American culture reveres the charismatic CEO or solo entrepreneur, but some businesses take a different path: partners working together. Here are the stories of six partnerships that work—and the secrets of their success.

Cofounders of Atavist, a publishing platform and software that forgoes print for digital.

WHY THEY PARTNERED

Wired staffers Evan Ratliff and Nicholas Thompson had an idea to "publish certain types of stories [long-form, nonfiction] and do it completely digitally," Ratliff says. But since they "didn't know the right design or format," Thompson explains, he suggested looping in Jefferson Rabb—"the world's best book webpage designer." The trio met for beers at Brooklyn's Henry Public in late 2009, and the concept for Atavist was born. Each had specific skills that the others lacked, making the partnership effective while avoiding internal competition. "This doesn't work without someone who has their own strong vision of what it can look like—and someone who can create it," Ratliff says.

DIVISION OF LABOR

"Evan runs the whole operation, Jeff does all the coding and I do nothing," jokes Thompson, now editor of the New Yorker's website, newyorker.com. Rabb and Ratliff are full-timers at Atavist, with Ratliff managing the editorial and business tasks and Rabb focusing on design and tech. But all three convene at founders' meetings—"which we still hold in bars," Ratliff says—to coordinate strategic planning and fundraising.

OUTSIDE HELP

Atavist turned to an elite group of business and investor partners, including Barry Diller, Scott Rudin and Eric Schmidt. In all of their partnerships, the cofounders look for people who want to invest in their larger vision of a digital company, not just the publishing or technology sides. "We've been very fortunate to start successful relationships with people who care about all facets of our business," Thompson says.

ADVICE FOR OTHER PARTNERS

Make sure you're suited to working with others. "We all have good temperaments for working together, but there are some people who need to run a company with just one person," Thompson says. "You can't imagine Steve Jobs working as part of a trio."

Cofounders of Valet, a members-only online luxury travel guide.

WHY THEY PARTNERED

A mutual friend introduced Rutledge and Spear, both digital-agency entrepreneurs, in New York in 2007. “I knew I had just met a rocket scientist,” Spear recalls, “and that one day I would have a project worthy of his maniacal brain power.” That project presented itself over a Japanese soba dinner at the end of 2011. “Over dinner, we were geeking out about Japan when I realized that we had so much in common—travel dreams, digital expertise, thought process,” Spear says. That dinner quickly turned into Valet’s first business meeting. “Josh had some ideas for travel that I found really exciting and we took it from there,” Rutledge says.

DIVISION OF LABOR

The pair defines their titles as CEO (Spear) and CTO (Rutledge), “but those don’t really explain what we do,” Rutledge says. He says he spends his time “knee deep in code, trying to keep the actual product experience on track” and focusing on the “long-term architecture of the platform.” Spear, on the other hand, is the business brains: “I do a lot of flag-carrying, interviews, calls, meetings—as well as the larger vision,” he says.

OUTSIDE HELP

Valet works with local “curators” to create insidery city guides that identify where to stay and what to do in places ranging from New York to Shanghai. The site also partners with top hotels and properties within those cities. “Generally, we look for places that are very well designed, have a unique character and cater to creative people,” Rutledge explains.

ADVICE FOR OTHER PARTNERS

Make sure you understand each other’s motivations. “Try to get on the same page about why you’re both in the business,” Rutledge says. “Is it to make money? To shake up an industry? This is important to understand before the first brick is put down.”

Cofounders of Tender Greens, a California-based organic restaurant company that combines farm-to-fork food with a fast-casual environment.

WHY THEY PARTNERED

The three met in 2002 at Santa Monica’s Shutters on the Beach, where Dressler was food and beverage director and Lyman and Oberholtzer were chefs, and bonded over their shared frustrations. “We had all gone up the corporate ladder and decided that what we found at the top was not interesting,” Oberholtzer says. “We were ready to start something on our own.” The trio began exploring ideas for their break-off project, from a fondue bar to a fish market, but settled on what they still loved about their work—“using local products, prepared simply, with really, really good technique,” Oberholtzer says.

DIVISION OF LABOR

When Tender Greens first launched in 2006, it was all hands on deck. “We were the management team, the opening crew, the closing crew, the cleanup crew, the catering service,” Dressler says. But as the business grew, “we all gravitated into the role that we did best.” Dressler handles the business side, Oberholtzer manages products and food, and Lyman focuses on restaurant design and systems.

OUTSIDE HELP

The trio’s farm-to-fork vision was shaped by a partnership they forged with Scarborough Farms in Oxnard, Calif. “I had been working with Scarborough ever since I had been in the Los Angeles area,” Lyman says. “That relationship had a lot to do with the concept’s development.” Now Tender Greens receives almost all of its produce, picked daily, from Scarborough—and its chicken, beef, seafood and breads are sourced from local partners as well.

ADVICE FOR OTHER PARTNERS

Formalize the agreement. “Handshakes are great and romantic, but memorialize something in writing,” Oberholtzer says. “Then there are no misunderstandings, no misgivings and no hurt feelings.”

Cofounders of Signature, a wealth management firm and multi-family office with $2.5 billion in assets under management.

