Feb 24, 2016

By: Author, Erin Piper

Dear Business Partnership,  Goodbye, I’m Breaking Up With You!

When is it a Good Idea to Terminate Old Business Partnerships?

After a conversation with a few business associates and marketers that I have shared a joint venture with, we have discussed some business opportunities that have come in with a BANG blazing with so much HYPE and shortly after, this opportunity ended up being a complete BUST!  Our hearts spiked with joy to see booming commission checks in the beginning and sadly, this glorious windfall comes to a crashing halt unexpectedly or because of a drastic shift with its leadership.

The common ground is that; it isn’t always the hard-working affiliate and internet marketing beginners fault.  Also, if any leader starts telling you that you are lazy or you haven’t invested enough, its time to question THEIR motives and see if that happens to be sincere honest advice or could it be someone being greedy attempting to extort more money from you?  Especially when, I have seen people glued to their laptops for months on end applying the exact methods in these trainings, however, they are getting marginal results.   How is this considered freedom you might ask?

They are still persisting and searching for success in business opportunities and partnerships that work.  However, some opportunities have been shut down by the FTC, some have gone bankrupt, and then there are some that are still in business but have changed their mission statements and business platforms so many times that it had lost its identity and authenticity to compete in the marketplace.  Whenever I see these behaviors start to evolve, this is a sure sign that it will only be a matter of time before a business would shut its doors down.  It’s like a bad lover that has committed financial adultery on you and the only way you will discover that they have been unfaithful is when you check out your bank statements.

After mentioning a few affiliate programs that proclaim to train people while getting paid what they are learning, we wondered;  What if the quality they are plastering up there is nothing more than a self-proclaimed internet genius that is just throwing mud up on a wall just to see how many spectators are wanting to sit there watching and wondering if it will stick?   Also, how many of thousands of dollars can that genius extort from you before you come to your senses and realize that the methods really do not work for you?  Don’t get me wrong, there are TONS of respectable digital mentors out there that give business owners amazing results.  However, there are a few that sell us some pretty sour lemonade. 

I am sticking with the “mud” analogy here because of the fact that I had to make a serious business decision about who I should recommend for my clients to help them move forward with their online business goals.  For the past several years, I had faithfully been suggesting people to use a product that offered a basic primer tutorial series to help bloggers and marketers prosper. In the beginning, it was honest, clear, and amazing content that worked.  The trainer that lead this tutorial was clear and to the point.  However, sadly after a fallout with the founder, he left the company and decided to create his own product. This was the beginning of the great fallout.

I use to put my heart and soul into the founders and their mission because it was genuine and sincere.  A company that you can honestly align your code of ethics and know that it is a valuable product with a great purpose that people would believe in and would want to promote. With any affiliate program, I (personally) need to feel like I can go to bed at night knowing my partnership and I  have provided excellent solutions and quality service to anyone of my clients. However, through the years, one of my primary company partnerships had several shifts of business energy, financial troubles, threats from the FTC, and to make the situation even more difficult, the leaders would not take ownership or responsibilities for their decisions.  Instead, they would sling mud at each other, spread gossip, and play the blame game.  This feels like you just caught word that your partnership gave you a case of a verbal venereal disease.  Nobody wants to be associated with you should you decide to lock arms with that class of business ownership. 

So when is it a good time to terminate a business partnership?

Looking at it from a business owner’s perspective:  This is not professional behavior or even people you want to attach next to your business name.   It is important to lock arms with solution finders more than daytime drama actors and attention seekers.  Therefore, if your primary offer starts sounding like a mudslinging match, it is time to break up with them.  

Another reason to leave a company is that your values and moral fiber might have swiftly changed.  It’s not about the money, it’s about how you feel when that financial energy is given to you.  If you feel sleazy, raw, or numb because of the change of leadership, commission structures, or the direction of the company just doesn’t feel like they are morally being completely transparent with their customers, Then it is time to break up with your business offer.

 Some of my colleagues have admitted that the only reason they stay with the company that they detest is simply because they have invested so much time, money, effort, and resources into their business partnership that they just want to make a return on their initial investments before they can part ways. They feel “STUCK”.  Much like an old lover where your goals and dreams are going in separate directions. If this sounds like you, it is also time to break up with your business partnership.  Your mental energy is being exposed to toxins that you can no longer afford to drain you.  

You might also be wondering: WHY would I advise someone to QUIT and cut all their losses?  Because money should be considered as energy that is either a helpful resource, an experience, or a lesson in life.  It should move swiftly versus being stuck for an extended amount of time.  If you can’t flip a profit swiftly with this business partnership, I suggest to move forward and look for business partnerships that are financially sound and ethically aligned with your moral compass.

After the decision is made, where does one go to lock arms with excellent business leaders and find outstanding partnerships that respectfully and professionally align with your belief systems? When you seem to feel lost, take the day off and go to the local bo
okstore.  Stroll around in the business development and motivational business section and take a glance at some of the leading authors.  My favorite place to find new business ideas are at airports.  They always have the leading business publications ready for serious business professionals to grab and read on the plane. Then go on facebook and take a look at who is offering a special workshop. look and see who is making people get results by helping them shift from day jobs into full-time business ownership.  Solution finders are way too busy to be slinging mud about everybody else.  This only shows that boredom has set into a consultants mindset and has lost sight of their vision to help others WIN.  Move forward and be around the shift shapers and digital experts getting tremendous results. 

I also mysteriously attract amazing business alliances and strike up great conversations with successful business owners when I do have a publication in my hand.  My best advice is to breakup with your old business and trust the process.  You are destined to move onto something far more authentic and more in-tuned with your purpose the moment you make the decision to part ways and wish them well on their business ventures without you.

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