Today we rid ourselves of one of the biggest leaches on our business. Not a client per se, but a third party who we had partnered with a while back. Initially the partnership seemed like a good idea because it had the potential to bring new clients to us (which it didn’t…any clients we got from this organization we had before partnering), bring in extra revenue (which it did…albeit marginally), and provide an opportunity to some of my elite athletes that they would otherwise not have had (which it did). Ultimately though, this third party took advantage of us by taking more and providing less than what the original agreement had been. They had the terrible trifecta of paying less than originally agreed upon, taking up more of our facility than originally agreed upon, and forcing me to assume the majority of THEIR responsibilities. The odd thing is that when I brought these issues to their attention, the head of the group thought that I had it out for his business (which he had almost no hand in) and made the decision to move on and out rather than change (or even dialogue for that matter). Kinda laughable really. Especially considering that the move makes zero business sense for them. The move is gonna cost them more money (in initial investments in the partnership that can now not be amortized, pending costs from the move, and loss of revenue from closing down) than they could recoup over 1-2 years. The decision was based on a purely emotional response to something that had nothing to do with me. Overall, the end of this partnership is working out well and has been a great learning experience on the importance of trusting your instincts. You see, against my better judgment I agreed to the partnership initially because it provided some things I was desperately in need of (primarily money and an opportunity for my athletes). In retrospect I should have trusted my gut to not partner with one of the few people I’ve ever met who leaves practically EVERYONE with a bad first impression. Good partnerships aren’t about money. Good partnerships are about good people.

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