Partnership

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👥There are many things I do with someone else, and there are those I do alone. For me, partnership means understanding that I am not living in this world by myself. That’s why I’m open to doing some projects or tasks solo, and others in partnership with someone else. Partnership with a person is not about shares or percentages of a business. It’s about projects you do together, moving forward side by side.

A partnership can be short-term or long-term. It can arise with people with whom you co-own a business, with those you work for, or those who work for you, with teams or individuals, with companies. There is also partnership with your spouse. In other words, there are various types of partnerships.

Good Partnership

A good partnership is one where there is openness, where people communicate calmly and honestly. It’s where a positive energy emerges because both parties feel comfortable together. The absence of rigid expectations is fundamental here. Agreements may exist, but strict expectations—where you demand something must happen exactly as you envisioned—can lead to disappointment and pain if reality unfolds differently.

A good partnership is where I genuinely try to hear the other person, listen attentively, and remember what they say. A good partnership is also where the other person listens to me, tries to understand me. It’s a setting where each partner can freely voice their interests while acknowledging that the other has their own interests—and that the other person has every right to them. For example, if I head home to my children in the evening, the other person may head to a club. If one likes surfing and the other doesn’t, they accept that they have different interests.

This means they don’t impose their thoughts, circumstances, tasks, or problems on each other. True partnership is when people are free and live in a state of freedom. Partnership might initially seem like a tie that binds, but in reality, it’s about freedom. A genuine, honest partnership is rooted in freedom. From this freedom and purity of your own decisions, you choose to take on certain commitments within the partnership.

Freedom doesn’t mean you can just walk away without consideration. If at some point you feel the need to leave the partnership, you strive to ensure a smooth transition—finding a replacement for yourself or setting up a system so that the partnership can end harmoniously. Freedom thus includes honesty and responsibility. When you are honest and speak truthfully, you understand why you are in this partnership. You remain not because you are constrained, but because you choose to, aligned with your inner clarity and mutual respect.

Me as a Business Partner

I’ve had various partnerships. For example, in my first software development company, I had a partnership first with one former classmate, then another. Eventually, we parted ways. That was an instance where our goals diverged, and we operated from different motives.

In many partnerships, when problems arise, they often stem not from the business itself, but from issues within the partnership.

In “Business Molodost” there was a significant partnership more than 10 years ago. In “AGRO24” with Andrey Rogachev (Listed in Forbes), I experienced a meaningful partnership that taught me a lot and led me to approach things differently—more consciously, I would say. Back then, my thinking was not as it is now. The same applies to my first company “iTech Group” and “Business Molodost.” By the time of “AGRO24,” I acted based on these more mature principles. Another important partnership for me was in “GeekBrains,” where I acted according to my evolved thinking more than ever before. Probably one of the most significant business partnerships I’ve had.

Outside of business, of course, I have a partnership with my wife. I also have partnerships in my spiritual life, spiritual projects that are very important to me.

Friendship Within Partnerships

Almost all my significant business partnerships involved close contact. The more time you spend together, the deeper the connection becomes. Plus, it depends on openness. I am quite open as a person, with a large circle of contacts and many friends. I’ve never really been alone in the basic sense of friendship. I’ve always had people to meet and discuss various details and topics.

In the context of business, friendships often arose. These partners weren’t necessarily my closest friends, but we had friendly relations. I always had others who were closer to me in terms of friendship and personal connections. I’m quite calm about this, allocating more attention here, less there. I know that now I would act differently than I did 10 years ago. That’s obvious.

Is friendship possible in business? Yes, it is. At the same time, business and partnership can exist without friendship, built purely on business relations. Both scenarios are possible. I know this. Partnerships develop naturally.

Friendship is not a principle of business. If it becomes the sole basis of a business, I’m unlikely to enter such a structure. I wouldn’t say, “We’re doing business only because we are friends.” I’d look for other reasons why I want to work with this person. If we’re doing business for financial reasons, I wouldn’t force a principle that we must be friends. These things are parallel, not necessarily connected.

It’s like marriage: being married doesn’t mean you must do everything together—share every hobby, interest, meet everyone only as a couple, or develop professionally only as a team. Some families might want that, but not me. I have my point of freedom. Freedom means I need my time alone, without anyone—no parents, no children, no siblings, no spouse. I want to be alone sometimes. Nobody will take that freedom away. At least I’ll do everything possible not to give it up. I have every right to it.

