Business and Back Scratching: The Importance of Partnerships in Your Business

As a small business owner and solopreneur, I spend a lot of time working by myself. I work out of my home, or sometimes in a coffee shop, but I’m isolated a lot.

This could be a problem and keep me rather insulated from the rest of the world, but I’ve learned the importance of making partnerships.

As someone who works in the area of digital marketing, I’ve learned both my strengths and weaknesses. My clients often need help with web design, graphic design, photography, and more. But’s that not what I do, so I’ve found others in my area who can do the things I don’t do, and I partner with them. I send them work, and they often send me work via referrals. And it works.

Most of the time I’m working from home: the dining room table, the living room, sitting on my bed. And I get a lot done that way, but when I need human interaction, I’ll head out and find a place to cowork with some of my friends at a coffee shop or some other location. It helps to get the creative juices flowing some times. I’ve even coworked with someone via Skype, because it helps sometimes to just feel like someone is sitting across from you.

Partnerships go beyond coworking with other solopreneurs. They’re also important for all business owners.

Businesses need to get to know their neighbors and become a part of their community. That community might be as small as the businesses that adjoin them on either side, or their block, or their neighborhood. It might even be an online partnership of collaboration. But it’s healthy for your business and theirs.

I think it’s also important for businesses and nonprofits to find ways to partner with one another. It’s a healthy collaboration that benefits both sides. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”

Partners can support one another online and offline. They can share one another’s content online and help them get the word out. It’s the right thing to do when you truly like and appreciate someone and the work they do.

Whether you work alone, or have a business full of employees, find ways to partner with others and build a culture of collaboration.

Who are you partnering and collaborating with?

via Business 2 Community http://ift.tt/1e46t0P