Imagine two friends planning a design studio. One finds their first customer. Together they discuss the idea and agree on the proposal. A week later, they realize nobody has sent the invoice. Each assumed the other would do it.
The partners have a precise question to bring into a reading: how should they divide the responsibilities they are about to share?
A business partnership contains many decisions of that size. Someone has to make the promise, arrange the work, track the time, discuss changes, and follow through on payment.
Describe the roles before comparing the charts
Write the work in order, from finding a customer to completing the job. Give each task a proposed owner. Mark the tasks that neither person wants or knows how to do.
In a BaZi discussion, the practitioner may use terms such as Output, Resource, or Companion. My book uses these families to discuss expression, learning and support, and relationships with peers. Ask how an interpretation applies to the responsibilities you have listed.
A proposed role needs to meet the person's actual experience too. Someone may enjoy ideas and still need practice presenting them to a paying customer. Include that fact in the discussion.
Work through one difficult decision
For our imagined studio, suppose the customer asks for another design two days before delivery. Who decides if the team can do it? Who checks the extra time? Who discusses the price and deadline with the customer?
Have each partner answer separately, then compare the answers. If they propose different decision makers, settle that issue before the next project.
The reading can prompt questions about how people respond. Their answers and behavior during the work give those questions context.
Test the arrangement at a manageable size
If circumstances allow, a clearly defined project can give the partners experience of working together. Agree on who owns each task, what requires a joint decision, and when to speak about progress. Set the spending limit for the test and decide who can approve an added cost. That gives a new idea a budget the partners can discuss before work begins.
At the end, review what happened. Was the work completed as agreed? Did someone repeatedly pick up an unassigned task? Were concerns raised early enough to address them? Keep examples so the review stays specific.
Shared ownership, money, contracts, and a possible exit need their own properly prepared agreements. A chart discussion can sit alongside that work. Ask the appropriate professional to help with the legal and financial arrangements.
For the studio, the next proposal should already have a person responsible for sending the invoice. That small change makes the proposed partnership easier to test. Each person knows what they have agreed to carry.
Master JudithBaZi and classical Feng Shui consultant, author, and speaker. Read my story