Your Relationship PlaybookFinding and Managing a Business Partner
Jay Powell
Who is this guy?
Jay Powell
● Began career as an agent in 1998
● Business Development and Licensing for 16 years
● Ten years as an agent
● Bootstrapped a production company for three years
● Powell Group is in it’s third year.
● 100% growth year to year with a century’s worth of
experience
Partnership Overview
● Do you really need a partner?
● Finding a partner
● Qualifying the partner
● Structure an agreement
● Manage the partner relationship
Do You Really Need a Partner?Identifying your goals
Find a Partner
● Understand what you need in the end○ Funding
○ Design
○ Development
○ Marketing
○ Distribution
○ Other?
● Identify your pain points and weaknesses
● Understand your budget and limits
Find a PartnerHow to start your search
Find a Partner
● Start building a list of potential partners○ Industry specific site such as Gamasutra
○ Google search
○ Trade show attendees
○ News
Find a Partner
● Research everyone on your list○ Company websites
○ Powerpoint decks
○ Phone calls
○ Email exchanges
Find a Partner
● Record relevant data in a big Excel spreadsheet for easy comparison○ Examples of relevant data: years in business, number of games
worked on, specializations in game genre or platform, etc.
○ PRICE!
○ Create your own grading scale if needed
○ Prioritize this based on your own KPI’s
Find a Partner
● Narrow down your list○ Research data
○ Track record
○ Reputation
○ Budget
○ Cultural fit
○ Strategic fit
Qualify the PartnerHow to (properly) check references
Qualify the Partner
● Ignore “References” ○ Research their past projects and partners
○ Use LinkedIn for clients and individuals
● Ask the right people the right questions○ What did you REALLY do?
○ How do they approach specific problems
○ What tools do they use
○ How will they fit into the existing pipeline
○ Who specifically will be on the team
Qualify the Partner
● Do a deep dive on the team
○ Research individuals
○ Talk to people they have worked on at other companies
● Go outside the box
○ Talk to other vendors as well
○ Review scores
○ Don’t overlook the traditional press
Structure an AgreementHow to create a contract that is fair to both of you
Structure an Agreement
Your agreement should cover these deal points at minimum:● Game(s)
● Platforms
● Languages
● Price (Guarantee, Back-end, Maintenance)
● Stores or Territories
● IP Ownership
● Milestones or Payment Triggers
● Net Receipts or Revenue Share Trigger
Structure an Agreement
Some tips and pointers:● Know your client
● Clarify deliverables very clearly
● Don’t hand over rights that won’t be used
● Know your margins
● Identify important and unimportant points
● Don’t be a dick
● Be responsive
● Explain why certain points are important to you
Manage the Partner RelationshipHow to stay positive and professional
Manage the Partner Relationship
● How involved do you (personally) need to be?
● Manage Expectations What to expect at each stage of
development
○ “No, the first playable will not look like a finished game.”
● How to define various deliverables in the agreement
● Set regular meetings
Manage the Partner Relationship
● Manage the tactical as well as the strategic
● Don’t loose your cool
○ Explain why
○ Look for the “real” reason
● Communicate!
Bringing It All TogetherGetting it done in less than 20 hours a day
Bringing It All Together
● Use a cost / benefit analysis to determine your true needs
● Use true needs to define your target
● Use your task breakdown from your partner search to define deliverables
● Use your deliverables to define your contract terms
● Use your terms, deliverables, and milestones to define your project tasks and goals
● Check them off, get them done!
Thank You
Jay Powell
Powell Group Consulting
919.809.7441
@Powell_Jay
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