Teaming up with another business owner requires a lot of changes—in habits, processes and mindset—and the success of the joint venture hinges largely on trust. The partners of Butter & Scotch, a dessert baking company, joined forces after they discovered that they shared similar taste palates and business aspirations. Theirs is a young partnership with a big plan: to open a dessert bar in Brooklyn. (They recently launched a kickstarter to supplement their funding.)
Who are the principals in your partnership and what is the name of your company?
My name is Allison Kave and my partner’s name is Keavy Landreth. Our dessert baking company is called Butter & Scotch.
How did your partnership start?
We met socially, a couple of years ago, through a mutual friend, and have been friends ever since. Last summer, Keavy approached me about partnering on a brick and mortar location, and it was the perfect timing for us both. We were each ready to expand our businesses but lacking the support needed to do so, and partnering has enabled us to grow both professionally and creatively.
It's a pretty even partnership at this stage. We both are completely involved on the creative end (coming up with new recipes, baking off orders, planning future menus), as well as the logistical and day-to-day business end. As time goes on and we hire staff, I'm sure we'll divvy things up more, but for now we basically operate as a sort of gestalt being!
To what do you attribute the strength of your partnership?
I can say that for me, I trust Keavy completely. We basically have the same palate, so if she has instincts about changes to flavors or recipes, I don't question them. Because we both come from such similar backgrounds in terms of the type of businesses we owned previously, and the way they were structured, we trust each other to know how to run the show. We also have fun in the kitchen and love nothing more than daydreaming up new recipes together!
What habits do you cultivate that strengthen your relationship?
We're just starting to be more organized in terms of weekly meetings to go through emails, pursue new business, and figure out some longer-term projects and plans. I think that this has really helped us to further cement our new partnership and keeps us on the same page.
What was the biggest challenge you faced as partners and how did you overcome it?
Coming from being sole proprietors of our own businesses to suddenly sharing everything 50-50, it can sometimes be a challenge to remember that it's necessary to run things by each other. That said, I think we've both learned that it's actually a relief to have someone else to weigh decisions and discuss ideas—it can be very lonely to do everything on your own.
What was the biggest disagreement you have had to resolve?
Our partnership is extremely new, and so far we haven't run into any huge conflicts (knocking on wood!). I'm sure we'll hit some roadblocks down the road, but so far our disagreements have been minor, thankfully!
What advice would you give to new partners?
It's important to make sure you both have the same goals and objectives for your enterprise. I know that neither of us ever questions the other person's commitment to our business—we're both all in, and that is hugely comforting and encouraging. It's also important to make sure you truly like and respect each other as people, outside of business, because this is someone with whom you'll be spending a lot of time!
Does your partnership work because you and your partner are always on the same page? Share your story or lessons learned in the comments or tweet me @furiouslymandy with the hashtag #committed.
This is part of a series of interviews with real business partners who open up about what makes their partnership tick. Do you have a partnership that is thriving? If you’re willing to share your story, fill out my questionnaire and I may feature you in a future column.
