As business owners, we often encounter opportunities that sound promising on the surface — like partnerships that claim to be mutually beneficial. Over the past 1.5 years of teaching about the Legacy Builder, I’ve learned that not all partnership requests are what they seem.
The Reality of Partnership Requests
In my business, I receive an average of 10-15 messages daily from people asking about potential partnerships. The typical message sounds like: “I work with several entrepreneurs, and I believe your service could be valuable to them. Can we set up a time to speak about a strategic partnership?”
Here’s the hard truth: In the last 1.5 years, not one of these requests has turned into a productive partnership or led to actual clients being referred my way. Many of these discussions were more about what the other party could gain rather than what was best for their clients.
Why This Happens
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Fear of Unknown Results: The person may be hesitant to refer their clients because they haven’t personally experienced your service.
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Desire for Personal Gain: They may prioritize what they can get out of the partnership before considering what’s best for their clients.
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Control and Validation: They want to test the waters themselves, either due to insecurity or the belief that they need to protect their reputation.
How I Address Partnership Requests
To avoid wasting time on conversations that don’t lead to results, I implemented a policy requiring anyone interested in a partnership to schedule a formal consultation. This approach:
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Filters out those who aren’t willing to take the extra step
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Sets a professional tone and shows that both parties respect each other’s time
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Creates clarity of intent — we discuss goals, expectations, and what they hope to achieve
Your time is your most valuable asset. Don’t give it away to partnership requests that are really just attempts to leverage your work for someone else’s gain.
