4 Ways To Always Have Successful Collaborations
Jan 06, 2025
Collaborations are the secret sauce of growing your business… but only if you do it right.
“A collaboration is something very special in my opinion because when you collaborate on something at a high level, you get exponential results, not only for you and whoever you are collaborating with, but for whoever the end goal benefits.” Kim White
It’s a Win Win Win!
What is collaboration? It’s the ability to work together to come to the same goal. Each person may get a different outcome, but the goal would be the same. When the goal is the same it's really easy to work together to accomplish something.
But collaboration is not something everyone knows how to do. In fact, according to a recent Harvard review, it’s seen as a rare skill.
The good news is that collaborating well is something anyone can do if you follow 4 rules every single time.
1. Choose Your Collaborator Carefully
Collaborations are successful when you connect with generous people.
If you connect with people who are going to elbow their way to the top, and make it all about themselves, they have not matured enough to do a collaboration.
Collaborations are successful when you connect with reliable people.
If someone has a hard time showing up on time or meeting deadlines with every project? As a friend you might say "that's just how that person is" but when you’re collaborating, you have clients with serious deadlines and big consequences. And their tendencies are a reflection on both of you.
Humans can mess up, humans can be late, and humans can not show up, but you’ve got to look out for a pattern.
The people you choose to collaborate with play the biggest part in the success of that collaboration.
And you also need to ask yourself, “Am I the right person to join a collaboration?” Would others describe you as generous and reliable?
2. Start Small
“We have done over a thousand rooms on Clubhouse together but it didn't start with: Kerry let’s do a thousand rooms together.” Kim White
Do something tiny first, and see how that goes.
When you jump ahead to something bigger you don't give yourselves time to gel together and make sure you do have the same goal.
You might think you're saying the same thing but you really aren't. When you do a smaller collaboration you can test the waters.
“Dip your toe in the water and see for both parties and be honest about that.” Kerry Zarb
If you do a project with somebody and it works wonderfully, do a longer one. And grow your collaborations slowly. Don't jump ahead of the process.
“I've been collaborating for decades and I've been burned as well. Nobody has a crystal ball, but starting out in a giant project is not usually the best choice.” Kim White
3. Have A Break-Up Plan
One of the biggest secrets to a successful collaboration is having a break-up plan.
But its purpose isn’t to help you break up, its purpose is to save a relationship. Because, even though collaborating is magical for relationships, it can also be very dangerous.
“Relationship 101: we want the relationship to last. So how do we value the relationship and also do some things together?” Kim White
A practical part of collaboration is to set a time limit.
The magic of 13 weeks is that you can do almost anything for 13 weeks and it gives you enough time to see results or pick up on any warning signs.
And at the end of 13 weeks you can take a break or stop completely.
If you want to have a relationship permanently and a collaboration temporarily, that's the best way to flip it. Instead of being friends for a little while and then parting ways because you're mad at each other over a collaboration.
Having a break-up plan sets your collaboration and your relationship up for success in the long run.
4. Always Be Honest
“Open and honest communication is a must in these spaces.” Kerry Zarb
If you're having feelings about something, then say something. You need to be open and honest so that you can work through whatever you need to.
If you can have hard conversations where you share your fears, and the other person hears you and understands, and you can work together to get through both of your fears and pain points, the other side of that is absolute gold.
Don't worry, you don't have these stressful conversations constantly.
But if you cannot have a hard conversation with someone you want to collaborate with, you shouldn't collaborate with them because the relationship can be destroyed.
“Respecting the relationship must be part of the foundation of the collaboration with the right person.” Kerry Zarb
Honesty needs to work together with being respectful. So don't slam them with questions at a bad time. Rather think about the other person and choose a time when you’re most likely to get a positive outcome.
“My opinion is that everyone should be doing collaborations because they are so amazingly successful when you go in the right way.” Kim White
Are you ready to get collaborating in your business?
Our Groundwork Brigade is a community of entrepreneurs learning to collaborate the right way, building relationships and growing a business at the same time.
It’s a safe space to learn how to build a relational business using irresistible marketing strategies, tailored to your individual needs, in a group setting, with lots of accountability and support.
If you missed the conversation between Kim and Kerry on their podcast Buckets and Boom Gates, you can catch it here.
To connect and find out more about creating a sexy business for a sexy life, you can reach Kim and the My Sexy Business Team at www.mysexybusiness.com.
