Creative Business Partnerships Built One Relationship at a Time

Partnerships are the backbone of successful businesses. It’s easy to figure out why. Even if you have a great product or service, at some point it’s going to take sufficient marketing, customer service, public relations or manufacturing work to demand that you solicit the support of another person to meet consumer demand. In other words to achieve the levels of business success you keep dreaming about, you’re going to have to start building rewarding partnerships.

Rewards and Setbacks of Using the Internet to Build Rewarding Business Partnerships
The Internet serves as a great business partnership tool and teacher. It has also served as a distracter, presenting challenges not inherent in developing rewarding partnerships. The Internet serves as a great business partnership tool and teacher because it:

• Shortens the amount of time it takes to meet new business leaders
• Allows creative business leaders to discuss upcoming projects and initiatives via multiple platforms (e.g. email, Skype, chats, using mobile devices)
• Offers communities or social networks (e.g. LinkedIn) creative business leaders can join to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs
• Makes it easy for entrepreneurs to advertise or highlight their portfolios
• Reduces the amount of time it takes for creative business leaders to ask and respond to questions (i.e. interviews and Q&As can be conducted in less than five minutes)

Creative business leaders should take advantage of benefits and rewards offered through Internet communications and connections. However, they are also encouraged to be aware of challenges the Internet can pose to developing rewarding business partnerships, including:

• Increasing the temptation to under-value lasting human relationships (most relationships take more than email blasts and telephone calls to develop)
• Create the illusion that advertising and networking are the same thing
• Take the focus off of face-to-face connections and business conversations

Developing Rewarding Creative Business Partnerships
Rewarding partnerships shared between two or more creative business leaders may take months to develop. These enriching relationships regularly see all involved parties giving and receiving support. For example, a writer/editor who operates two magazines might conduct feature interviews on other creative business leaders who own hair salons, grocery stores and/or interior design businesses. The hair salon, grocery store and interior design business owners, in turn, might post advertisements for the writer’s magazines in central locations at their places of business.

These types of rewarding business partnerships happen over time. Money is usually not exchanged. Instead, trust is built and deepened between the involved business leaders to the point where each person starts thinking of ways to support the other, without even being asked. The value of these business partnerships cannot be overstated. Benefits gained may include huge monetary savings (e.g. advertising dollars), reliable sound boards, lifelong friendships, broadened marketing platforms and more.

Steps You Can Use to Start Building Rewarding Business Partnerships
Here are a few steps you can take to start building rewarding business partnerships:

• Send a Thank You note to everyone who contacts your business and ask a question, offers a comment, etc. Believe it or not, some of these people may become future business partners
• Attend professional events and select two to three people you are going to keep in touch with throughout the entire year
• Create a database of creative business leaders to send a motivational quote, encouraging word or insight to once a month
• Look for ways to help other creative business leaders spread the word about their products and/or services and follow thru on a few of the ideas (be sure to let the business leaders know what you did, so they remain aware of how you are supporting them)
• Let creative business leaders know when you launch new products and/or services and directly request their support in spreading the word about your new offerings (always, always, always say “Thank You!” for any and all support you receive)
• Treat business partners to lunch, a sporting event or arts show, something you both enjoy (keep the price range in an area where neither party feels indebted to the other)

You can regularly perform several of the above steps from home using the Internet. Over time, as you continue to build and deepen your business partnerships, you may find that the numbers of progressive creative business leaders you know personally is growing significantly. This is good. Know that you are on the right track. Continue to nurture those relationships simply because you appreciate and enjoy the people you partner with, people you would support and connect with even if you weren’t in business and they had nothing to offer you.

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