Entrepreneur,
Suzanne Grant - collaboration a key success factor for local and international
business
Why is collaboration important to
entrepreneurship?
Startups
usually have limited resources, from cash to talent. So they can benefit from
helping each other out. Kind of like old-fashioned barter. What is special
about entrepreneurs, however, is their wonderful openness to help one another.
We are all learning along the way, and today as soon as you get used to a new
technology, tool or process it changes. Nobody can make it alone – at least not
to potential. If you look at collaboration as part of your strategic tool kit,
you have the opportunity of making progress faster with your existing
resources.
Are social media and internet tools the
answer for collaboration?
I have
personally developed solid business relationships starting from Internet and
social media connections. But a majority of people are still using these tools
in the wrong way. Whether face-to-face or using Linked in Groups, Twitter, Facebook,
Pinterest, etc principles of collaboration still apply.
Too often I
see people trying really hard to “sell” their products or services without
working on building a connection. Social
media is all about being social. And when it comes to selling – how can you do
that successfully without knowing the person you are interacting with – at
least just a little.
Collaboration
starts with connection and we all seek this as human beings To seek connection
is completely natural, but somewhere along the way, growing up, we became shy and forget our instincts.
People can
develop themselves. Shy people can be charismatic. I think I have managed to do
that, although I am still learning too. We can always be better.
How can collaboration be strategic?
We can
collaborate at many levels. Collaboration can lead to friendships and thought
leadership. It can be for charity. Aligning our collaboration energy with our
business mission is where we can take it to a strategic level.