Partner vs Solo Search

March 04, 2026

by a searcher from Columbia University - Columbia Business School in New York, New York, United States

Would love to hear perspectives on going into a search solo vs with a partner. Some points I'd love to hear about specifically: - business size / type as a factor - life stage as a factor - what you've gained (or lost) from having a partner? - what you've found is most (or least) important in a partner? - what you've gained (or lost) from going it solo? Thanks for your thoughts!

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Reply by a lender
from Eastern Illinois University in 900 E Diehl Rd, Naperville, IL 60563, USA

I am not a searcher but a lender. But I do have some indirect experience here as I have seen many partnerships work over the years and many fail from a lender perspective. The key to a good partnership is both partners being full aligned at the beginning and both bringing value to the transaction, a similar work ethic and similar goals. There is a lot of stress in owning a business. You need to have a strong relationship with your partner to get through that stress and both be able to focus and be committed to the business. I see a lot of animosity between partners that are not aligned if one is bringing more perceived value to the table or one is not working as diligently in the business. So finding the right partner is very important. It is also important for families to align as a business can ultimately impact family life. I recommend if you are married having spouses meet as well and get comfortable with your business partner. My wife saved me from getting into business with the wrong people once as she pointed out things after meeting that I missed. You also need to be sure the families understand that changes in family dynamic have to be kept separate from the business. A bad business partner can create issues. I personally had a business with a partner where I thought we were aligned and once an issue came up we ended up on opposite ends. He got emotional about the business and I focused on finding a path forward. It not only ended the business but our friendship as well. However, my current business partner and I have been working together for over 16 years and our relationship could not be stronger and he has become one of my best friends not only in business but in life. And that partnership has been tested and stressed during business cycles over the years and through growth pains. Alignment is the key to everything. Good luck finding a partner if you decide to go that way.

Reply by an investor
from Columbia University in Fairfax, VA, USA

^redacted‌ For what it's worth, many Searchers I've spoken with who acquired and are now operating, wish they had done it with a partner. Setting aside the mental load (which is usually the biggest factor, both pre- and post-acquisition), having someone to divide and conquer across sourcing, diligence, and lender/investor conversations can meaningfully speed up execution during the search. And post-acquisition, the benefit becomes even more pronounced. Having a built-in sounding board for decisions and someone to share the operational load is a pretty major lever to a successful outcome (however you define that). All this rang true with my own partnered Search. There are obviously trade-offs, but in my experience the pros of the right partnership tend to outweigh the cons.

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