There is nothing better than a great partner. Finding someone who fills in those blanks in your business acumen can be a life saver. Whether it is a rep, or a second shooter/first assistant, or a full business partner, working with someone who helps you stay focused can be one of the most enjoyable experiences of being in business.
A great partner takes hold of what you don’t do well and runs with it. And your creativity helps them do their best at what they do as well.
Synergy. Power. Growth.
My best assistants were ones who understood how I worked. Some even better than I did. They knew where the damn meter was even when I had no idea where I had left it. They knew what I was thinking when looking at the Polaroid with that sort of look I get that says… WTF is THIS? The best would be a step ahead, or at least ready to spin on a dime to “make it so”. They were partners.
My reps (only had two in my career) were also great people who completed the parts of me that were as yet unformed. Yeah, I could handle my way around an 8×10 but bidding a three day shoot on location… well, my ADD kicked in and I would find it a great time to clean the darkroom. I eventually learned from them – and them from me. Partners.
The best of them know how to make you smile when all you really want to do is to kill the art director slowly and with as much pain as possible. They knew how to break the tension, and let me refocus on the part of the gig I was working the hardest on.
However… there is also the possibility that what you thought was a good mix, a good partnership, was not that at all. Sometimes people can deceive, be dishonest, or simply change. If you are not paying attention, the ramifications of a bad partner can be as small as a gig going south and you having to pick up pieces while still delivering a smashing job to losing three quarters of a million dollars. Three quarters. Of a Million. Dollars.
I have learned that while good partners are great, nothing is as bad as a rotten one.
I have no partners at this moment, although I do work closely with some folks that may be limited partners on some deals coming up.
If I have another partner, these will be my rules:
- All checks must be signed by both of us. Both. Of Us. Inconvenient for sure. Absolutely necessary for damn sure.
- Monthly meetings over cash flow, accounts payable and receivables. It isn’t a game, it’s business.
- Outside accounting firm to handle all taxes, regulation oversight and money.
- All meetings with accounting must be attended by both partners… or there is no meeting. Period.
- Partners must agree in advance on who is in charge of what areas. This can sometimes become an issue.
Notice these all deal with a non-photographer partner, not a photographer partner. You will also notice that they all deal with money… most of them anyway. That’s because it is always about the money. Always.
The other kind of partner is another photographer.
Don’t ever do that. Ever.
Rarely works out, rarely ends happily for either photographer.
If you absolutely MUST be a partner with another photographer (because you KNOW it will be fine and I am full of crap) then consider this:
- Make sure you are both deeply ensconced in separate genres. You shoot people and fashion, they shoot architecture and product. Two fashion shooters will lead to some sort of violence in the workplace…
- Don’t mix gear. You have your gear, they have theirs.
- Strict, unbendable, totally unbreakable rules on leaving the studio clean and tidy. Create a fine system with money going to the other photographer. If you mess it up, and they have to clean it up for a shoot, YOU pay them for it.
- Don’t share clients. Period.
- Don’t share money. You make your money on your clients, they make their money on their clients. Go 50-50 on expenses and 10% from every gig into the kitty for all those things that will break and need fixin’…
You can choose not to do it this way. And perhaps you will get lucky. Good for you.
However – be warned – if it doesn’t work out, the pain of the failing process can take quite a toll.
Cynical? Me… nawwww….
Experienced.
