How do you feel about collaborating with your “competitors”? I’m all about it – but I know that’s a somewhat controversial opinion so I’m going to elaborate.

First up, the “going it alone” approach that was popular for such a long time is dead, in my opinion. I prefer the mindset shift of considering how much you have to gain when you instead lean on AND support your competition. 

So how does it start?

When I started Port Macquarie Performing Arts I invited all of the surrounding dance schools to our annual concert. I considered this a goodwill gesture to celebrate our combined love of dance. The invite shocked people, and not everyone accepted. But those that DID? We’ve forged great friendships and we now reach out to each other whenever we need support. That camaraderie is invaluable and it’s turned out to be one of my greatest lessons in business.

My circle of collaboration is even broader these days, and extends to dance school owners across Australia and overseas. I find the more we lean on one another for support, the faster we BOTH move forward.

So, who should you collaborate with? 

Start by collaborating with people in your industry, and then you can begin to branch out. Consider people who enjoy and value your service and people who have a product or service that your audience might also be interested in. 

How do you shift your mindset to embrace collaboration?

Start thinking about the commonalities you could have with these people. Do you share a passion? Do you share a common “why” you’re both pursuing? Remove the element of them being your “competitor” and think about how you could both benefit from supporting one another.

How do you make that first outreach to get started? 

Make it personal. Send a handwritten note, invitation, text, Facebook message, email, or some kind of personalised online connection before meeting in real life. No one gets excited or engaged by a generic LinkedIn connection request! The key here is to PERSONALISE the message. 

You can’t always see the outcome of collaboration when you begin, but I encourage you to trust that down the track you will reap the rewards!