Entrepartnership: An Interview with the Men With Pens
Even though I’m a solo entrepreneur, I’ve always been fascinated with the thought of having a partner. Having someone who can complement both my strengths and weaknesses is quite appealing. As is having work get done even when I’m not the one working. 
But since I don’t really know too much about it, I thought I’d ask some people who know about entrepreneurial partnerships firsthand. So here is an interview with James and Harry, the Men With Pens.
1. What had you two been doing before you met?
Harry:
Where wasn’t I before I met James? I had been traveling from one side of the Atlantic to the other and then I moved from the East Coast to the West Coast. That landed me smack in Las Vegas, working for a major sign company in the animation department. Being a writer was the farthest thing from my mind.
James:
Before we met, I was working my last year at an international corporation managing the Customer Service department. I was “reorganized” (love that word) when the directors decided to move the offices two cities over. Whoever wasn’t interested in relocating got a tidy severance package and went home. I made a life change and went to work in the horse industry.
Harry and I actually have a pretty hard time pinpointing exactly when we met, though – it feels like we’ve known each other forever.
2. How did you meet and go about deciding that you wanted to be in business together?
James:
We met through a creative writing RPG forum, but it wasn’t until a couple of years later that we decided to open shop together. At that time, Harry worked as a graphic designer for a magazine company. I was unemployed, getting worried about finances, feeding the kids, and keeping warm through the winter. Harry innocently suggested looking online to see if there were jobs in writing I could apply for.
Well. Never give me a great idea. I’ll run with it. We had unique talents, strengths that complemented each other and we loved working together. We already knew we made a great team. The next thing we both knew, I was scheming up our new partnership.
Harry:
The first thing I thought when I read one of James’ posts on the game forum was, “Damn, this guy can write!” He made me laugh too. He rolled with everything I threw his way. Instead of getting ruffled, James kept up the banter and we hit it off.
I know a good thing when I see it. We were an incredible team. The next step of going into business seemed like a natural move, so we did.
3. What’s the hardest part of working together? The best part?
Harry:
The hardest part is separating business and friendship. I used to take everything personally. Money and the division of work were especially painful for us to work through.
But we knew that our friendship was solid. Sure, there were plenty of times we had arguments, each of us stating, “I quit!” We never meant it. After we cooled off, we’d revisit the situation and hammer it out.
James is the type of guy who works at full throttle at all times. He’s always on the go and always needs to be doing something. I’m more laid back and tend to work slowly. Once we let the other to do what he does best, nothing was an issue anymore.
The best part of working together is helping each other grow on a personal and professional level. If something is crap, we tell each other and then figure out how to make it better. When it comes to writing, I look up to James. I pick his brain and listen to all the advice he has to give. I’m a better writer (and person) for it.
James:
I agree with Harry – separating business from friendship is tough. Sometimes we have to start discussions with a disclaimer that whatever follows is strictly business.
Coping with each other’s methods of working is hard sometimes, too. We have distinct, unique methods of getting things done. Harry gets frustrated with me, I get frustrated with Harry, and it often takes a deep breath and a step back to let each other do what we do best – the way we want to do it. That takes a great deal of trust and a lot of patience. (Harry has way more patience than I do.)
The best part of working together is that we’re strong friends and always will be. We encourage each other, we bounce ideas of each other, we talk over problems and we help each other through rough times. If someone needs a break, the other steps in.
We’re never alone – even though we’re 3,000 miles apart. That’s pretty cool.
4. In what ways do you complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses?
James:
Our strengths and weaknesses are almost direct opposites. We’ve always been told we’re like night and day.
Harry:
If we were both like me, I don’t think our business would have ever gotten off the ground. James is the go-getter, the lead guitarist in the band. I like playing rhythm to enhance the melody.
As recently James discovered, the entrepreneurial mentality and personality isn’t as flattering as one might think. A true entrepreneur isn’t really a team player. These people know what they want, how they want to get it, and they just go ahead and do it, even if that means steamrolling over others. I’m not saying that’s the way James is, but there have been times when I’ve had to put on the brakes and pull him back from the edge.
But this is to our advantage. Working as a team requires both parties to push and pull at different times. When one can’t make something work, the other can take over and figure it out. Two Type A personalities would clash, and by the same token, two type B personalities might be too mild to take chances. We balance each other nicely.
5. What’s the division of labor like on a typical business day?
James:
We don’t really divide the labor – we each have very different tasks and jobs to do that make the business flow well. I’m the front man dealing with the team and the clients. Harry is behind-the-scenes working on making sure everything else runs smoothly.
6. Have you ever had moments where you were like, “Thank God my partner was here to handle that?”
James:
All the time. Someone’s always there to say, “It’s okay. I’ve got your back.” That’s the best feeling in the world.