Principles of Partnership

👥No fixed expectations. Freedom. If a partner restricts my freedom, pushing me into a state of non-freedom, I won’t remain in that partnership. If a partner violates universal laws (such as fundamental ethics or honesty), that raises questions about the partnership. If someone tries to propagate a direction I fundamentally oppose, I will categorically refuse. I will not remain in a business that limits my humanity in my own world and life. Or if the partner nurtures the illusion that I am trapped, I will be aware of it and say “No” at the right time.

I don’t have social criteria for choosing partners. If a person murders people, I won’t partner with them. If someone drinks heavily or uses drugs every day, I also won’t partner with them. But if a person occasionally drinks and it doesn’t impact the business or violate my interests, and I, as someone who doesn’t drink, see no problem, then that’s their right. If they abuse others in their personal life, that’s a big question. Could I buy shares from such a person or be their advisor strictly in a business context? Possibly, but only under very clearly defined conditions. The more complex a personality, the more conditions. Since complicated conditions make agreement harder, likely no partnership would form.

Earlier this year, a new partnership might have emerged. I started specifying many conditions because certain aspects troubled me. Under a set of specific conditions, I’m willing to proceed. Without them, I’m not. We didn’t agree, so the partnership didn’t happen. This shows these weren’t the right people for me at that time. Could things change? Maybe. But I had good reasons for setting those parameters.

Do I always set a huge number of conditions? No. With some, I begin working without details or descriptions. You just know you need to do something together, no matter how. No calculations necessary. In other cases, I need a super-detailed model, re-check the entire business, ensure every aspect. This variety is my strength, allowing me to handle many tasks and businesses, and see a wide range of opportunities, including partnerships.

I don’t set strict requirements like “My partner must be super systematic, or super creative, or a sports enthusiast, or share my spiritual system and culture, or raise children like I do.” That would be absurd.

Important Aspects When Entering a Partnership

The most fundamental aspect when entering into a partnership is discussing the details. It’s not always super detailed, but this is how you form a base, some kind of agreement. There is a concept of a partnership agreement. I am not stating that it must necessarily be a written document, but it’s important to invest basic parameters into it. Why is this necessary? An agreement can also be verbal. You try to discuss a number of important details with a person or a group of people. If I do not discuss something, then I know I have the right to not do so. I have defined certain boundaries for myself, and that is enough. For example, if I hold a minority stake, where decision-making rights are limited, then I may not really need to discuss the details much at all.

In any relationship, there is always a zone of trust or “non-discussion.” By trust you can also mean illusion. That is, some details that no one discusses. Just trust. The boundary of this trust can be very small, close to zero, or large, close to infinity. It depends on your feeling, on how ready you are to enter into this trust. For example, in some businesses I enter with minimal trust. I need everything to be clearly stated, like buying government bonds at the Chase bank. Everything is indicated in detail there. There are people and businesses where the line of trust is close to zero, and there it is important to clarify the details. It’s not about my trust, but about the importance of clarity within the interaction system. For example, with a bank, everything should be fixed in writing so that there are no claims on my part if there are problems with bonds. This is a two-way process.

It happens that in a partnership one person trusts and the other does not, and he has the right to this. The question is whether this partnership will arise. Someone says: “If you don’t trust me, then there will be no partnership.” So there will be none. And there are situations where nothing is discussed. Everything just moves forward on a certain feeling and trust.

In the Valley, we planned to launch a company with one person, as a technological startup, quite serious and large. And this partnership stopped in a very interesting way. At first we said: “Let’s launch something.” Then we began to come up with ideas and approach the starting point. And at this starting point, each of us had our own sense of reality, and each approached from their side and voiced their own. As a result, the partnership did not materialize. Why did it not materialize? That is another question. I, for example, still do not know the exact answer. I can describe only from my side, and the other person from theirs. And then, perhaps, we can find the right details. We can do this reflection, but it’s unlikely. Each of us admitted that the partnership might not take place. It happened naturally.

I have one partner who told me: “You always know from the beginning the term of this partnership, how long it will last, when it will end. From the start, you came in and knew that it would end at that moment.” Probably, there is a very strong thought here about my worldview and understanding, which I may not be broadcasting. I am basically open to partnership, interaction, to new projects and businesses in different roles, whether I play a significant or a small, minority role, whether I participate as an advisor, even if it’s just a slight touch, whether I own shares, whether I just help, consult, or participate in detail. I am open to different details, to different topics, types of businesses, and discussions—anything, small or large scale, with women, with men, with younger, with older, in different places. I am generally open to this. But indeed, there is a whole set of factors within me.

