A business owner is never too small.
I want to say that one more time, because I know some of you need to hear it. A business owner is never too small.
In my last post I shared the "what's your adjacent" wheel: Activities, Interests, Space, Craft, Skills, and People. Maybe you filled yours out and then thought, "That sounds great, but who would want to partner with me? I'm just getting started."
So let's talk about that feeling. Honestly.
First, a little motivational lesson
Let me ask you a few questions.
Do you have an Instagram that you've posted on and shown people your business?
Do you have a website?
Do you have an email?
Then you are set to go.
That's the whole list. You don't need a big team, a storefront, or years in business before you're allowed to reach out to someone. If people can find you, see what you do, and get in touch with you, you have what you need to start a conversation.
I started my first business at 13 selling my mom's laundry soap, so believe me, I know what starting small looks like. Small is where everybody starts.
If you're an at home florist or flower farm
Say you just started your at home florist shop or flower farm. Maybe you're working out of your kitchen or a few rows in the backyard.
Why don't you partner with the local coffee shop or library to do classes, events, or lessons?
Think about it. The coffee shop already has people coming through the door every morning. The library already has a room and a community that loves to learn. You have the flowers and the know how. Put those together and you've got a bouquet making class on a Saturday morning, a lesson on caring for fresh cut flowers, or a seasonal event where everyone goes home with something beautiful.
Then take it one step further. Reach out to local hospitals and nursing centers about being a preferred vendor. Flowers matter in those places. Patients receive them, families bring them, and residents enjoy them. Being the name they think of when someone needs flowers can be steady, meaningful work.
If you run a lawn care business
Now say you run a lawn care business.
Partner with event spaces and retail spaces to get on monthly contracts. An event space needs its grounds looking sharp for every wedding, party, and gathering. A retail space wants customers to feel good the minute they pull into the parking lot. Those needs come back every month, and that's exactly what a monthly contract is for.
Do a goodwill cutting in your community. Pick a neighbor who could use a hand, a church lawn, or a shared green space, and show people what you do. It's kind, it's visible, and people remember who showed up.
And partner with a landscaper to be a preferred vendor. A landscaper designs and installs, and once that job is done, somebody has to keep it looking good. That somebody could be you.
See what's happening in both examples? You're not pretending to be bigger than you are. You're finding the people who already need what you do.
Building relationships is the same as partnerships
Here's the part I really want you to hold on to. Build relationships with people. Building relationships with people is the same as partnerships.
A partnership doesn't have to start with a contract or a big pitch. It starts with a hello. It's asking the coffee shop owner what their regulars love. It's introducing yourself to the person who plans events at the library. It's following up with the landscaper after you meet.
When I founded Pendleton Works in college, I worked with the Small Business Development Center. Nobody grows alone, and the people you get to know along the way are a big part of how you grow.
Always promote your business and your partnerships
Then always promote your business and your partnerships on social media.
Every partnership gives you something to talk about, and it gives your partner something to talk about too. A few easy ways to do it:
Tag your partners. When you post about a class at the coffee shop, tag the coffee shop. Their followers get to meet you.
Share behind the scenes. Setting up for a flower class, loading the mower before a goodwill cutting, the messy middle. People love seeing the real thing.
Show the results. A table full of finished bouquets. A freshly cut lawn at the event space before the big day.
Say thank you out loud. A simple post thanking a partner goes a long way.
Share their posts too. Partnerships work both ways, online and off.
Remember that Instagram you've been posting on? This is what it's for.
Your first step this week
Pick one. One coffee shop, one library, one event space, one landscaper, or one nursing center. Send a short message or walk in and introduce yourself. Tell them what you do, and ask one simple question: "Would you be open to doing something together?"
That's it. One conversation.
I like to say growing a business is a lot like climbing a mountain. It doesn't matter how quickly you get to the top, as long as you get there. One relationship is one step up that mountain.
That wraps up this two part series on partnerships and classes. If you're ready to take that first step, come tell me about it in my free Facebook group, Small Business Growth Circle by Willis Growth Studio. It's a place where small business owners cheer each other on and swap ideas just like these. Or reach out to Willis Growth Studio anytime. I'd love to help you figure out who to call first.
