Harness the Power of Collaboration

Coca Cola and Starbucks are great examples of large brands who have mastered the art of collaboration to grow their brands. As a startup, you may not have the resources to initiate a global joint venture, however you can put your head together with another leader and create experiences that WOW your clientele.

In addition, it is critical that you remember that you can't do everything alone. The best way to grow your business is by leveraging the power of collaboration, and there are many ways you can collaborate with others to achieve success. Whether it's working together on a project, partnering up for marketing purposes, or building relationships with people in different industries, these 12 tips will help you take advantage of all the opportunities that exist when you work with other people:

• Sell other people's merchandise or services at your live events, in your newsletter, in your group coaching program, online academy, membership program, mastermind and/or association.

• Bundle your products with companion products from another company inside of your subscription boxes.

• Feature a product in your email marketing campaign, newsletter or digital magazine without asking for any money up front.

• Become an affiliate of a brand that you trust and promote their product or service offerings to your clients.

• You can also invite brands that you love to sponsor, exhibit or invest in a vendor table at one of your events.

• Send free samples of your products to influencers and bloggers with large audiences Ask them to talk about the sample on their social media accounts or in an article they've written.

• Give away one of your products along with a coupon code during all-day sales online so people who have never used coupons before get exposed to your delightful products, services, and programs.

• Send holiday cards featuring images of customers using your product to targeted influential individuals with whom you'd like to collaborate.

• Storefronts are a great way to leverage your in-person store with other businesses. If you have an online store, offer a popup shop - for example, of women's fashion accessories during the holiday season at another business that sells mostly men's apparel or vice versa.

• Offer internships and apprenticeships to young adults who want relevant work experience on their resume/college applications.

• Create and post job listings for interns on Linkedin, your website, and your local collage.

• Don't be afraid to reach out to similar brands via email asking if they need help with anything! It could be as simple as offering them free tickets (at no cost) to one of your events so they can see how awesome it is in person. You may even find that some influencers just need a quick social media shoutout in order to share your product with a large audience.

As you can see, there are many ways that you can work and play well with others. Collaboration lets you expand your network, improve communication and grow relationships with people outside your industry who can offer a fresh perspective on things. You never know what opportunities might arise from working together with other businesses or organizations that share the same goal as you do. People are more likely to buy from you if they know, like and trust you. When businesses work together on a project or with one another, it helps build that relationship between them because the people in both companies start getting to know each other better than before.

It's important to keep an open mind and remember that collaboration isn't limited by companies either since it can be as simple as asking someone from another department in your own company (or hiring freelancers) for assistance instead. There are so many people out there who can benefit from your expertise and offerings AND who can help you grow your business by sharing their resources and network of contacts if you are willing to operate your business with the highest standards of integrity and excellence.

At the end of the day, collaboration is about leveraging the resources you have and working together for mutual success! Don't be afraid to ask other brands how you can help them grow their business, too!