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Key Takeaways Accept that success looks different to everyone. There are many situations where people who define success differently can still enjoy productive working relationships and each achieve their unique goals.
Assess compatible vs. divergent goals. The right business relationships are symbiotic, even when you have different goals. The wrong ones become parasitic.
Look for ways to support potential partners instead of looking for reasons not to. Caution can help you avoid unhealthy partnerships, but cynicism is not a good way to grow a business.
I’ve written for this publication before about how Roof Maxx started as a family business, when my brother Todd and I set out to offer a unique restoration solution for asphalt shingle roofs. But as our business has grown, so has the number of people involved. This presents a completely different set of challenges from working with your relatives.
Our dealer network now extends to all 50 U.S. states. That means we work with hundreds of roofing contractors across the country, each of whom runs their own business and has their own unique goals.
When you run a business with people you know well, a lot of your challenges stem from the fact that you know people too well. But when your company becomes more distributed and relies on a broader spectrum of personalities, it’s the opposite: Suddenly, you need a way to accommodate a wide range of perspectives from people whose life experience is very different from your own. And you have to do that without compromising your brand’s identity in the process.
You can’t keep a business in the family forever, though. Here’s how I learned to adapt our company culture to accommodate the needs of our diverse talent pool without giving up the core of what we are.
Accept that success looks different to everyone
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