The Partnership Guys

Steven Schneider, Todd Leonardis, Rob Stolker
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship

Most business problems are really people problems—especially when it comes to partnerships. Whether it’s your co-founder, a key vendor, or even your top customer, misalignment can cost you time, money, and sanity. The Partnership Guys Podcast helps you fix that. This is the show for entrepreneurs, operators, and leaders who know relationships drive results. Steven, Todd, and Rob have built multi-million dollar companies and navigated the full spectrum of business partnerships—from co-owners and teams to clients and collaborators. They’ve had the tough talks, survived the ego clashes, and figured out how to make business relationships actually work. Each week, they share honest conversations, practical frameworks, and battle-tested lessons to help you communicate clearly, build trust faster, and turn every partnership into a strategic advantage. If you work with people, this podcast is for you. Subscribe and make your partnerships work better. Hosted by Steven Schneider, Todd Leonardis, and Rob Stolker

  1. 6d ago

    Are You Building Your Partnership by Design or by Default?

    What if the biggest threat to your business partnership isn’t conflict, but the conversations you never had? Most entrepreneurs start partnerships focused on the opportunity. The product. The customers. The money. The growth. But Todd, Steven, and Rob argue there’s another business asset that deserves just as much attention: the partnership itself. In this episode of The Partnership Guys Podcast, they unpack the “Build It” pathway from their Partnership Pathways Model and reveal why liking, trusting, or even succeeding with someone doesn’t automatically create a strong partnership. They explore the conversations Todd and Steven started having more than 25 years ago, why expectations can quietly turn into resentment, and why some of the toughest conversations should happen when everything is going well. Because signing an agreement might establish a partnership on paper. Building one that can survive growth, pressure, money, and life takes something more. What you will learn in this episode: How to build your partnership intentionally instead of letting it develop by defaultHow to uncover what success really means to each partnerHow to create clarity around roles, responsibilities, and decision-makingHow to discuss workload and compensation before resentment developsHow to have difficult conversations while the relationship is strongHow to keep rebuilding your partnership as your business and lives changeQuestions answered: What does it actually mean to build a partnership by design?Why isn’t a good relationship automatically a good business partnership?Do business partners need to have the same goals?What conversations should partners have before problems appear?How should partners handle roles, compensation, workload, and disagreements?Why should partners discuss exits, buyouts, death, and disability while things are going well?What happens when expectations are assumed instead of discussed?Can an established partnership still be intentionally redesigned?Why do Todd and Steven say they “renew” their partnership every day?Listen now and discover what it takes to build the partnership while you’re building the business. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you got value from this conversation, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. It helps more people discover the show.

  2. Sep 22

    Who Have You Become Because of Your Partner?

    What if your business is successful, but you can’t stand working with your partner? A partnership can make money and still fall far short of what it could become. In Part 1, The Partnership Guys explored how the right partnership can change your life. In Part 2, Rob, Todd, and Steven dig into what it takes to actually build that kind of relationship. Steven shares what changes when trust becomes strong enough that feedback no longer feels like an attack. Todd explains how working alongside someone very different from him changed the way he handles conflict and communicates with people. And Rob challenges a familiar warning about mixing friendship and business by sharing why some of his strongest partnerships started as friendships. But none of it happens automatically. Trust takes repetition. Respect takes time. Vulnerability takes courage. And a partnership capable of changing your life has to be intentionally built. Because one plus one can equal two. Or, with the right partnership, it can become something much bigger. What you will learn in this episode: How to receive difficult feedback from your partner without immediately becoming defensiveHow to learn from your partner’s differences instead of fighting against themHow to communicate more effectively with people who think and operate differently than youHow to turn an existing friendship into a stronger business partnershipHow to build trust and respect through conscious effort and repetitionHow to create a partnership that strengthens your life instead of simply producing financial resultsHow to recognize the difference between a partnership that works and one that creates exponential valueHow to build your partnership by design instead of letting the relationship develop by accidentQuestions answered: What changes when you completely trust your business partner?Can your partner’s personality actually help change yours?Do friends make good business partners?Why can two very different people become great partners?How long does it take to build deep trust and respect?Can you have a successful business without having a great partnership?What separates a partnership where one plus one equals two from one where it becomes five?Why does a strong partnership require vulnerability, generosity, communication, and checking your ego?What does it mean for a business partnership to contribute to a successful life?Partnerships don’t become extraordinary because two people happen to work well together. They become extraordinary when both people decide the relationship itself is worth working on. Listen to Part 2 of the Season 2 finale and learn what can happen when you stop settling for a partnership that simply works and start intentionally building one that makes both of you better. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you got value from this conversation, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. It helps more people discover the show.

  3. Sep 15

    Who Are You Becoming Because of Your Partner?

