Before a business partnership: questions worth asking

You have met a potential business partner. The broad opportunity makes sense, and both sides want to continue. The next conversation should test whether you can work together in practice.

Before committing significant time, budget or customer relationships, work through six questions. Their value is in the specific answers and supporting evidence.

1. What will an ordinary working week look like?

Walk through a likely piece of work, from the first customer request to delivery and follow-up. Who responds, prepares the offer, approves changes and resolves problems? Ask who has authority to make decisions and how quickly they can act. If both sides expect the other to handle customer support, that gap needs attention before a customer experiences it.

2. Which experience is genuinely relevant?

Ask about comparable work and the counterpart’s actual responsibility within it. A company may have contributed to a successful project without managing the part you need. Look for evidence suited to the proposed role: a demonstration, relevant work samples or references shared with permission. Verify the organisation’s identity and who is authorised to represent it. Record what is confirmed and what remains an assumption.

3. What capacity is available now?

Past capability and current availability are separate questions. Identify the people who would do the work, their existing commitments and any dependence on outside suppliers. Ask what happens if demand increases or a key person is unavailable. A credible answer may include limits. Those limits help you choose a realistic starting scope and avoid building a plan around resources that have not been allocated.

4. Do the commercial incentives support the same outcome?

Explain how each side expects to benefit and when. One party may prioritise immediate sales while the other needs repeat business and reliable service. Discuss how effort, costs and rewards relate to the proposed work. Ask about other relationships that could compete for attention or create conflicts. Where interests differ, establish whether a workable approach exists before promising results to customers.

5. What can you test on a manageable scale?

Choose a small assignment with a defined cost, timeframe, owner and review point. Agree what evidence would justify continuing: response times, delivery quality or completion of a specific task. Observe how the counterpart handles questions, changes and setbacks as well as the final output. Keep the test proportionate to the risk; a successful pilot cannot answer every question about a larger commitment.

6. What should be recorded before progressing?

Put the working understanding in writing: responsibilities, decision-making, milestones, information boundaries and unresolved questions. Discuss what happens if the test falls short, including who handles unfinished work and customer handovers. Use appropriately qualified advisers for legal, tax or other specialist matters before commitments require their input.

The decision can be to proceed, narrow the scope or pause until a specific gap is resolved. Clear reasons make that decision easier to explain and revisit. A useful next step is one both sides understand and can realistically deliver.