Don Wharton has established a wide range of businesses partnerships and practices
A successful investor and entrepreneur who has played a role in establishing, investing in or acquiring more than 50 businesses, Don Wharton started his first company in 2004 with his brothers-in-law Myron, Adrian, and Elton Pereira. This company was the cybersecurity software provider ParetoLogic, which quickly secured a large market share in the PC security and utility space.
By the end of the decade, Don Wharton had widened his professional purview to include a wide range of strategic business acquisitions and advisory partnerships. Establishing and nurturing productive partnerships remains a keystone of his business activities to this day.
After co-founding SureSwift Capital with acquaintance Kevin McArdle in 2015, the company grew into a leading buyer of profitable SaaS (software as a service) companies .
“For me, every successful venture has started with a great partner or partners,” says Mr. Wharton. “With a number of business ideas that are already validated, I just needed to find the right partner to help execute each plan.”
Don Wharton has found that he often needs to foster partnerships with multiple individuals and organizations to meet multiple unique and targeted business needs. He lists experience, motivation, and the ability to build effective teams as vital characteristics of beneficial partners. However, he ranks character as the most important attribute of all. .
Based on the strength of their character, partners will have the fortitude to make deals and stick to them. They will also consistently and universally strive to achieve mutually beneficial results for all stakeholders involved, ensuring that no partner will gain at the expense of another.
Ultimately, Don Wharton endeavors to foster inherently trustworthy partnerships, recognizing that “unconditional trust takes a while to earn but can be lost in a single comment or act.” A big part of gaining and keeping Don Wharton’s trust revolves around being forthright and honest, even when discussing professional shortcomings and lack of knowledge and skill. “If asked about experience that you don’t have, say so, but also say you’ll work hard, learn everything possible, and ask me again in a week!”
One of Don Wharton’s secret tips when it comes to selecting a viable business partner emerges from his strong belief that “a lack of support at home can affect partnership dynamics in unforeseen ways.” For this reason, he finds it beneficial to have a casual dinner with all potential partners and their significant others. Because a startup requires long working hours in its early months and years, Mr. Wharton wants to ensure that all parties are aware of the significant sacrifices that go hand in hand with the eventual success of a promising new company.
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