    What if the biggest return from your business partnership has nothing to do with money? Most entrepreneurs choose a partner for practical reasons: skills, money, connections, opportunity, or growth. Todd and Steven did too. They thought they were buying a business they would turn around and sell within three years. More than 25 years later, the business is only part of the story. In Part 1 of this two-part season finale, Rob, Todd, and Steven look beyond revenue and ask what a great partnership can actually do to your life. They get personal about failed partnerships, difficult seasons, vulnerability, conflict, family, and the ways the right partner can challenge who you are while helping you become who you can be. Because a partnership doesn't just shape the company you're building. It can shape the person you're becoming. And that raises a much bigger question: Is your partnership happening by design, or are you simply hoping it works? What you will learn in this episode: How to recognize the impact your business partner is having on your life outside the officeHow to use your differences to make each other stronger instead of creating conflictHow to build trust before the difficult seasons arriveHow to become more comfortable with vulnerability and hard conversationsHow to create freedom by sharing responsibility instead of carrying everything yourselfHow to build your partnership by design instead of allowing it to operate by defaultQuestions answered: What is the greatest ROI of a successful business partnership?Can the right business partner actually make you a better person?How can two very different personalities make each other stronger?Why does vulnerability get easier in a healthy partnership?What happens when partners intentionally support each other's lives, not just the business?How do trust and respect prepare partners for difficult seasons?What separates a partnership built by design from one operating by default?This is only Part 1. The conversation continues in Part 2 as The Partnership Guys dig deeper into what becomes possible when you stop treating the partnership as a business arrangement and start treating it as something worth intentionally building. Listen now and consider what your partnership is building beyond the business. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you got value from this conversation, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. It helps more people discover the show.

  4. Sep 8

    Why You Can’t Afford to Build the Future Alone

    What if the biggest advantage in the future of business isn’t better technology, but a better partnership? Business is moving faster. AI is changing how companies operate. Teams are getting smaller. Decisions that once took weeks can happen in hours. And entrepreneurs are asking for more than revenue. They want freedom, fulfillment, family time, and businesses that work for their lives instead of consuming them. In this episode of The Partnership Guys Podcast, Steven, Todd, and Rob explore why strong partnerships may become even more valuable as business accelerates. They also get personal. A conversation Steven brought to Todd and Rob outside the business reveals what trust actually looks like when partners care about each other’s lives as much as the company. Because the future may not belong to the entrepreneur who controls everything. It may belong to the ones who know what, and who, to trust. What you will learn in this episodeHow to use trust to make decisions faster without losing alignmentHow to divide decision-making so partners have real autonomyHow to build a partnership that supports your life outside the businessHow to use different skills and perspectives to uncover blind spotsHow to communicate personal goals before they become partnership conflictsHow to keep working on the partnership while growing the businessQuestions answeredWhy are strong partnerships becoming more valuable as business speeds up?Can a great partnership actually give entrepreneurs more freedom?How does trust help partners make faster decisions?Why can two talented entrepreneurs still create a terrible partnership?What happens when partners focus on the business but ignore their relationship?How should partners handle opportunities outside their shared business?Why could AI make the human side of partnership even more important?Listen now and discover why the partnership you build today could determine the business and life you have tomorrow. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you got value from this conversation, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. It helps more people discover the show.

  5. Sep 1

    You Don’t Become a Great Leader by Always Leading

    What if becoming a better leader starts with learning when not to lead? Entrepreneurs are wired to take control. But a strong partnership challenges that instinct. In this episode of The Partnership Guys Podcast, Todd, Steven, and Rob explore why the person sitting next to you may be one of the most powerful leadership coaches you’ll ever have. A trusted partner sees the blind spots you can’t. They can tell you what employees may be afraid to say. And sometimes, instead of validating your brilliant idea, they tell you exactly why it might not be so brilliant. That can sting. But learning to listen, give up control, accept criticism, and care more about getting it right than being right can fundamentally change the way you lead. And there’s another reason this matters: your employees are watching. What you will learn in this episode How to recognize when it’s time to lead and when it’s time to followHow to use honest feedback from a partner to uncover your blind spotsHow to give up control without giving up leadershipHow to manage your ego when your partner challenges your thinkingHow to model a healthy partnership that strengthens the culture below youQuestions answered Why can a strong business partnership make you a better leader?What should a partner tell you that an employee probably won’t?How does giving up control actually improve leadership?Why is being right sometimes dangerous for a partnership?How does the relationship between business partners shape company culture?When should a great leader become a follower?Listen now and learn why strengthening your partnership may be one of the fastest ways to strengthen your leadership. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you got value from this conversation, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. It helps more people discover the show.

