“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.”

Stephen R. Covey

In the grand, unpredictable world of entrepreneurship, donning the many hats of a business owner isn’t just a job—it’s a high-wire act, where today’s finance manager is tomorrow’s customer service rep, all while trying to keep your sanity intact and your socks matching.

And when it comes to selecting a business partner, you’re not just looking for a fellow acrobat in this circus; you’re in search of a mind-reading, trapeze-swinging companion who won’t drop you when the going gets tough.

Enter Chris, my partner in the high-stakes game of ‘Whose Turn Is It To Deal With This Crisis?’ We first crossed paths at university, in a setting where our biggest concerns were making it to an 8 AM lecture on time and mastering the art of making instant noodles taste gourmet. Chris and I clicked like a pair of mismatched socks that somehow work together—a blend of skills as harmonious as peanut butter and jelly, if peanut butter was a coding wizard and jelly had an eye for exquisite design.

The truth is that our partnership wasn’t just built on our complementary talents—it was cemented by something far more crucial: trust.

In the realm of business, trust isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the very glue that holds the precarious construct of partnership together. It’s what allows you to sleep at night, knowing that your counterpart won’t suddenly decide to turn your shared startup into a llama farm (unless, of course, that was the plan all along).

This trust transforms every challenge we face into a bizarre adventure. Picture us, navigating the stormy seas of entrepreneurship in a boat made of deadlines and to-do lists, laughing in the face of adversity—or at least chuckling nervously. It’s this unshakable trust that turns potential disasters into anecdotes we’ll later recount at dinner parties, much to the amusement (or concern) of our friends.

And let’s not forget the joy of shared success. There’s something profoundly gratifying about high-fiving over a well-executed project or a successful pitch, knowing full well that the victory isn’t just yours—it’s a collective triumph, made sweeter by the journey you’ve undertaken together.

In the end, being a business owner with a partner like Chris is a bit like being part of a dynamic duo in a comic book—each with our unique powers, facing the world with a blend of seriousness and a healthy dose of humor. It’s a reminder that, in the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship, the right partner doesn’t just share the workload—they make the whole dizzying experience a lot more fun.

Stephen Boudreau serves as VP of Brand & Community at Virtuous Software. For over two decades, he has helped nonprofits leverage the digital space to grow their impact. To that end, Stephen co-founded RaiseDonors, a platform that provides nonprofits with technology and experiences that remove barriers to successful online fundraising. He is an avid (but aging) soccer player, audiobook enthusiast, and the heavily-disputed UNO champion of his household.

Copyright ©2024 Stephen Boudreau.