WHY THEY PARTNERED

While working together at Anne Shumadine’s tax-law firm, Shumadine and Rose, in the early ’90s, the two realized that the scope of their tax planning was rapidly expanding. “The work we were doing was much broader than work typically done inside a law firm,” Susan Colpitts recalls. “I felt like it was easier for middle class Americans to get a financial plan than it was for wealthy people, because there are so many details there.” To fill the vacuum, the two decided to start “a one-stop shop for the working rich,” Shumadine says.

DIVISION OF LABOR

Though there’s abundant communication between them, Colpitts oversees client management while Shumadine focuses on the investments. The pair also has defined roles when it comes to firm strategy. “Anne is the visionary, I’m more execution oriented,” Colpitts says. “Anne sets the point out on the horizon, and I love putting my shoulder to the wheel and figuring out what needs to be done to get the vision implemented.”

OUTSIDE HELP

After running Signature for more than a decade, Colpitts and Shumadine decided that the firm lacked a key player. “We acknowledged that the business has complexities that needed to be addressed,” Colpitts says. “That was something neither she nor I were really good at.” In 2006, the two brought in Bank of America exec Randy Webb to serve as CEO. Now, “the three of us make all major decisions on strategy together,” Shumadine says.

ADVICE FOR OTHER PARTNERS

Communication is key—especially when it involves bad news. “Sometimes you have to say the hard thing,” Colpitts says. “It’s easy to put it off, but doing so creates resentment.” External communication also helps keep innovation flowing. “Keep your business fresh by asking for help from consultants or friends who are in a different business.”

Cofounders of Maiyet, a luxury women’s fashion line that works with artisans from around the globe.

WHY THEY PARTNERED

In 2010, South African native Paul van Zyl, a human rights lawyer, became interested in developing a business that would promote stability and growth in developing economies by sourcing from their local vendors. After deciding that a fashion line was the best vehicle to do so, van Zyl launched a global search to find an expert in an industry he knew little about. The result? Former Gap exec Kristy Caylor, who had spearheaded the merchandising of Gap’s ubiquitous (Product)RED line, which helps raise money to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. “She had everything I was looking for: a business brain, fashion expertise and commitment to our mission,” van Zyl says. The two founded Maiyet in 2010.

DIVISION OF LABOR

“Paul and I work on high-level strategy together, as we have from day one,” Caylor says. “But I manage the fashion side— design, marketing, operations, finance and sales. Paul brings an incredible network to the table, cultivates new investors, communicates with existing investors and leverages strategic relationships.”

OUTSIDE HELP

Maiyet’s business model depends on combining skills and efforts: Traditional artisans from emerging market countries such as Mongolia and Peru create the line’s products, and the company partners with the nonprofit Nest to deliver business training and tools to these local craftspeople. “We all come from such different worlds, but our different perspectives inevitably lead to more interesting results,” van Zyl explains. “We care equally about ensuring that this success improves lives.”

ADVICE FOR OTHER PARTNERS

“Leave your ego at the door,” van Zyl says. “If you treat each other with respect, that culture will permeate your team.”

President and master distiller of Portón, a company bringing Peruvian pisco, grape brandy, to the U.S. spirits market.

WHY THEY PARTNERED

Brent Kallop first tasted pisco while working in Lima as a financial manager for his father’s oil and gas company, Petro-Tech Peruana. When the senior Kallop sold PTP in 2009, Brent stayed in Peru to work with his father on a new venture—bringing a premium pisco to the U.S. But he had hurdles to overcome: “My background is nontraditional for the spirits industry,” Kallop says. So he turned to restaurateur Johnny Schuler, Peru’s top pisco authority. As a former member of the Peruvian intellectual property institute INDECOPI, “he tasted and verified every new brand that applies to be called pisco,” Kallop explains. Schuler had declined similar offers in the past, but saw something different in Kallop. “It was the first time I had met someone who had really done his homework, seriously studied the whole concept and was willing to take risks to make it come true,” Schuler says.

DIVISION OF LABOR

Since pisco requires appellation of origin—it must be created in Peru to be called pisco—the two men often work more than 3,000 miles apart. “I do a lot of strategic planning here in Houston,” Kallop says. “I am constantly monitoring the progress of the business and how the U.S. consumer is reacting to our product.” Schuler creates the pisco in Ica, a city about 200 miles south of Lima. “I am the guy that puts his nose in every tank, every bottle, every glass to make sure the product is up to par,” Schuler says.

OUTSIDE HELP

When searching for a distillery in Peru, Schuler knew just whom to contact. “I had visited many years ago this beautiful, fascinating distillery that was built by Jesuit monks in 1684,” Schuler says. “The owner had said to me then, ‘If you find a buyer, please let me know.’” Schuler and Kallop would eventually purchase and refurbish the Hacienda La Caravedo in Ica—the oldest working distillery in the Americas.

ADVICE FOR OTHER PARTNERS

“We both have the same idea of what success looks like,” Kallop says. “That’s what motivates us to get up every morning and contribute.” Schuler agrees: “Everything has to be involved in a dream, and the dream has to be shared by the partners. The dream is what brings us together.”