The ultimate partnership

Last night I celebrated the recent sale of Engauge with my three Spunlogic partners, Raj Choudhury, Danny Davis and Raghu Kakarala. We had so much fun talking about the good old days, reminiscing about our biggest successes and failures, and catching up with each other on what we’re all up to today.

As I drove home, I reflected on how amazingly lucky we were to have found each other and how so many of the entrepreneurs I talk to are searching for the right partner(s).

What made my partnership with the Spunlogic guys so great?

We trusted each other from day one. Trust is the ultimate requirement in any partnership. The boys and I trusted each other implicitly and that made all the difference.

We were willing to learn and grow as a team. When we started Spunlogic we were just kids and we weren’t aware of the journey ahead of us. We learned along the way and became leaders together, willing to make mistakes and pick each other up as we went.

We were comfortable with change. In any good partnership (including marriages), change can be a difficult thing to manage through. When you have the kind of growth we had at Spunlogic – doubling our staff for four straight years to reach 75 employees – that kind of rapid change can unravel a partnership if everyone isn’t excited about it and willing to adapt.

We were great friends. There’s a lot to be said for enjoying the people you work with, especially when you are in the trenches with a startup. These were, and still are, some of my best friends in the world.

We have the same values. It was funny to me post-Spunlogic when we had to implement the “no a-holes” policy at the new company. We never had to have such a rule at Spunlogic because none of the partners would have allowed an a-hole to make it into the building.

We respected each other’s decisions.

We relied on each other. This goes both ways. You have to be willing to rely on your partner and you have to be a reliable partner. Fortunately we had this in spades.

We had honest conversations. Honesty and open communication is key for a solid partnership.

We had fun. I’ve never had more fun working than I did with this team during the Spunlogic years. Watch the video below and tell me we didn’t know how to have fun.

Thanks, Raj, Danny, and Raghu, for being the best partners a guy could ask for.