Why I Changed My Mind About Business Partnerships

For a long time, I was convinced I would never have a business partner again.

 

Not because I didn't believe in collaboration. Not because I didn't enjoy working with other people. Quite the opposite, actually.

 

But years ago, I had an experience that left me believing it was safer, easier, and smarter to do everything myself.

 

And for a while, that worked.

 

I built This Mother Means Business. I grew my business. I created opportunities, partnerships, events, and programs. I learned how to trust myself. I learned how to make decisions. I learned how to carry the weight.

 

What I didn't learn was how to let someone else carry part of it with me.

 

When Brittney De Paola and I sat down to record today's podcast episode, we talked a lot about events, community, and what we're building together through North Eleven. But underneath all of that was a much bigger conversation: trust.

 

Because the truth is, partnerships are rarely about business.

 

They're about people.

They're about communication.

They're about boundaries.

They're about being willing to have uncomfortable conversations before they become bigger problems.

 

And they're about being honest enough to admit that maybe someone else is better at certain things than you are.

 

That last one was a hard lesson for me.

 

As entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs, we become very good at doing everything ourselves. We wear it as a badge of honour. We figure it out. We push through. We carry the responsibility because often we feel like we have no other choice.

 

But at some point, growth requires something different.

 

Growth requires trust.

 

One of the biggest reasons this partnership works is because Brittney and I are not trying to be the same person.

 

We're not competing for the same role.

We're not fighting to own the same responsibilities.

 

We have different strengths, different perspectives, and different areas of expertise. The overlap exists in our values and our vision, not in our day-to-day responsibilities.

 

That's important.

 

Because great partnerships aren't built on doing everything together.

 

They're built on knowing when to step back and let someone else lead.

 

That doesn't mean it's always easy.

 

We've already disagreed.

We've already challenged each other's ideas.

We've already had moments where we've needed to walk away from a conversation and come back later.

 

That's not a sign that something is wrong.

That's a sign that we're building something real.

 

One of the things I love most about entrepreneurship is that it constantly asks us to become a different version of ourselves.

 

The version of me who started a business years ago couldn't have done this.

The version of me who had been burned by partnerships couldn't have done this.

The version of me who believed that control was the only way to protect myself definitely couldn't have done this.

 

But growth changes you.

Experience changes you.

 

And sometimes the lesson isn't learning how to do more.

 

Sometimes the lesson is learning how to let someone else do what they do best.

 

As we continue building events, experiences, and opportunities for women entrepreneurs and mothers, I'm reminded that some of the biggest opportunities in business don't come from having all the answers.

 

They come from finding the right people to build alongside.

 

And that's exactly what we're doing.

 

The future of This Mother Means Business is bigger than one event, one conversation, or one person.

 

It's about creating spaces where ambitious women can learn, connect, grow, and realize they don't have to figure everything out alone.

 

And honestly?

 

That's a lesson I'm still learning too.