Partnerships can scale your business, or sabotage it. In fact, Fast Company reported that up to 80% of business partnerships fail in their first year.
I recently contributed to a Forbes article that explored what to look for before bringing on a business partner. Among the many critical factors discussed, shared values, vision alignment, and integrity, my focus was on something that often gets overlooked but always proves decisive: energy alignment.
Let me explain why.
Beyond the Résumé: Energy as the Ultimate Test
Skills and experience will always matter, but if someone’s energy throws off your rhythm, undermines urgency, or drags down your standards, it doesn’t matter how sharp their résumé looks.
When I evaluate a potential partner, I ask myself one simple question: “Does this person sharpen my energy or slow it down?”
That instinctive litmus test has saved me more times than I can count.
Because here’s the truth: partnerships get tested not when things are going well, but when they’re under pressure. In those moments, energy is the first thing to either collapse or carry you through.
Another contributor to the article shares my opinion. “When bringing on a partner, I look at their pressure response in addition to their skills,” says Romain Pison, CEO of NoviCarbon. “If values crack under pressure, no skill set can fix that later. Alignment beats capability every time.”
The Momentum Equation
At Avenue Z, we help brands shape perception, scale influence, and build reputation. That means we move fast, with clarity, and often in uncertain terrain. There’s no room for misaligned momentum.
I’ve seen it firsthand: when energy is mismatched, communication lags, priorities splinter, culture breaks. It doesn’t matter how much capital or capability is at the table. If the energy doesn’t match, the momentum dies.
When the energy aligns, however, everything accelerates. Ideas click, conflicts get resolved faster, and innovation flows.
That’s when you stop managing the partnership and start building something bigger than the sum of its parts.
What Aligned Energy Looks Like
It’s not about having identical personalities or work styles. In fact, some of the most successful partnerships I’ve had were with people whose strengths offset my blind spots.
But we shared a few non-negotiables:
- A bias for action.
- A sense of urgency.
- An obsession with outcomes, not just activity.
Aligned energy is about shared standards and matched intensity. It’s the ability to challenge one another without ego, sprint without burnout, and recover from setbacks without resentment.
I think President & CEO of Downstreet Digital, Sam Nelson, says it best in the article, “The right partner should complement your weaknesses, ask sharp questions, and push for uncomfortable but necessary conversations. Alignment isn’t always about agreement but about shared growth.”
My Advice? Don’t Ignore the Vibes
In business, we over-index on logic and under-index on intuition. We’re trained to analyze financial models, market forecasts, and growth projections, but too often we ignore the gut feeling that tells us something is off.
That “off” feeling? It’s usually a signal of misaligned energy.
So before you bring on a partner, whether it’s a co-founder, investor, or agency, ask yourself: “Do they amplify my drive or dilute it?”
Because at the end of the day, the most successful companies aren’t just built on strategy or capital. They’re built on aligned humans moving at the same speed, with the same fire.
If you’re looking for a partner who matches your pace and your purpose, let’s talk.
Read the full article in Forbes.
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