Doing a partnered search means giving up half the equity in your future business. It's a steep price, so here are the benefits and drawbacks of partnering to help you decide.

1. The search fund model is a marathon, not a sprint. Most searchers spent 5-10 years in their businesses. Instead of working in the business by day and on the business by night by yourself, having two pairs of hands makes the pace sustainable for the long term.

2. Partnering up increases your odds of closing a deal in the first place. You are doubling your networks, sourcing time and investors. While you are giving away the upside of a big hit, you are significantly lowering the risk of not closing a deal

3. Partnering up is an insurance policy. You can get help from friends, employees and advisors, but only a partner has the same incentive to make the business succeed###-###-#### years is a long time and having someone that can cover you in an emergency is valuable.

4. Obviously, these benefits can easily be wiped out if it's not the right time, place or fit for both partners. You also have to buy a larger business, because it will have to support both your salaries. (Or buy multiple businesses)

You can read the full details on Buy Small Sell High where I write about self-funded search and SMB operations: Searching Alone vs. Searching with a Partner