, or . . . ?

What do you expect your role to be in five years?

Should the company contribute to political causes and, if so, what types?

2. Do Look for Complementary Skills

A person should only be added to a partnership if they bring one of two things: a complementary skill or capital.

While there are exceptions to every rule, try to find partners who complement the skill sets of the founders already in the business.

3. Do Have an Exit Strategy

If your plan for the business is to leave it to your kids, but potential partners are focused on a lucrative IPO, take down my name because you are going to need a lawyer sooner or later.

4. Do Conduct Due Diligence

Does the candidate have a history of business ownership, and what is it?

Is there anything alarming in the candidate’s history (criminal conviction, etc.)?

What is the candidate’s reputation?

Does the candidate have a history of filing lawsuits or being a defendant in litigation?

Is the candidate a job hopper, and does it indicate a problem with commitment?

Has the candidate filed bankruptcy or had other financial issues?

Next, conduct a Google search using the following commands:

“Person’s name”

“Person’s name” + lawsuit

“Person’s name” + arrested

“Person’s name” + accused

“Person’s name” + judgment

“Person’s name” + settlement

Why conduct due diligence? The time to discover problems with a potential partner is before committing to them, not when a bank or venture capitalist is conducting due diligence on your company.

5. Do Attempt to Conduct a Trial Run

A partnership was formed. And it was good . . . for a bit.

Now let’s get into the Don’ts to finding business partners.

The Don’ts

1. Don’t Seek a Partner for the Wrong Reasons

How we interact with the world—Extroversion vs. Introversion

How we prefer to take in information—Sensing vs. iNtuition

How we make decisions— Thinking vs. Feeling

How we deal with the world—Judging vs. Perceiving

2. Don’t Settle for Unequal Commitment

3. Don’t Agree To Handshake Deals

Can you fire them?

Can you just revoke their ownership interest or do you have to buy them out?

Do you even have the right to buy them out?

Always retain a lawyer to draft the founders’ partnership agreement for you. The agreement should cover:

The contribution to the company of each party

The obligations of each party

How long a party must be with the company to vest in percentages of their promised ownership

Whether partners can be fired and under what conditions

Whether partners can be bought out and under what terms

What voting percentages are required to validate any of these actions

Any other issues unique to the business

Finally, avoid partners who are hesitant to put your agreement in writing. There is no valid reason for refusing. The fact that a candidate is reluctant to do so is a major red flag.

4. Don’t Avoid Friends

“You should never go into business with friends.”

Nonsense.

Of course, there are horror stories concerning friends launching companies. In my experience, there are three rules one needs to comply with when considering friends as partners:

Never go into business with a friend solely because they are a friend. There must be some other asset they bring to the partnership.

You must be willing to lose the person as your friend here and now. If the business fails, it is highly likely the friendship will as well. Blame will be assigned. It is human nature.

Recognize that both of your “work personalities” are likely different than your “friend personas,” and determine if it still makes sense to move forward.

Still unsure if you should proceed? Conduct a trial run. If you annoy each other to no end, the business can be put to bed before you ruin the friendship.

Great, But Where Do I Find These People?

Other possible sources for partners include:

Employees of competitors who have impressed you

Individuals who you communicate with online in other niches

Your mentors

Individuals suggested by a mentor

Freelancers who you have hired in the past

Don’t speak with just one candidate. Play the field until you find the optimal choice.

In Closing

To your success!

Richard A. Chapo

SoCalInternetLawyer.com

A Dos and Don’ts Guide to Finding Business Partners originally posted at Dave’s Blog

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davidmhomerjr · 7 years

Text

A Dos and Don’ts Guide to Finding Business Partners

Richard will likely be back in the future to tackle other specific topics related to the legal aspect of business, but for now, here he is talking about starting a partnership. Take it away, Richard!

Here are the Dos of finding business partners.

The Dos

1. Do Match

What interests you about this business idea?

Have you ever failed at anything?

A company programmer publishes pictures on their Instagram account where they are clearly drunk. Fire them, warn them, or none of our business?

What are your expectations regarding the time commitment for this business?

Is there anything about your family life that could impact the time commitment?

How do you foresee the decision-making process working out?

Should employees be given equity or not?

We don’t have the cash flow to pay the employees one month. Do we dip into personal savings, tell the employees there will be a delay, or . . . ?

What does this business look like in one year?

You learn the spouse of a good friend is cheating. Tell the friend or not?

What does this business look like in five years?

Legal counsel indicates we are conducting business in a gray area. Proceed or not?

Should we be aggressive or conservative with the company tax returns?

What are your expectations of me?

At the company holiday party, an employee throws a pie in your face in good humor. Fire them, laugh and take pictures, or . . . ?

What do you expect your role to be in five years?

Should the company contribute to political causes and, if so, what types?

2. Do Look for Complementary Skills

A person should only be added to a partnership if they bring one of two things: a complementary skill or capital.

While there are exceptions to every rule, try to find partners who complement the skill sets of the founders already in the business.

3. Do Have an Exit Strategy

If your plan for the business is to leave it to your kids, but potential partners are focused on a lucrative IPO, take down my name because you are going to need a lawyer sooner or later.

