by: AskPat 531 Episode Transcript
Pat Flynn: What up, everybody? Pat Flynn here, and welcome to Episode 531 of AskPat. Thank you so much for joining me today.
I also want to thank everybody who ended up picking up a copy of my new book, Will It Fly? How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don't Waste Your Time and Money yesterday on Amazon when I announced here on AskPat. Thank you so much. The results from day one have been amazing. We're climbing the ranks of Amazon, and I just couldn't be happier. Thank you all so much for your support. If you want to check it out, and you haven't yet already, head on over to WillItFlyBook.com.
Alright. Here's a great question today from Jeff.
Jeff: Hey there, Pat. Hope you're doing well. I've been listening to your stuff for a while now, and I really appreciate all that you do. I recently started a podcast called Generally Trivial, taking a lighter look at current events. My question to you is, when looking for people to collaborate with, how do you know that they're as passionate as they need to be, to be effective in your project? Thanks. Hope you're well. Bye.
Pat Flynn: Hey Jeff, thank you so much for the question today. I appreciate all the support. Now when you say “collaborate with,” this could mean a number of different things. For example, it might just mean somebody writing a guest post on your site or coming on as a podcast guest. It could be somebody you are working with in the capacity of creating a new product or somebody who you're partnering with for some incredible venture that you have going on. Whatever the case may be, understanding their passion is crucial, because you want to make sure you're working with somebody in whatever capacity you're going to be working with them on. You're going to want to make sure that they're in it, and they're not gonna let you down.
The only way to truly know that is to learn more about them before you commit to anything. This could be done, of course, in a number of different ways. It could be done with actually talking and having conversations with them. Ideally you'd want to meet them in person, have a drink or coffee or a meal with them, and get to know them. I think the best partners are ones that are formed in tight situations. By tight, I mean you're actually with that person and are able to communicate and ask questions, and go back and forth with each other, in some intimate setting. That would be ideal, but of course, in the online world, in the online age, we aren't always gonna be partnering with people who are just in our locale or anybody we're close to physically.
You could still get that intimate environment and understand more about a person by having a conversation with them on something like Skype, or building a relationship with them through social media, even, is where I would actually start if you have somebody in mind who could potentially be somebody to collaborate with, who you have yet to reach out to. That's where I would start. I would never reach out to somebody, and without any warning, just be like, “Hey let's collaborate on something.” You don't want to do that. You want to get to know this person first and have them get to know you, which is really important. It goes both ways, right? They're gonna want to know that you're the right person, too, and how can you do that? Of course, this is where being honest, being authentic, being transparent, it all comes into play.
Another thing you could do, because a lot of people have a lot of information about themselves online and post content or are up on social media talking about things, that could be a great way to determine whether or not a person is gonna vibe with you. You can look at some previous posts that they've done, if they've hosted podcasts or been guests on podcasts before. That's a great place, because you can begin to hear their voice and get a feel for what they're like emotionally, and that sort of thing.
Another thing that you could do is ask people who those people have worked with before, if possible. You could use something like LinkedIn. If you connect with that person on LinkedIn, you could see who else is connected to that person and who might have recommended them, or not have recommended them. You could reach out to those people. This is something that is obviously very important when you're hiring a developer. You want to make sure that the people you're hiring on your development team have proven themselves in other places that they've worked at before working with you. It's the same way when you're looking with people to collaborate with.
Finally, Jeff, the thing I would mention is, you can collaborate on something much smaller first before you get into this large scale thing that you might be thinking of to collaborate with this person with. For example, whatever the thing might be, you might want to do a small version of it. Maybe the big thing is a book that you're going to be writing together. Why don't you guys just try to do a guest post together, and see what that's like? That way, you can sort of test that marriage, because really that's what it's like.
It's like a marriage, and you want to make sure that you guys are communicative and a fit for each other, and work well together. You definitely don't want to get into one of those marriages or relationships where it's just doomed from the start. Testing small before you go full scale, which is a big theme for me this year and for everybody who picks up Will It Fly?, of course, that's really what it's all about. Test small, work with this person in some small capacity first, so you can understand what works and what doesn't. You can work things through if possible. If not, then you part ways, and you know that this is a person you feel passion from, or it just doesn't vibe with you.
That's what I would recommend, Jeff. I hope that answers your question, or at least gives you some ideas and maybe even more than you had asked for in terms of trying to make sure this person that you're potentially going to work with is one that's going to be worth vetting and building a relationship with, and spending a lot of time with, and of course, conversing with quite a bit. Start small, then you can go big. That's what I would recommend. Jeff, thank you so much for the question. I appreciate it. We're going to send you an AskPat t-shirt for having your question featured here on the show. Thank you so much. For everybody else out there, thank you for all your questions. If you have one that you'd like potentially featured here on the show, just head on over to AskPat.com and you can ask right there on that page.
As always, I like to finish off with a quote, and today's quote is from Maya Angelou. She says, “My mission in not life is not merely to survive but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
Cheers. Take care, and I look forward to serving you in the next episode of AskPat. Thanks so much. Bye.