before you shake hands
BEFORE YOU SHAKE HANDS
Built on real-world legal battles, high-stakes boardroom showdowns and a firsthand experience of partnerships gone wrong, this book arms you with the critical questions to ask before you sign on the dotted line - each designed to expose blind spots, unspoken agendas and misalignments that can destroy a venture from the inside out.
Whether you’re forming your first startup or structuring a multi-million dollar deal, this is your must-have due diligence toolkit. These questions haven’t just been the surface of theory – they’ve been lived, tested, and endured in the arena and under the hammer. They’re not hypothetical – they’re hard-earned and hard-learned.
And they might save your reputation and your financial future.
If you think “this could never happen to me”, you need this book more than most.
The no-BS, street-smart guide to choosing the right partner before you sign on the dotted line.
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the critical questions to ask before you sign on the dotted line
• the critical questions to ask before you sign on the dotted line
“This is the stuff you normally have to learn the hard way. Elle’s book gives founders the exact questions to ask before partnerships get messy, saving years of pain and countless trips to the courtroom.”
— Ryan Estes, AI for Founders
“If I’d read this book 10 years ago, I would’ve saved millions - literally. Every founder needs this before they sign anything”
— ANONYMOUS, TECH CEO
About ELLE
ELLE GEORGE has lived the cautionary tale most entrepreneurs pray they’ll never face.
Hostile takeover? Tick.
Millions in legal fees? Unfortunately.
Nearly two decades in a legal and emotional grinder? She survived it and turned it into strategy.
With 25+ years of experience as an entrepreneur, cofounder, investor and business strategist, Elle has launched, led, and exited businesses across F&B, product, hospitality, fitness, fashion, media and wellness. She’s seen partnerships thrive and implode. And she knows exactly how high the cost can be when you shake hands with the wrong person.
Before You Shake Hands is the book she wishes someone had handed her two decades ago: no branding fluff, no BS – and packed with the critical questions for anyone serious about protecting what they’re building. It’s not just due diligence. It’s survival.
BECAUSE THE WRONG PARTNER WON’T JUST COST YOU TIME OR MONEY. THEY’LL COST YOU YOUR PEACE, YOUR PURPOSE – AND SOMETIMES, YOUR REPUTATION.
LISTEN TO ELLE ON
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Drop in CEO
In this episode of the Drop in CEO podcast, host Deb Coviello welcomes serial entrepreneur and author Elle George. Together, they explore the critical lessons of business partnerships, the importance of alignment, and how to recover and thrive after setbacks. Elle shares insights from her new book, "Before You Shake Hands," offering practical advice for leaders navigating complex relationships.
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AI for founders
In this episode, Elle George dives into the core of her new book Before You Shake Hands - a practical system to assess alignment before entering co-founder agreements, investor deals, or strategic partnerships. Drawing on two decades of battle scars, she shares the exact questions, frameworks, and conflict protocols every founder should have in place before momentum blinds good judgment.
Follow ELLE
Contact.
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JADE@ELLEGEORGE.COM
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JADE@ELLEGEORGE.COM
