Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash
This blog is the fourth in a 5-part series where I’m breaking down the 5 P’s of Operations Management.
In case you are just now jumping into this blog series and have missed the first three "P's" they are linked in the list above.
You have your business set up now to scale and not just grow. In other words, you have all the people, processes, and products in place to add more business volume and not choke and stall out.
Now it's time to get creative and step on the gas!
Small business owners often find themselves juggling multiple roles and responsibilities.
In this complex landscape, the "Partners" component of Operations Management can be a game-changer.
By fostering the right partnerships, you can enhance your business's growth, efficiency, and competitiveness. In other words, you can properly scale your company to sustainability and not have to work 60-80 hours a week to try and make it happen, only to get burned out and have to quit.
My goal in this blog is to dive deep into the realm of partnerships, addressing the common questions and concerns that small business owners have.
Not all partnerships are created equal.
There are 3 different types of “partners” but only one is actually a partner, if that makes sense.
What are the differences between all three?
I’m glad you asked!
Let’s take a deeper look and compare all three.
A vendor is a business or individual that supplies goods or services to another business, usually through a transactional relationship.
Vendor relationships are primarily transactional. The focus is on the exchange of goods or services for payment.
Typically, vendors are independent entities and maintain their own operations separate from the buyer's business.
The primary goal of a vendor relationship is to fulfill a specific business need by providing products or services. Vendors may or may not have a long-term relationship with their client.
Example: A CRM software helps a business to better serve their clients through front end and back end communication. The business will simply agree to pay the CRM company for the solution that they provide, nothing more.
A partner is typically another business or entity with which a company forms a cooperative and often long-term relationship. Partnerships can take various forms, including strategic alliances.
Partnerships emphasize collaboration and working together to achieve common goals, which may include joint projects, shared resources, or mutual support.
The goals of a partnership can vary. Partners may aim to leverage each other's strengths, expand market reach, or develop products together. The relationship is usually more than just transactions.
Partnerships can be flexible in terms of the depth of collaboration and may evolve over time.
Example: A marketing agency specializing in digital marketing partners with a PR firm. They refer clients to each other, offering comprehensive marketing and PR services.
This collaboration streamlines client efforts, expands services, and boosts results for both businesses.
In other words, it provides a long term “Win-Win Situation.”
An alliance is a type of partnership that involves cooperation between two or more organizations or entities, often with a specific strategic goal in mind.
Typically, alliances are formed to achieve strategic objectives, such as expanding into new markets, developing new technologies, or pooling resources for mutual benefit.
Alliances often involve a high degree of interdependence between the parties. They share risks, resources, and rewards.
The primary focus of an alliance is to achieve specific strategic goals or outcomes. Alliances may be time-bound or ongoing.
Example: A group of medical practices, a diagnostic laboratory, and a HealthTech start-up form an alliance to offer comprehensive healthcare.
They refer patients and providers to each other, creating an integrated medical, diagnostic, and technology-driven healthcare approach that enhances patient care and expands service offerings.
Instead of one group creating all these services they work together to provide much more and better options to their clients. Another great long term “Win-Win situation.”
When you incorporate partners with strong brand loyalty then the results can be exponential for all sides. This will build momentum and align more and build a deeper connection to your target audience.
Customer relationships can make or break your business. So, finding partners to help nurture strong customer relationships will create a “fly-wheel” of loyalty and repeat business.
Don’t try to do everything for everyone in your business.
Instead, outsource to partners that already do something really well that you need done.
This will help your business keep doing the things that you do best on a larger scale. Not to mention save you a lot of time and money to develop it.
Because you decide to take on partners instead of developing everything yourself, now you can “double-down” on your niche offerings that you specialize in and scale it up.
So, you have to be able to decide when to outsource certain functions, like customer support or accounting, instead of bringing that “in-house.”
It’s a decision that is a mix of finances and planning. But the process must be guided by the mission and vision of the business or else you will change your focus without even knowing it.
Not to mention, the collaboration can fuel your business's growth.
For example, co-marketing efforts and joint ventures can expand your market reach and increase revenue.
In addition, partnerships can help collaborate on how to improve your current business processes that maybe you haven’t thought of before.
Ok, so now let’s talk about the downside of partnerships and how to avoid any pitfalls.
You MUST ensure that your core values and expectations align with any partners that you decide to work with, especially if they are going to be a true Partner or Alliance. This is valuable with Vendors too but not critical, in my opinion. All you have to do is terminate the contract as you are able.
However, Partners and Alliance get really connected and can take a lot of time and resources to get into and sometimes even more to get out of them.
So, take your time and build strong relationships and expectations up front.
I understand the purpose for this, I get it. We all want to work with people we know and trust.
However, to not find the best partner or keep a bad partnership just because you like them will NOT work!
In addition, you have to ensure that this is a mutually beneficial business relationship and not one-sided.
If not, you will be a part of a “Sinking-Ship” not a “Partner-Ship, shout out to Dave Ramsey.
So, here is how you can safeguard your business from a “Sinking-Ship” partnership.
Thinking ahead of possible risks in partnerships is critical to the success of a partnership and sometimes they could make or break your business.
Take your time and consider how to navigate potential conflicts and unexpected changes in partner behavior. Then, develop a “win-win” agreement that protects both parties if and when there needs to be a separation.
2. Document Clear Expectations & ReviewDon’t just talk about the expectations and results, actually create and document them. Then, set-up an evaluation process that shows very easily if the partnership is successful or not.
For example, develop a dashboard of metrics, regular meetings to discuss any issues that need to be addressed.
Do not, hold things in and hope that they will get better because your partner may not be seeing the same thing. Or they might be profiting but you may not be.
3. Start SmallWork with a potential partner on a small project to see how it goes before you dive into a major contract.
This will give you a snapshot into how they do business and if they can truly be trusted.
Partnerships hold immense potential for small businesses.
Address and consider these common concerns and implement these 3 tips; Assess and Mitigate Risks, Document Clear Expectations and Review, and Start Small, and you can unlock the power of partnerships. Enhance your operations, become sustainable and watch your small business thrive in today's competitive economy.