Running your own business can be difficult. Especially if you have a small business with no employees, everything falls on your shoulders, making you solely responsible. Sometimes you may think that having a business partner would be easier. While this can be true, having a business partner can also cause you major problems, even bankruptcy, if you’re not able to communicate effectively with him or her. To help you overcome these issues before they turn detrimental to your company, here are three tips for having more effective communication between you and your business partner.

Start From a Place Of Mutual Respect

No partnerships is going to work out well, especially a business partnership, if you can’t start with a solid foundation. Because you’re now part of a team, it’s important that you and your partner respect each other and your individual roles in the business. Not only this, but Patrick Hull, a contributor to Forbes.com, shares that while your respect for your partner’s role and contribution to your company is important, it’s also important not to underestimate how a genuine friendship can make communication easier. If you have complimentary skills yet don’t like being around one another, the chances of you two having good communication is pretty slim.

Build Your Confidence In Your Partner

You likely chose your specific business partner because you had a similar interest in your product or industry and you also have complimentary skills or talents that can help further your business. Knowing this, it’s important to the effectiveness of the communication between yourself and your partner to have confidence in their abilities to make your company a success. Noah Kass, a contributor to the Huffington Post, shares that acknowledging and having confidence in the strengths of your partner is a great starting point if you come to find that you’re having trouble communicating with each other. This will give you a place to build on for honest and open communication.

Communicate Consistently

To really build a partnership that has solid communication, you’ve got to practice it. This doesn’t mean sending a simple and vague email to each other once a week. It means having consistent and meaningful interchanges between each other. Wes Wernette, a contributor to AllBusiness.com, writes that business partners should never be afraid that they’re overcommunicating with their partner. In order to always be aware of the health of your business, you’ve got to be informed about each step being taken to move it forward, regardless of how small it might seem. Business owners should be able to engage in multiple phone calls to make sure they’re on the same page with decisions. In order to communicate properly, it might be worth investing in a business phone to make sure professional calls are clear and functional. To do this, business owners can find out more, here on Gamma.co.uk, for example. Hopefully, this will make communication a lot easier.

The overall success of your partnership and your business could depend on your ability to effectively communicate with your partner. To improve upon this communication, use the tips mentioned above in your business partnerships from here on out.