4. Do Conduct Due Diligence

Does the candidate have a history of business ownership, and what is it?

Is there anything alarming in the candidate’s history (criminal conviction, etc.)?

What is the candidate’s reputation?

Does the candidate have a history of filing lawsuits or being a defendant in litigation?

Is the candidate a job hopper, and does it indicate a problem with commitment?

Has the candidate filed bankruptcy or had other financial issues?

Next, conduct a Google search using the following commands:

“Person’s name”

“Person’s name” + lawsuit

“Person’s name” + arrested

“Person’s name” + accused

“Person’s name” + judgment

“Person’s name” + settlement

Why conduct due diligence? The time to discover problems with a potential partner is before committing to them, not when a bank or venture capitalist is conducting due diligence on your company.

5. Do Attempt to Conduct a Trial Run

A partnership was formed. And it was good . . . for a bit.

Now let’s get into the Don’ts to finding business partners.

The Don’ts

1. Don’t Seek a Partner for the Wrong Reasons

How we interact with the world—Extroversion vs. Introversion

How we prefer to take in information—Sensing vs. iNtuition

How we make decisions— Thinking vs. Feeling

How we deal with the world—Judging vs. Perceiving

2. Don’t Settle for Unequal Commitment

3. Don’t Agree To Handshake Deals

Can you fire them?

Can you just revoke their ownership interest or do you have to buy them out?

Do you even have the right to buy them out?

Always retain a lawyer to draft the founders’ partnership agreement for you. The agreement should cover:

The contribution to the company of each party

The obligations of each party

How long a party must be with the company to vest in percentages of their promised ownership

Whether partners can be fired and under what conditions

Whether partners can be bought out and under what terms

What voting percentages are required to validate any of these actions

Any other issues unique to the business

Finally, avoid partners who are hesitant to put your agreement in writing. There is no valid reason for refusing. The fact that a candidate is reluctant to do so is a major red flag.

4. Don’t Avoid Friends

“You should never go into business with friends.”

Nonsense.

Of course, there are horror stories concerning friends launching companies. In my experience, there are three rules one needs to comply with when considering friends as partners:

Never go into business with a friend solely because they are a friend. There must be some other asset they bring to the partnership.

You must be willing to lose the person as your friend here and now. If the business fails, it is highly likely the friendship will as well. Blame will be assigned. It is human nature.

Recognize that both of your “work personalities” are likely different than your “friend personas,” and determine if it still makes sense to move forward.

Still unsure if you should proceed? Conduct a trial run. If you annoy each other to no end, the business can be put to bed before you ruin the friendship.

Great, But Where Do I Find These People?

Other possible sources for partners include:

Employees of competitors who have impressed you

Individuals who you communicate with online in other niches

Your mentors

Individuals suggested by a mentor

Freelancers who you have hired in the past

Don’t speak with just one candidate. Play the field until you find the optimal choice.

In Closing

To your success!

Richard A. Chapo

SoCalInternetLawyer.com

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self-fulfilling-prophet · 7 years

Text

Mass Effect: Andromeda 30 Day Countdown Ryder Meme

I’ve been super distracted with moving and the shit with my car, so here have a giant info dump for my Ryder(s). Day 25-16 because it got really long.

25 Days: Describe Ryder’s favorite combat style. Bioware call Peebee a “gunslinger” and describe Liam as a “close-range fighter” - how would you describe Ryder’s combat role/strengths? What are some of their favorite biotic/tech/other abilities?

- For Sara, something like “ranged support”. Like I said, I mostly use tech and biotics, hardly shooting my gun. Basically, if an enemy gets too close I start screaming “NO NO NO GET AWAY FROM ME AHHHHHHHH!!!!” Which actually kind of fits what I headcanon for Sara. She didn’t have the natural knack (or enjoyment) of combat that Scott does. She prefers to stay at a distance, behind cover, and let her combat drone flush enemies out, or use biotics to lift the enemies up where she can shoot them. She’s more of a strategic fighter. Scott is the type to “take point” and just head straight into the thick of things, causing as much damage as possible in the shortest amount of time.

24 Days: Which squadmates do you think will best compliment Ryder’s combat style? Alternatively, who do you plan to take out most in the field?

- This one is difficult to say without playing the actual game. My engineer Shep had a very different team than my adept. Even personality-wise, we haven’t *really* met them yet. But with the limited info we have, I’m getting the impression I’ll bring Vetra and Liam the most. I was worried Cora would be Miranda 2.0, but from reviews I’ve seen she isn’t that bad. So maybe her. We know next to nothing about Jaal, so maybe him/them.

23 Days: Which weapons or category of weapons will Ryder prefer? Describe their favorite loadout.

-I headcanon Sara being a kind of sniper, but I am SHIT as using snipers in game. Trusty pistols and smgs when I actually have to shoot things. Scott is all about the assault rifles and shotguns.

22 Days: Will Ryder craft? What are you most excited about crafting? Do you have any names in mind already for weapons?

-”I am totally not going to waste a bunch of time crafting and looking for materials constantly” I say, right before I totally do just that. I don’t name my stuff though. Makes it too hard when I inevitably have to sell it because carry limit and better things come along.

