Logbook: From solopreneurs to partners - 3 key learnings

Mandy, 28th of April 2026 

It's something many of us dream about, it would be great not to be alone in running my business. 

At the end of 2025, I asked Julie de Meyer and Pauliina Rasi to join me in building the B-inspired community.

One thing we have always done is stay transparent and shine a light on what it really means to be a small business owner in all its forms: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

This new series follows the adventures of three very independent women, with very different personalities, taking on the challenge of creating a partnership. We’ll take turns sharing the experience from our own points of view.

What happens between the ideal and the reality?

We respect each other and believe we make a good team. Sounds like a great plan. You'll find my biggest learning at the bottom (if you're impatient!)

1. The organisational challenge

We were all used to working alone, with no one to answer to but ourselves.

Different thinking styles, different priorities, different systems, different ways of handling conflict... our first few meetings ran into one very practical challenge immediately:

Where do we save things? How do we categorise them? What platform do we use?

It sounds tedious (and it is), but spending what felt like a frustrating amount of time on this was essential.

2. The different priorities challenge

This was all about where to start.

“With the business foundations, we need a direction” said Julie.
“With the communications, the message has to be clear” said Pauliina.
“Let's keep it simple and focus on consistency” said Mandy.

Three different people, three different ideas. 🫨🫨🫨

Thankfully, we had promised each other from the very start to voice frustrations and disagreements early, and not to take things personally.

That allowed us to hear each other out, find common ground in what first looked like different goals, and move forward practically in one agreed direction.

3. The letting go of doing it all challenge

As individuals used to doing everything in our own businesses, all three of us were inclined to do the same here.

We defined clear areas of responsibility, and also clear decision zones: where do we need alignment, and where can someone simply get on with it?

It was hard to accept that someone else was working on another part of the same project and to let go of control. I found this to be surprisingly hard. But we’re doing our best, and we’re getting there.

Our journey is still a work in progress four months in. However, it has already been hugely enriching.

If you are considering a partnership, and you take only one thing from this article, let it be this:

Voice frustrations early on.

It has been essential for helping us feel safe enough to speak honestly. It has allowed us to stay engaged and feel ownership of what we are building.

Tempting as it may be to brush something aside and say, “It’s not that important,” don’t do it.

Voice it. Own it. Even if it can’t be solved.

Then keep moving.

Stay tuned for more entries from our logbook! Next up is Julie sharing how she is experiencing it :-)

Back to all articles