A Bowl of Good: Defining the Partnership

Katrina Didot's local organic food business, A Bowl of Good, was on the upswing now, and there was a chance to expand operations. In order to do that, Didot knew she needed a partner to shoulder some of the work. Didot had the recipes and knowledge—and she had drive. She needed someone who could make the trains run on time and ensure things flowed smoothly when it came to operations. Excerpt UVA-ENT-0183 Rev. Mar. 29, 2012 A Bowl Of Good: Defining The Partnership Katrina Didot was on her way to what she felt sure was going to be a defining meeting. She was going to see if it would be possible to hammer out the terms of a business partnership between her and a friend, Rachael Dorsey. It was early 2009 in Staunton, Virginia. As she passed the fork where West Beverly Street met Montgomery Avenue, she reflected on how far she had come to get to this point. In just a few years, she had gone from being a clinical social worker who liked to cook for her family to a restaurant owner. Deals had gone well, and deals had gone badly. She had run her own kitchen. When her rent was increased, she decided to leave that location and sell her locally famous soups at farmer's markets instead. Her local organic food business, A Bowl of Good, looked like it was on the upswing now, and there was a chance to expand operations. In order to do that, Didot knew she needed a partner to shoulder some of the work. Didot had the recipes and knowledge—and she had drive. She needed someone who could make the trains run on time and ensure things flowed smoothly when it came to operations. She had a hunch that Dorsey would be great in that role, but she had been burned before and knew she needed to proceed carefully. Didot had in the past entered into agreements that went sour, and she had been taken advantage of by some people she'd trusted. If she moved forward with a new partnership, she wanted it to work. . . .