Ready for a partner? Best to keep it simple and focused

Smart businesses are always trying to build partnerships. Their goal might be to extend their market visibility, or deliver a broader set of products and services, or to spread out risk.

In its simplest form, a partner is someone who is actively helping you achieve your goals, while you’re helping them. Even your suppliers could be considered partners, because they’re providing your products and you’re supplying their revenue. But usually we’d reserve the term for relationships that are based on more than just a transfer of money.

People often get scared by partnering, because they think of it as an all-or-nothing commitment.…