How To Grow Your Business by Partnering With Other Local Small Businesses


By Rachelle Dragani Published Jun 09, 2021

How To Grow Your Business by Partnering With Other Local Small Businesses

More resources. More connections. More ideas. That’s what you need to make more of your business. One place you could find all of these is in partnerships with other smart, motivated, connected small businesses in your area. Check out this guide to making it work.

What are the benefits of partnering with a small business in my area?

Local strategic partnerships can help you save money, draw new customers and boost business. Consider the possibilities:

What are some business collaboration ideas?

Partnership possibilities are endless when you get creative. Start by thinking about the kind of customer you’d love to attract, but are having trouble reaching. This is the makings of a referral marketing partnership.

For instance, maybe you have a sports bar that’s packed on Sundays for football, but you’d love to bring in more soccer fans. You could reach out to a sporting goods store in your area—when people come in and buy soccer gear, they could get a coupon for a free appetizer at your place during the next big match.

Think about how you can combine resources. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to have a pop-up shop where you could sell more high-end items than your retail store typically carries, but you didn’t know if the investment in a space and inventory would be worth it. Combine resources with a local chef who wants to do a gourmet coffee and desserts pop-up! You can split the cost of space, get more people through the door than you would if your pop-up had fewer offerings and encourage people to spend more time browsing and enjoying what both of you have to offer.

What are tips for creating a strong partnership with another small business?

You don’t have to jump into any relationship that doesn’t feel right. Here are some quick tips on building a lasting, mutually beneficial partnership:

What digital tools can we use to collaborate?

We live in an era of total connectivity, and a wide variety of digital collaboration tools are available to make any small business partnership more manageable and fruitful. There are a few different areas that may benefit from some of these tools:

When you put some creativity into connectivity, you’ll discover how to grow your business with partnerships with others in your area.

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