21 Days: What are Ryder’s personality traits? Describe 5 strengths and 5 flaws.

-Sara: intelligent, caring, loyal, patient, hard-worker; space-case, painfully shy, over-analyzes, has a hard time with change, overly-sensitive

-Scott: intelligent, brave, quick thinker, friendly, funny; smart-alec, cant control his sarcasm, hot-headed, rushes into things, easily bored

20 Days: What first impressions does Ryder tend to give people? Do they have any ‘odd’ or specific mannerisms, habits or other quirks? How do they present and carry themselves?

-Sara is always polite and respectful when she meets new people. People’s first impressions are typically that she is nice, but a little stiff. She takes time to warm up to people, a product of having to move so much as a kid and dealing with constant bullies. The only person she is completely herself with is her brother, her one constant companion. Once she gets to know someone, she tends to become “the mom friend”, another callback to her childhood with Scott. The Ryder’s were poor up until Alec “made it big” in the military, so she tends to be very thrifty. She got laser eye surgery right before she joined the Alliance, but she still wears glasses when she reads (which she does. a lot.) or needs to focus, out of habit. In general, she keeps to herself, but does take the time to check on people and things she cares about.

-Scott *can* be polite and respectful (thank you military father and service), but whether he *is* when he first meets a person is another thing. He has a tendency to be overly-casual with people he doesn’t know well. People either find it endearing and friendly or disrespectful and rude. He rarely means to be rude, but sometimes he can’t control his sarcasm, or what comes out of his mouth in general. Overall, he gives off an easy-going friendly vibe, and people find it easy to approach him.

19 Days: Where would Ryder fall in the classic Paragon/Renegade morality system? What would their D&D alignment be? If you know their personality type in any personality typing systems (such as MBTI and Enneagram - you can find various type descriptions and tests using Google), feel free to add and discuss them here.

-Sara: complete paragon, blue Hawke, lawful good. INFJ-T (Advocate)

-Scott: ESTP-A Entrepreneur), chaotic good, purple Hawke, healthy mix of paragon with renegade retorts and insults

18 Days: What qualities does Ryder like and dislike in other people? Are there any things they particularly appreciate or can’t stand?

-Sara tries to get along with everyone really. She is accepting of people’s differences. The only thing I’d say she has a problem with is selfishness (we are all trapped in Andromeda together, we need to work together!), being rude and/or antagonistic for no reason/just for fun, and bigotry in any way, shape, or form. With all the alien races she worked with while with the Prothean team, as well as being born on the Citadel, she’s had a lot more exposure to alien races than most humans, and it has left her very open minded and appreciative of other cultures. She also appreciates it when people don’t pressure her to be more outgoing or into being friends. Not only is she already introverted, she had a few bad instances of people pretending to be her friend, either to bully her and/or get closer to her more popular brother.

-Scott also tries to like everyone, but he’s not quite as forgiving as Sara can be. He can’t stand bullies, and he can get bored if a person is slow to open up. While he will still be nice, he might just not try as hard to become their friend. Ironically, the people he tends to butt heads with the most are people who have similar personalities to him. He gets too competitive and feels a constant need to prove himself/one-up the other person. All in all though, he doesn’t have to try hard to make friends; people naturally flock to him. If there is one immediate turn off for him though, it’s people being mean to Sara. He is very protective of her.

17 Days: List some of Ryder’s favorite things - colors, food, music, etc. Is there anything of this nature that they hate? Do they have any hobbies or skills outside of combat?

-Sara prefers muted and/or soft colors. Compared to her brother and father, she is the one who likes non-earth/human the most. If you ask her, her favorite genre of music is classical. But while she does enjoy it, she *really* likes pop music. She feels great shame about it, but she can’t help dancing along to a catchy song. She only dances when no one is around, and will immediately stop and run away if caught. She likes to knit as a hobby, and while Scott teases her relentlessly about it, he brought a blanket and sweater she knitted to Arcturus with him. (He will never say it out loud, but they are his favorite)

-Scott’s favorite color is on a constant random cycle between red, blue, and green. He prefers Earth food, and has fought a man for a greasy burger before. He likes classic and alternative rock, and somehow thinks that makes him cool and badass. (He bought a leather jacket once and wouldn’t stop posing in the mirror. Sara laughed for a week straight.) He is a skilled artist, but doesn’t really make use of it often, save for the occasional technical diagram. According to him, he “just doodles a lot”. (Sara has various drawings he’s given her over the years, and she treasures every single one. Many are framed, which makes Scott both embarrassed and pleased.)

-Keeping with the proud Mass Effect protagonist tradition, neither of the twins can dance. Scott thinks he can. But no. Sara doesn’t even deny it, which is why getting caught dancing to pop is even more embarrassing.

16 Days: How would Ryder define their sexuality?

They are both super bi. Sara is also demi, but they both like girls and boys. Of any species. Would that make them pan? I don’t know. Thinking about abstract sexual concepts with fiction aliens is a little more than I can handle right now.

#mass effect #me andromeda #mea #meacountdown

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