Entrepreneurs should really consider the long term concept of “Partner”, they could be a great asset in a new venture, but they may also be the biggest headache in the business or the greatest barrier to jump when business need to growth!

The questions that any entrepreneur should make before chosen a partner or investor may be:

• Thus, what can entrepreneurs consider?
• What added value does the new partner bring?
• Does the business owner want ideas, or solely funding?
• Would that new person be part of the management team?

Don’t get me wrong there may be a million things to consider, but these are only the first. Whatever is the case, lets be clear that every single detail has to be documented. This ranges from responsibilities, authority, financial accountability, to schedules and so on. In fact the small details that partners forget to explain are usually the trigger for the first wave of differences.

Now, lets talk about investors, should they have any kind of management function? Or should they just behave like any investment bank, solely defining guidelines that guarantee the ROI and the sustainability of the business. The investors need to understand their role in the business plan, and just act as a people that believe in a venture and expect a return for the capital in risk.

So one of the biggest challenges is to be clear when you looking for a partners or an investor?

Below is a formula or method that I believed can work:

If your investors are not completely satisfy with your business plan but still are interested, you may offer them to back up (as a collateral) their funding with shares, but unless they will interact in the day to day management of the venture don’t jeopardize the control of the organizations.

Another issue that usually rises in companies with many acting partners is micro management and excess beaurocratic control from multiple partners. “Muchos Caciques y pocos Indios” or “Too many Chiefs and not that many Indians in the tribe” (my humble translation).

At the end; each new enterprise is different from the other, but there is some general characteristic that allows businesses consultants and advisors recreated possible solutions. The best advice will be, before beginning to offer 10% of your shares ask for help or advice, don’t become a slave of lack of funding and make wrong decisions regarding potential partners. Don’t be the typical guy that gets married in Vegas after a one date.

Carlos M. Baldo

I remember years ago in my Catholic High School when the Christian Brothers (or Hermanos, how we use to call them) used to say, “you need to see how the teenage kids in US and Japan handle computers, so you better engage on the computing era”.

Many years have passed by and I have seen many countries and their reaction to this idea, either in the culture and educational systems, which are not totally true, many friends and colleagues of mine are not the most PC literate professionals in the world.

This example just tries to show how 1st world countries try to push the Global concept with-out preparing their own work force. It was defiantly easier open manufacture plants with cheap labor force than redesign their own to be more productive, or create national campaigns to understand how to repeal the backfire of Global Markets.

Now while living in the US and seen how many white and blue collars jobs are disappearing, the way to follow is kind of simple we have to reengineer the concept of global companies. So all the US companies that are based domestically which produce overseas, and want to sale their products in a STRONG MARKET (Term that I may don’t like to use considering the actual economy) may still survive and created jobs here. Many will think that this is simple barking by someone that may be displacing by the economic turndown, but I know that many people think the same.

So what should we do???

Along the lines of Dr. Frankenstein; should we destroy the monsters? or can we make this monster still be a beautiful creation??. In one simple dish Globalization is a beautiful monster created by developed economies, something like Rosie the Robot maid in the Jetsons, possible way to make our lives a little bit more comfortable.

I’m totally in favor of Global markets, Cross Cultural relations, to the point that I support the idea that Ambassadors are not the ones that run a Foreign mission overseas, the real boss is the Deputy Chief of Mission (Chargé d’Affaires, o Encargado de Negocios). Sorry ambassadors but one of my professors in Spain would often state “Ambassadors just serve the table to do business”.

So while avant-garde countries try to clean the house with tax relief programs, with high increase in government expenditures, with more regulations in the financial markets and housing, they also have to keep pushing their citizens to acquire skills that allow them to stay competitive in this Global Market.

On the other hand those developing countries that have exhausted their resources and use their cheap labor better stay ahead may think that solutions are already in place, and the responsible for all this nightmare is the neighbor with a better and bigger house, be careful while the Monster created by Dr. Frankenstein dies in the North Pole, there are still other monsters that haven’t shown their teethes.

These others monsters could be in the figure of lack of adaptation to the new dynamic, false political leadership and simply the myth of “Don’t worry we have always been a poor country so bad economy doesn’t hurt us”.

Cuidado por alli puede venir el lobo!!!.

Carlos M. Baldo.

Time ultimately passed by and I realized that this colleague was my mentor. He really helped me empower myself to find the balance between my career and personal live.

More recently, I started to help a good friend of my in something similar. This friend has always been interested in topics related to Internet Marketing and recently finishes his Bachelor in Business, but unfortunately lacked education/experience in this field. . Well, after our conversations and guidance provided he decided to apply at the Instituto de Empresas en Madrid , for the Master in Digital Marketing. He just started the program and I am sure he made the best decision, but I personally feel much rewarded. I think I’m getting the same feeling that Gerardo Hernandez (my mentor in 2005) felt when my professional path started to become clear.

I’m sure that there is more satisfaction for mentors than mentees. Natural mentoring comes in a better package than those rigid programs that push Mentors-Mentees to engage in organized structures of coaching.

So be sure that many times out there you can find out someone that may be waiting for help and you can change lives.

Carlos Baldo