What factors should be covered in a joint venture agreement?
A joint venture with another company may be a way to grow your business. You may want to exploit a potential market for your products or services, but your business may not have the needed resources. Perhaps there is another company that complements what you do, and the two of you could work together to open up a new market so you can both profit.
That sounds good on paper, but in reality, it can be difficult to pull off. Properly drafted agreements are crucial to avert failure of joint ventures. Some common pitfalls to consider are:
• Rapid consumption of capital: Capital is often used much faster and much earlier than expected. Failure to plan for this may result in a struggle to find more capital and agreeing to a loan on unfavorable terms. The joint venture agreement may include the option of a loan from one of the partners, but the terms should be at least as favorable as a loan from a third party.
• Arguments over control: Each partner will be accustomed to his or her leadership style, and disagreements over management often occur. To manage conflicts in the future, if and when they arise, the joint venture agreement should spell out the management structure, how decisions are to be made and how are any disagreements to be resolved.
• Desire for assets: One partner may want to control the assets of the other party. A smaller company may be willing to give more control to a larger company in exchange for capital, which could result in loss of control over the project and failure in the long run. Assets that each party brings to the venture need to be properly valued and that value should be reflected in reasonable shares of ownership and control.
• Unrealistic profit expectations: Partners want to see profits, but how should they be distributed? An agreement could list priorities as to where profits should go, including paying off debt or investment back into the business.
If you are in the Austin, Texas area and think a joint venture is something that may be in your company’s future, call business and corporate law attorney Sanjeev Kumar at (512)960-3808 for a consultation today. With his successful business background, Sanjeev Kumar provides insightful and effective counsel to business owners and entrepreneurs.