Business owner Cate Burton says she collaborated with Dinosaur Designs to launch a couple of new products, which they then sold across seven stores, including New York. She also collaborated with an Australian fashion house to create a candle in a ceramic vessel, and Opera Australia to make all of the candles for its stage production of Tosca.
“We also collaborated with the International School of Colour and Design, which based an entire section of its course around coming up with a new design for our candles.
“I was so impressed with the designs that I pulled together a judging panel, and co-ordinated with the media to run a story about the collaboration. The judges picked a winner and then we opened voting up over our social media channels.
“All of these collaborations happened in the past 12 months. As an Australian manufacturer, you’ve got to be clever in knowing your point of difference, as we can’t compete with cheap imports.”
Credibility was the main goal when Caitlin McColl sought collaborations with others in business. As a pet photographer, she admits that early on, she struggled to get other businesses to take her seriously.
Now that her business, Ragamuffin Pet Photography, is well established, she’s gone on to be pickier about who she collaborates with. “I’ve learnt that the marketing or the money isn’t worth the stress of working with a business that doesn’t share my values, and I’m no longer afraid to walk away.
“To me, collaboration is about two businesses trying to help each other market and grow. We share a common ideal client, our existing database of clients and take advantage of cross promotion in social media.
“When I’m collaborating with another business, I make it my mission to tell as many people as possible how awesome I think they are, and I trust that they’re doing the same for me.”
Business coach Sally-Anne Blanshard, of Nourish Coaching, says for her, collaboration means working with like-minded businesses to offer an add-on service for her clients, with a preferred supplier list adding great value.
Once she’s finished with the coaching and the business needs PR support, for example, she introduces them to a PR practitioner she’s worked with numerous times, she says.
The pair has shared clients via referrals and has developed a trusted relationship over time, she says.
“She has become an extension of my own brand, and refers her clients to me if she feels they need the bigger picture addressed before drilling down into specific campaigns – it’s a win-win,” Blanshard says.
However, as many explain, business collaborations take time to cultivate.
Blanshard admits she’s had to work with some monkeys to develop a list of preferred suppliers she trusts.
After some mistakes, she now takes time to get to know business owners she hopes to collaborate with.
“It’s important to verify the kind of work they offer, what success they have, and also do a little stalking to see if this stacks up with what they’re offering.”
The head of marketing at Getpocketbook.com, Andre Pinantoan, agrees. While collaborations have definitely worked for the marketing manager of the online personal finance planner, it’s easy to let the other party carry the partnership, he says.
“As a partner, you need to contribute your share to the relationship and make sure the other party walks away happy with the outcome.
“Some partners can try to push the boundaries. As the smaller company in the partnership, you might feel obliged to comply, as we did once. We’ve since learnt that if they don’t treat you as equals in the beginning, they won’t do it later, either.
“One-off successes are great, but the real prize here is actually the relationship you build,” Pinantoan says.