We’re especially thankful of each other when we get tired or burnt out, too. We can step into the other’s shoes for a day or two to take over and carry on.
It’s also good to have an outside opinion you can trust. Harry’s objective views have helped me through a few tough situations.
Harry:
James said it all. We have “Thank God” moments all the time.
7. How do you make sure that you are communicating well with each other?
Harry:
Using all the resources we have to communicate is a must for any partnership that is 3,000 miles apart. We communicate about everything from the projects we’re working on to what time we have to go do groceries. Someone is always on call. You could say the sun never sets on Men with Pens. The three-hour time zone difference works to our advantage in many ways.
James:
The IM is on from dawn to dark. We also email back and forth at the same time. We have phone calls a couple of times a week, too, now that Harry got a *real* phone. Our communication is wide open, and that’s probably because we’re friends first and last. Business is just a bonus.
8. What are some factors entrepreneurs should consider before going into business with a partner?
James:
Learn to put business first. Your friendship isn’t secondary, but your emotions and feelings about any business situation need to be set aside. Every decision you make isn’t about you – it’s about the business.
Don’t go into business just because you’re friends. Go into business because it’s a smart business decision.
Make sure you complement each other well. It’s easy to get competitive in a partnership, so recognize what each of you brings to the business and acknowledge its uniqueness.
Harry:
Competition is good, so long as it’s healthy. If you’re competing to be one up on your partner, re-evaluate your motives. If you’re competing to help yourself (or your partner) be better, then you’ve got the right attitude. James and I have friendly competitions from time to time, but they don’t turn into a fighting match.
James:
Be flexible. Whether it’s on money issues, business processes, methods … Nothing is set in stone. If a situation isn’t working, find a better one and test it. Keep testing until you find what works for both of you.
Learn to talk to each other and hear what each other is saying. Have a common goal and vision. Implement each other’s ideas. Get counseling if you start arguing, because trust us, a business partnership is like a married couple in an office. You have to learn to get along and work with each other in tandem.
9. Anything you’d like to add? A product or venture you’d like to plug?
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Thanks to James and Harry for the awesome interview! If you enjoyed this, stay tuned for my upcoming interview of Shane and Peter.
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I suppose for Harry that should be “Thank the gods…”
Hehehe…
Thanks for inviting us to do this interview, Joshua. You asked some questions that look simple, perhaps, but that took a lot of thought to answer effectively. I hope we’ve helped provide some information that others find useful (and you, too!) about working in a partnership situation.
The support is great… and the patients needs to be doubled
Hmmm. Maybe I really should find a partner, then. I’ve been told I have too much patience for my own good. But if I find someone without much, on average we’d be doing pretty well.
I know that I learned a lot from the interview. Not just about working with a partner, but about working closely with people who are different from you generally. And I think that’s something everybody could learn more about.
Honestly? My view is that patient people are usually the ones that get absolutely bulldozed by partners - quieter, often, calmer, less action-oriented… and the opposite of that is a go-getter entrepreneur. He’ll light you on fire and get you going, yes, but he’ll also probably leave you with your head spinning wondering what explosion just happened. You have to be prepared for someone with a like vision who is not at all like you - and find the best of both worlds to make it work, which isn’t easy.
(See, Harry? I understand what I put you through!)
@Joshua: Thanks for the interview, it was fun to do and the questions were good ones. Another word of advice: Don’t go looking for a partner. Keep your eyes open, yes, but don’t go searching for one. Taking on a partner is a matter of trust, in my experience it’s not a job you can fill like any other by placing an ad
. When the right person comes along, you’ll know. Just like any other friendship or relationship.
@James: Oui, mon ami, you nailed it.
@James: I’ve had some experience with the go-getter type. No “shared vision” with me thus far.
@Harry: I’m not serious about looking for a partner. In fact, it would have to be a pretty amazing person for me to even consider partnering with anyone. I rather like being solo for now.
I’ve learned a lot from these two in the short time I’ve known them. Recently, James reworded something I wrote and the change was like night and day. He (they) really knows his stuff.
I’m still amazed how you guys can make a partnership work so well from so far away. Many people can’t work as well with partners who live next to each other!
@John: Maybe the whole secret to their success is that they’re a thousand miles away from each other.
Yes. I can’t kill Harry if I can’t reach him, so I might as well work with him
Hm. This might be the cure to divorce, you know.
@ John - A lot of communication, a lot of openness, trust and honest, and a LOT of patience. Thanks for your kind words
Kill me? Why on earth would you want to do a thing like that? I’m an angel.
Okay, so my halo gets knocked off center from time to time, but still…
. . . and this is why I like these guys so much! Nuff said