👥I think every person is ready for any type of partnership. We often look at very rich people and think that they will only partner with equally rich people or only in some incredible niches or areas. But this is not so.

The fact is that when we talk about partnership, we are talking about the connection and contact of two people. Any person can serve as a very small figure in this partnership, a student who is helped, or as a very strong teacher who helps someone else. This applies to absolutely anyone, no matter who he is.

There are always two sides. I can be in partnership with someone who is weaker in some professional spheres or details, or on the contrary, much stronger than me. And that can happen to anyone. The question is what formed the basis of this partnership.

For example, if a very poor person met a very rich person, and in this partnership the poor person sees how to earn a lot of money, and the rich person sees how to get good communication, then this is a problem if they do not discuss it. If they discuss how they will solve this, it’s great. For example, someone tells you: “Listen, we have great communication, let’s do business together.” I answer: “I want to do business with you because I need money, and I see that you can help me.” The person says: “Okay, let’s write it down.”

Another question: is the person who has money capable of saying that he lacks communication, and the one who needs money capable of telling the truth that he needs money? How to do this? Try. Try to do this, do not be afraid. Try to do it honestly and truly.

Imagine there is a person with no money who wants a partnership with a very rich person. Why is he afraid to say that he simply needs his money? Because he is afraid he won’t get it. And he clings to another opportunity, thinks that it will still lead him to money. But he is deceiving the other person, creating unrealistic expectations. Therefore, you just need to say it from the start. Be honest with that person.

And if they manage to agree, the outcome will be completely different. Not necessarily good, but it’s a very strong movement forward that gives many opportunities. Honest partnership gives a lot of opportunities. And do not be afraid, do not think that the other person has some expectations because we do not know what he wants. A rich person may want more money, to preserve it, to have peace, professionalism, or simply enjoy interacting with different people. You do not know what he needs. This applies to absolutely any kind of partnership.

Otherwise, why call it a partnership? Take for example business partnership and family partnership at the spiritual level. For example, in Vedic astrology (Jyotish) it is said that both are partnerships. They are fundamentally the same. For example, I know that my partnership with my wife is a very long one. We met back in 1987.

And business partnerships are very different: some are longer, some are very short. I have had partnerships that lasted only a month. I remember, we opened a law firm in Moscow, worked for a month and parted ways.

Resolving Conflicts in Partnership

My approach to resolving conflicts in partnerships has been different over the years. But now, it probably will differ depending on the specific event. Previously, I made decisions differently. Now, it’s important for me in a conflict to look at many vectors: at my feelings, understanding, knowledge, try to hear this person, understand him. If necessary, I’ll ask the opinion of friends, acquaintances, close ones, other partners. If required, I’ll turn to a mentor or someone who can help. If the conflict is related to the company, I’ll find out the opinion of top managers, managers, see how it will affect customers. That is, look at the conflict more broadly, from all sides.

The more I know and understand, the easier it is for me to make the right decisions. Otherwise, I know I can make a mistake. Making decisions based solely on the current mood is wrong. I had partners who, due to poor sleep, started cutting everything off and lost control over themselves. I try not to be in such a state. If I see that I am in such a state, when it is difficult to make decisions, when everything is complicated, dark, or I have a fever of 40, I try to say to myself: “Sasha, you are inadequate for making a decision in a partnership, you are inadequate for being in the zone of conflict.” I leave this zone, recover, and return to make a decision. Or this decision is already made by me. I know this core, I hold it, but I allow that something can change.

Risk Factors When Entering a Partnership

I calculate risk factors the same way. There are internal feelings of state, detailed analysis of the person, his life circumstances, what will happen to him, and so forth. For example, with a 90-year-old partner, I would understand that he might pass away quickly. Nonetheless, with a 30-year-old partner, I probably would not put such a clause, although he can also die. People die at any age, especially the older they get, the higher the probability of death. But I do not think about the death of all people.

When I enter a partnership, I immediately begin to collect information quickly. I have the ability to quickly see where this person is now and what will happen to him. I also look at myself, do our goals coincide, vision, details. My system very quickly evaluates risks. “Evaluates” means I see many different options, imagine them, understand that they can happen. I allow for them. Sometimes I see where and what I am closing my eyes to, I know about it.

