Before You Shake Hands: The Partnership Red Flags That Could Save You Millions with Elle George

Sep 23, 2025

Elle George, a serial entrepreneur and author of Before You Shake Hands, shares invaluable insights on partnership pitfalls. She emphasizes that excitement often clouds judgment and urges slowing down to ask tough questions before making any commitments. Ignoring early red flags can lead to hefty consequences, so it's crucial to recognize misalignments. Elle highlights that exiting a bad partnership isn't a failure, but rather a smart choice that can lead to greater freedom and opportunity. Her book serves as a must-have toolkit for avoiding million-dollar mistakes.

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INSIGHT

Obsession Beats Talent Early On

Talent is overrated; alignment and obsession with your vision matter more when starting a business.
Balance comes later after hardcore hustle, not at the beginning.

ADVICE

Ask Hard Questions Before Partnering

Slow down and ask uncomfortable but practical questions before partnering with anyone.
Use an alignment toolkit covering values, roles, trust, financials, and exit strategies.

ANECDOTE

Fast, Hostile Takeover Experience

Elle experienced a rapid, hostile takeover where she was locked out, emails and files disappeared, and bank documents were forged.
The betrayal happened within weeks and was driven by greed and lack of alignment.

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Elle George is a serial-entrepreneur, disruptor and investor. Her new book, Before You Shake Hands, is the ultimate partnership toolkit with hard-earned lessons on power, betrayal and avoiding million-dollar mistakes.

Top 3 Value Bombs

1. Excitement is the enemy of clarity. Slow down and ask uncomfortable questions before you partner with anyone in business.

2. Red flags don’t go away, they grow. Ignoring misalignment early on can lead to brutal, costly consequences.

3. Leaving a bad partnership is not failure. Sometimes, exiting is the smartest and most freeing business decision you can make.

Grab a copy of Elle’s book - Before You Shake Hands

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