Taking on a Partner

Over the course of the last month, I have had to make some difficult decisions.

Mountain Biking by 198, whatannoys.me and robbsutton.com are starting to grow exponentially and the workload brings itself to too much from one person.

When it came time to make the decision to take on a partner in these online ventures, there was only one name I could think of…Justin Shattuck.

Justin has become a great friend over the course of the last 6 months or so and he is also the brain behind Justtheweb.com and the new design over at Mountain Biking by 198. Overall, the design has done some incredible things for MTB by 198 and the Shatt’s web experience brings a whole new level of expertise to the oneninety8 family. His blogs, plugins and designs are known throughout the web design and blogging industry, and this should mean great things for the future.

With all of this information, you have to start to wonder…why did Robb say this was a difficult decision? Yes…all of these changes are going to increase the growth and viability of oneninety8. In all honesty…only good can come out of these decisions as oneninety8 continues to grow and prepare for the future. The workload was getting to the point that it was too much to be a one man show and bringing on partners, reviewers and accountants was a must. If I wanted to continue to see this kind of growth for my company, I could not do it alone. One man shows can only get so far before their resources are tapped.

While I know all of these are necessary changes, it is hard for me to give up a piece of my baby. What started as an idea, has grown into a small business that is seeing growth and long term planning. When it comes to giving a piece of that away, I find myself very hesitant to part with even a small percentage if that means the company will be healthier.

I know…it’s crazy. Why would I not want to give up a little to gain a lot? Ego and selfishness…

When it comes to growning your business out of a hobby, you need to realize that taking on employees, partners and other staff members is going to be crucial. Even the blogs on the net that appear to be one man shows…aren’t. They have a strong team of trusted individuals that complete specific tasks that bring value to the sites. As you look into bringing on a staff to your business…choose carefully and make sure that these individuals bring something to the table that you can not. Increased awareness and expertise will grow your business faster than you ever imagined.

So…with all of that…I formally welcome Justin Shattuck to oneninety8. It is cool as hell to have him on board and I am looking forward to the future as we continue to expand and grow.

Want to know more? Check out this post on Mountain Biking by 198 – Who is Justin? Let me fill you in…