The Three Bears

One of the more interesting (for lack of a more descriptive word) aspects of my position is that I manage our three partners. Here is the breakdown:

Partner one: easy-going, just give him a dividend check every quarter and send him on his way. He, like all the other partners, approached us. When we brought him a unique business concept he trusted us blindly. He is appreciative and likes to be in the background. I call when I need something and he delivers in record time. I wish I could clone him.

Partner two: he asked to join and immediately regretted it. Not because of us, but because he isn't a true investor. Although interested in wealth building, he took a leap of faith he wasn't ready to take. He is uncomfortable when he hears nothing. To him, no news is no news. He isn't sure what he wants to do with our partnership and is on the fence, waiting to see what will happen next. I wish I could inspire him.

Partner three: he has actually been around the longest and is the most high maintenance. Often he crosses the line between wanting to direct me in how I do my job and being the silent partner he signed up for. Actually, he has never really been silent, but he has stayed where he belongs a fair amount of the time. He is a seasoned investor and at first, he knew more than we did and we needed him. However, as we have grown, we don't need him the same way any more and I think he knows that. He causes the most challenges for me because he is enthusiastic about what we do and wants to do more. He doesn't see the day to day work involved and he hears about the hurdles we face, but to him, hurdles aren't a problem--because they aren't his hurdles. I appreciate him pushing us to grow, but growing large isn't the same thing as growing smart. I like him, but he takes more personal energy and I spend more time appeasing him than I should have to. I wish I could lasso him.