Home topics news image via pexels News News Five things to get right before approaching a potential business partner Yajush Gupta March 11, 2026 The most common mistake small business owners make when finding a partner? Starting with names instead of goals. Here is how to get it right. Finding the right business partner is one of the highest-leverage decisions a small business owner can make. Done well, it opens doors to new customers, new markets and amplified reach without the cost of doing it alone. Done badly, it wastes time and damages reputation. We asked a group of business leaders from across the technology, marketing and growth sectors to share their most practical advice. Here is what they told us. Start with the right questions For Shant Soghomonian, Senior Director and General Manager of Partner Ecosystem ANZ at Dell Technologies, the process of identifying a potential partner begins not with a shortlist of names but with a series of honest questions about fit. “Do they have technical or services capabilities to complement our solutions? Are we a good fit for their business model? What’s the joint investment needed to ensure our mutual success?” he says. “Sometimes a partner will be obvious.” What makes a partnership valuable, Soghomonian argues, is what each party brings that the other cannot easily replicate on its own. “Partners give us a pathway into markets we might not otherwise be able to access. They have specialised knowledge of their markets, technical and services skills and,