I've been building my startup and recently someone quite influential approached me about becoming a partner. They know a lot of people in the industry and could definitely help boost sales and make customers trust the business more easily.

I'm confident I can do this on my own, but having their connections could take things to another level.

Should I take the chance or turn them down and keep building on my own?

At my age, (Please dont ask how old an I 😅) I've seen a few business partnerships go wrong because people got carried away at the beginning and didn't sort out the details.

If I were you, I'd let him prove what he can bring to the table first. Maybe start with a commission arrangement and see how it goes. No need to give away part of the business straight away.

And if you do decide to bring him in, get everything agreed in writing.

This is worth a read on founder agreements and what to put in place.

Just speaking from experience.