All about collaborating with a partner

1. Create a profile

Create a profile of who you are and what you need, just like in a job advertisement. This will make it clear to you and your future business partner what you have to offer and what exactly you are looking for:

You and your partner

• What roles do each of you have toward your common goal? Are you the creator, implementer, seller, upscaler, or connector?
• What type of personality are you looking for: someone with guts who takes risks, someone who prefers to follow the rules, someone who makes quick decisions, someone who carefully weighs all the pros and cons, etc.
• What are conditions that are absolutely needed? Expertise? Access to new distribution channels? Storage space for distribution? In short: what do you bring? And what should your partner bring?

How you want to organise it

• How do you divide the tasks: who does what? And who will take the lead?
• How do you see your role in a year's time? And the more distant future: do you want to work intensively for a few years and then sell the company? Or do you want to continue running it until you retire?
• Which culture suits your company or new market? An innovative startup-like' culture? Or a sustainable company culture?
• How much time can you put into the company?

Inside or outside your industry, chain, region, or industry?

• Are you looking for someone local, from a certain region, or a completely different country?
• Is it useful for your partner to come from a specific industry?

2. Finding a partner

You may find your new collaboration partner in your own network. Or in the network of family, customers, or suppliers. You can also search in these places:

Online

• social media, such as on LinkedIn, in Facebook groups or on X (formerly Twitter)
• forums, such as entrepreneurial forum Higherlevel.nl. 

Networks

• Trade fairs, business cafés, meetings of trade or business associations, and other network meetings. 
• Multi-company buildings, co-working spaces.

Government and education

• Regional innovation centres, such as the Leiden Bio Science Park, Kennispark Twente, Eindhoven Brainport, RCT Gelderland (in Dutch), and Kennispoort region Zwolle (in Dutch).
• Business contact officers of your municipality or the regional economy policy advisor of the province.
• Colleges and universities
• Banks and Regional Development Agencies.
• Open innovation platform KVK Business Challenge (for English, click on EN in the top-right of your screen).

3. Check out your business partner

It is important to be sure who you will be doing business with. So find out if your partner is who they say they are. You can do this via the internet or in your network. You can also:

• View a registration in the KVK Business Register to check whether a company exists, is bankrupt, or has debts. For private limited companies (bv), annual accounts are often also available.
• Request a certified extract from KVK. This way you have proof that a company is legally registered, and you know who is officially the owner and authorised to sign.
• You can request Business Register information about companies in other European countries via the European Business Register.
• The UBO register lists who is in charge at Dutch companies. 

4. Agreements in writing

Can you both see possibilities for a collaboration? Agree on how to go about it and lay it down in a cooperation agreement. This will prevent disagreements or uncertainty. Think about things like:

• How much time and money will each of you invest?
• What will you do with the profits?
• Who is responsible for loss and debt?
• Are confidentiality agreements needed?
• How long will the partnership last?
• Who is allowed to make which decisions? May you take dec isions independently or must both partners agree?

Consult a lawyer if you want to be sure that your contract is sound. If necessary, take out business partner's insurance.