  6. Aug 25

    Your Partner Doesn’t Need You to Be Perfect

    Can you tell your business partner the truth when the truth makes you look bad? It’s easy to talk about trust when business is good. The real test comes when someone screws up, disagrees, needs help, or has bad news to deliver. In Episode 27, Rob, Todd, and Steven dig into psychological safety and why strong partnerships create room for honesty without fear of anger, blame, or retaliation. Todd and Steven share how painful past partnerships pushed them to start their relationship differently, with uncomfortable conversations before they even became partners. The bigger lesson? Your partner doesn’t need you to be perfect. They need to know they’re getting the real you. And when partners model that kind of honesty, it doesn’t stay between the owners. The entire team notices. What you will learn in this episode How to create a safe space for difficult conversationsHow to admit mistakes without destroying trustHow to disagree without turning conflict into combatHow to use vulnerability to strengthen your partnershipHow to model honesty so your team stops hiding problemsHow to recognize when ego is getting in the way of truthQuestions answered Can you really tell your partner the truth?Why do some partners hide mistakes from each other?What makes vulnerability a strength instead of a weakness?How should a partner respond when the other person screws up?Can partners rebuild psychological safety after trust has been damaged?How does the relationship between partners affect the rest of the team?Listen now and learn how to build a partnership where the truth doesn’t have to hide. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you got value from this conversation, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. It helps more people discover the show.

  7. Aug 18

    How Crisis Reveals the Partnership You Really Have

    What happens to your partnership when everything starts going wrong? Good times can hide a lot. Crisis can’t. After 26 years as partners, Steven and Todd have faced 9/11, the anthrax scare, the 2008 financial crisis, Hurricane Sandy, COVID, supply chain disruptions, and plenty of self-inflicted business chaos. Through it all, they discovered something unexpected: the toughest moments didn’t weaken their partnership. They often made it stronger. Rob has seen the other side. In a partnership without trust, a crisis didn’t create the problems. It exposed them. In this episode of The Partnership Guys Podcast, Steven, Todd, and Rob explore why pressure reveals what a partnership is really made of, why trust creates speed when decisions matter most, and why the work partners do before the crisis may determine what happens when the business gets hit. What you will learn in this episodeHow to build trust before your business is testedHow to replace blame with problem-solving when pressure risesHow to use clear decision domains to move faster during uncertaintyHow to give your partner the confidence to act independently while staying alignedHow to turn difficult periods into opportunities to strengthen the partnershipQuestions answeredWhy do some partnerships get stronger during a crisis while others fall apart?What does pressure reveal about trust between partners?How can blame slow down a business when fast decisions matter?Why does clarity around roles become even more important during chaos?Can a crisis actually create new opportunities for a business?What should partners work on when everything is going well to prepare for when it isn’t?Listen now and learn how to build a partnership that can take a hit and keep moving forward. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you got value from this conversation, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. It helps more people discover the show.

  8. Aug 11

    How You Protect the Partnership Before Things Go Wrong

    Why You Need an Exit Plan Before You Need an Exit What if the conversation that feels most pessimistic today could actually protect your partnership tomorrow? Most business partners start with optimism. They’re thinking about customers, growth, revenue, and everything they’re going to build together. Nobody wants to talk about what happens if someone wants out, gets sick, retires, dies, or simply changes their mind. That can be a costly mistake. In this episode of The Partnership Guys Podcast, Todd, Steven, and Rob tackle what they call the “partnership prenup.” They share firsthand stories of partnerships that ended very differently, including one that became a ten-year lawsuit and another where two partners were able to walk away with different wins while preserving their relationship. The difference wasn’t luck. It started with conversations most partners would rather avoid. What you will learn in this episodeHow to discuss an exit before emotions and conflict take overHow to identify what could trigger a partner’s exitHow to create clearer rules for unexpected life changesHow to protect the relationship while protecting the businessHow to reduce assumptions by defining the partnership’s guardrailsHow to prepare for different definitions of “the win”Questions answeredWhen should partners start talking about an exit?What happens when partners have completely different timelines?What should happen if a partner becomes disabled, dies, retires, or simply wants out?Can an exit plan actually make a partnership stronger?Why can early financial success hide serious partnership problems?How can partners separate with dignity, fairness, and respect?A great exit plan isn’t about expecting your partnership to fail. It’s about being prepared for life. Listen now and learn how to protect what you’re building before emotions make the decisions for you. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you got value from this conversation, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. It helps more people discover the show.

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About

Most business problems are really people problems—especially when it comes to partnerships. Whether it’s your co-founder, a key vendor, or even your top customer, misalignment can cost you time, money, and sanity. The Partnership Guys Podcast helps you fix that. This is the show for entrepreneurs, operators, and leaders who know relationships drive results. Steven, Todd, and Rob have built multi-million dollar companies and navigated the full spectrum of business partnerships—from co-owners and teams to clients and collaborators. They’ve had the tough talks, survived the ego clashes, and figured out how to make business relationships actually work. Each week, they share honest conversations, practical frameworks, and battle-tested lessons to help you communicate clearly, build trust faster, and turn every partnership into a strategic advantage. If you work with people, this podcast is for you. Subscribe and make your partnerships work better. Hosted by Steven Schneider, Todd Leonardis, and Rob Stolker

Information

  • Creator
    Steven Schneider, Todd Leonardis, Rob Stolker
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Steven Schneider, Todd Leonardis, Rob Stolker