Choosing Your Crew: Why Your First Business Partners Can Make or Break Your Voyage
TL;DR: Selecting your core business partners ("生意拍檔") is one of the most critical decisions determining startup success. Look beyond just skills or friendship – seek individuals with a true ownership mentality, who challenge ideas constructively, go the extra mile, are committed to growth, and share your core values. Define roles, responsibilities, profit distribution, and exit strategies clearly and legally from the beginning. As Steve Jobs said, small companies rely on great people even more than big ones.
I was once discussing organizational structure with my mentor, Mr. E – the seasoned entrepreneur I've mentioned before. He ran a 4,500-person company at the time, while my JV had about 500. He told me, "I only have five people reporting directly to me." I was surprised, "Err? That few?" His response hit home: "If each direct report needs three hours of your time per week, how much time do you have left for the real work?"
His point wasn't just about delegation; it was about focusing leadership energy where it matters most. And few things matter more in the early days than choosing who you build your company with.
What Does "Business Partner" Really Mean?
In English, "Business Partner" can be a broad term, encompassing suppliers, service providers, even key clients – essentially, any stakeholder. However, in the Cantonese context, "生意拍檔" (saang1 ji3 paak3 dong3) typically refers more narrowly to founding partners, the core individuals who share the risks and, hopefully, the rewards ("夥" implies sharing the fruits). Today, I'm talking about that critical inner circle.
Through multiple ventures, marked by both successes and painful lessons, I've learned that a startup's potential is often sealed very early on. It all comes down to people – the founding team.
The Startup Voyage: Handing Out Tickets to Your 'One Piece'
Inviting someone to join your founding team is like offering them a ticket aboard your ship, sailing towards a grand vision – your 'One Piece'. You're the captain pointing towards the treasure. But even as you issue the invitation, you know deep down that not everyone who boards will make it to the final destination with you.
Before I started my own businesses, I had a rather naive view: startups were simply about good friends chasing a shared dream. It seemed glamorous, with everyone sporting CxO titles, talking about passion and vision. The reality? Often, it's incredibly low pay (initially), working endless hours, and facing immense uncertainty together.
It took about nine months into my first real venture, and experiencing the difficult process of 'Hire & Fire' multiple times, to truly grasp that these 'tickets' – these core partnership roles – cannot be given out lightly. Make the wrong choice, and you might face the consequences, much like Whitebeard bringing Blackbeard onto his ship in One Piece.
Inspecting Your Crew: Who Should Get a Boarding Pass?
If you're already sacrificing comfort, stability, and perhaps aspects of your life you once enjoyed, to build this dream vessel, why would you ever recruit a crewmate who might drill holes in the hull or lead you towards bankruptcy?
So, please remember: Don't hand out a precious ticket just because a stranger says, "I'm willing to come aboard!" You need to inspect potential partners thoroughly. What should you look for?
- Beyond the Job Description: Seek people willing to tackle not just their defined tasks, but whatever needs doing for the collective success.
- Constructive Dialogue, Not Blind Obedience: Avoid yes-men. Find partners who are willing to discuss, debate, and communicate openly, even when it's difficult. You need honest feedback, not just agreement.
- Future-Focused & Growth-Oriented: Look for individuals committed to continuous learning and improvement, who see the long-term potential and are willing to evolve with the business.
Building a successful company requires a diverse team with varied skills. But technical skills aren't enough for a founding partner. You must assess if they truly possess an entrepreneurial mindset, not just an employee ("出糧" / collect salary) mentality. Are they thinking about building value, or just fulfilling a role?
So many partnerships fail because of fundamental misalignments in values, work ethic, or long-term vision. Beyond the dream, you must address the practicalities:
- Define Clear Roles & Responsibilities.
- Establish Profit Distribution Mechanisms: How will success be shared?
- Agree on Exit Strategies: What happens if someone wants or needs to leave?
These aren't fun conversations, but they are essential. Get them documented, ideally legally, before you set sail. Ambiguity here is a recipe for disaster later.
Whenever a new core partner joins us, we emphasize: "From today, please treat this company as if it were your own." True partners take ownership. Their effort is for the shared success, not just for show.
As Steve Jobs famously said: “A small company depends on great people much more than a big company does.” Choose your core team wisely.
讀One Piece去學習尋找「生意拍檔」
E先生曾對我說：「公司只有5個人向我direct report。」 （E先生公司有4,500人；我2009年的JV有500人左右）「Err? 咁少？」 「如果每個direct report，一星期要你3小時，你還有多少時間做正經事？」
<<其之三 生意拍檔該找哪些人>>
在英語的商業世界「Business Partner」和中文的「生意拍檔」用法很不一樣。在英語世界，Business Partner除了指生意合夥人外，亦包括供應商、服務供應商、甚至客戶，總之你盤生意所有持份者，都包括在內。不過，在香港，「生意拍檔」定義相對狹窄，一般只是指合夥人，而「夥」也有分享果實的意思。
事實上，我經過多次創業，嘗過許多慘痛教訓與失敗後，我發現不少初創生意，在創業早期已奠定其成功機會，而一切在於「人」，即創業團隊。
邀請別人加入自己的創業團隊，就像是發給他一張通往One Piece的船票，你以夢想／大寶藏為終點站，號召乘客上船。但連你也知道，在這船上，並不是每一位乘客都能跟你一起抵達終點。
在沒創業以前，我一直以為創業就是幾個好朋友，靠著一個共同理想而打拼的單純行為。每個人看似富麗堂皇的，掛著各種 CxO 的頭銜自由來去，美其名為夢想而奮鬥；實質上領著超低的人工，享受每天加不完的班和無數個看日出的早上。
創業滿九個月，以及自己真正經歷過多次的「Hire & Fire」，我才逐漸暸解到這張船票真的一張都不能亂給。否則你就像是白鬍子將黑鬍子帶上船的後果。
<<你應該對上船的夥伴細細檢查>>
在概念階段或找團隊階段，如果你都已經願意捨棄一切舒適平穩，告別曾經令你快樂的生活，去打造一艘朝夢想航行的船，你大概不會去招攬一個，有機會令你更驚心動魄，且讓你負債破產的船員？所以請謹記，千萬不要因為有個陌生人跟你說：「我願意上船」，就輕易給他One Piece船票。
那麼該找怎樣的夥伴呢？
- ◎不只份內事，連份外事也願意處理的人
- ◎別找聽話的人，找那些願意和你討論溝通的人
- ◎看未來願意不斷進步的人
企業如果想成功，組一支多樣化團隊，擁有多種多樣的技能，這點很重要。不是每個人都適合成為創業合伙人，核心在於你要考察你的合夥對象，是否真具備創業 （不是出糧）思維與創業意願。往往很多合伙人最終合夥失敗核心在於價值觀、行為理念不合。創業除了夢想，最重要的就是利益，沒有明確的利益分配機制與管理機制，創業最終一定會慘淡收場。開始合夥前，一定要設定好合伙人的利益分配，最好能通過法律方式規劃出來，並明確退出機制及後續的長期分配機制。
努力是對自己負責，不是做給別人看的。每次有生意拍檔加入，我們都會說：「從今天開始，請把這個公司當作就是你自己的公司」。
“A small company depends on great people much more than a big company does.” Steve Jobs
Build your founding team with intention and diligence. They are the bedrock of your future success. Sail smart.