Each Partner’s Contribution

Evaluating each partner’s contribution can be done differently. But if I’ve made an agreement, I try to act honestly. If I see that I no longer want to work that way, I come and say so. This is a very difficult question about contribution, the word “contribution” itself is very heavy. It’s hard to figure it out, as different people evaluate differently. Some evaluate with money, some with time, some with intellect, parameters, number of hours, figures. I probably use different parameters, feelings, states. I am ready to evaluate differently. There are market aspects, and sometimes everything is completely non-market, you just act on your own feeling. But at different moments in time, I more or less know how to act, at least from my side. I can propose variants. There are things I’m ready for and things I’m not. The fact is, there are no rules. It’s just a question of how people agreed, how it happened. Therefore, I allow for different probabilities. In general, I am in the zone of potential partnerships almost every day: in different circumstances, systems, potential projects, details.

Experience in International Partnerships

I have had several international partners: English, French, Americans. They were, of course, different. Now I can’t even remember how many there were. Was the experience of international partnerships different from Russian ones? There are some differences, but everything very much depends on the person himself, his status, condition, details, type of business, topic, tasks. I do not build illusions that I know all kinds of partnerships, all variations of people. It doesn’t mean that if I did a partnership more in one language, I understand that language better. All is relative. Not a fact that the next partnership will be successful if a similar one was successful. Maybe it will be even worse.

Are there nations that will never do partnership with me? There are. Are there nations with which I will never do a partnership? Probably also yes. Are there types of business or people with whom I will not work? There are. And on their side too. It’s two-sided.

It’s important to remember and know that those who talk about restrictions and rules, they try to limit you. They want to control you by telling you about these restrictions. They themselves are not free, they themselves do not know, are not in a state of freedom. That’s what freedom is about. You are free, not restricted.

Of course, there may be different peculiarities. If, for example, the Japanese are used to doing business only in Japanese, that does not mean that I cannot do business with the Japanese. It’s like thinking that I cannot discuss raising children with people who do not have children. That’s nonsense.

Personal Qualities Conducive to Successful Partnership

I highlight certain personal qualities conducive to successful partnership. The most important thing in my life is spirituality. Within my spiritual life, I live by the laws of the Universe: always treat another person as a human being, with kindness. This is the root of everything in my life, so it also applies to partnership. I will never exchange this for something else, for money or for power, to do harm to another person, to cheat. I will not enter into compromise for the sake of money, for the sake of power, doing harm to another person. I will not do it for profit, to steal and deceive.This is a fundamental point—truth, honesty, purity.

This creates problems because for many people who are in dependency, non-freedom, illusion, ignorance, violation of laws, I will be a difficult person. They will look for a catch in me, because they have it in themselves. But I do not need to look for a catch in another person.

Это создает проблемы, потому что для многих людей, находящихся в зависимости, несвободе, иллюзии, неведении, в нарушении законов, я буду сложным человеком. Они будут искать во мне подвох, потому что он есть в них самих. А мне не нужно искать подвох в другом человеке.

Choosing Partnership

👥How do I choose a partnership? I choose it based on many factors. Sometimes I act easily, based on my own internal state, intuition, just “let’s do it,” and sometimes I seriously check everything. It depends on how two people interact in actions. In some cases, I show active interest in partnership, in others—I do not even express it, I just take simple steps, for example, one message. The same goes for me: someone may not pass any walls and obstacles, and someone may change everything with one message. It’s a matter of desire.

I have the right in my partnership to set many obstacles. This is my right. I have the right to refuse or disagree. If another person understands this, he will always find a way to partnership. I also allow that the partnership I propose may not be noticed or rejected.

Therefore, those who want a partnership should ask, propose, find out more details, not be afraid. Sometimes trust your heart, sometimes trust your mind. Trust yourself. Many say they want to make a partnership, but I do not see lines of people waiting, no unreplied messages, no unanswered questions. I do not feel that I do not have time to pay attention to this. Wanting and thinking is one thing, acting is quite another.

What Needs to Be Done to Become My Partner?

What should a person who wants to have a partnership with me do? He needs to learn more about me, study various materials. Do not be afraid to get in touch. Do not build illusions and expectations. If you want to do partnership, it makes sense to always study. Personally, if I want to do something with someone, I try to explore information about him, expand my idea. And then meet, get to know, see. Do not build expectations and illusions, and act, propose. Just come and propose. Do not be afraid to receive a refusal. And do not be afraid to receive consent. Sometimes a person is more afraid of getting consent than refusal.

Please study the information on my pages; everything is written there. If you have any questions, here are the links.

• For questions and any business partnership requests: submit a request.
• Learn about mentorship and advisory: Mentorship.