Why Most Small Businesses Need Power Partners

There are many commercials on TV and on the radio these days that say to call in and tell them about your invention idea. It sounds so easy, yet so campy and shifty at the same time. You’ve decided to market your own product. You’ve invested your own money, (and possibly a little of someone else’s if you’ve been lucky). However, you know deep down that you might not have what it takes to insure the success of this business. It’s the same feeling that made you even listen to that campy, shifty commercial in the first place. You know you need help, but you don’t know where to look or how to get it.

Help for Small Businesses with Good Ideas Continue reading

How Strategic Alliances Improved the Airlines Industry

There are many cases in which two competing companies would both be better off if they formed a strategic alliance. The companies in the alliance would still differentiate themselves, but at the same time, they’ve successfully removed a competitive threat. A situation like this, of course, depends on the companies and the industry, but it’s lesson can be applied to several other cases.

An Ivey Business Journal article discusses strategic alliances Continue reading

Use Alliance Management to “Get it Right”, because Alliances Have Limitless Potential

If your business is stagnant and needs a fresh and new division, product or service; or if you’re a new business and you need credibility or access to an established customer base, an alliance is a great way to get where you need to be.

Why Use Alliance Management?

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Alliance Performance Coaching: Which Coach Do You Choose?

With the number of business alliances soaring, alliance performance coaching becomes even more essential.

An article from Forbes talks about why coaching is vital for any partnership. In this piece of literature, the author makes it clear that no matter the past relationships that you have had with your partner, it pays to hire a coach. As he puts it, “Whether or not you knew each other beforehand, launching a business will change your relationship.” Therefore, to thrive in any joint venture, you have to incorporate performance coaching services. However, how do you make certain that the coach you go for will be rewarding for your business?

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Power Partners, You Know You Need them, but Do You Really Have Time to Build Alliances Properly?

It’s official. The public’s buying behavior has changed. Every major marketing firm on Madison Avenue now has an Internet Marketing division; and many experts believe online marketing is even more powerful than TV, Radio and Print marketing is for many products and services. Everyone from grandpa to toddlers is becoming more tech savvy; and consumers are making buying decisions based on social and environmental responsibility.

What do You Do?

Well, totally changing your business model is out of the question for a multitude of reasons. However, a new joint venture can quickly gain you access to new customers, more capital, more technological resources; and give you more credibility in the modern marketplace. Continue reading

PC Tablet Manufacturer Enters United Arab Emirates via Strategic Alliance

In a recent announcement Simmtronics, the world’s third leading PC tablet manufacturer, and Jumbo Electronics, the leading distributor and retailer of IT and consumer electronics in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have formed a strategic alliance to distribute PC tablets throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Simmtronics’ motivation for penning the deal is an effort to remain true to its commitment to expand in to as many new markets as possible.

According to Chris Ruggeri, M&A services leader at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, the recent decline in M&A activity Continue reading

The Benefits of an International Joint Venture and the Risk of Naturalization

There are several reasons as to why a business may want to enter a joint venture overseas. Things like lower manufacturing costs, favorable monetary conversion rates, and lower taxes can all make international joint ventures beneficial. However, even though there are many advantages to entering an international joint venture, there are a considerable risks.

International joint ventures allow businesses to reduce their risk while extending their market reach to an entirely new area. Having access to a whole new customer base is enticing for businesses Continue reading

How Joint Ventures Can be Beneficial for Entrepreneurs

While joint ventures (JVs) can be a good strategic move for all businesses, they are particularly beneficial for entrepreneurs. A business may enter a joint venture if they are entering a new market place or geographical region. A joint venture will help take it to a new plateau.

The relationship between joint ventures and entrepreneurs is much different. An entrepreneur typically starts out with an innovative idea, Continue reading

Growing Your Business with Joint Ventures

Whether you are starting out as an entrepreneur or have a successful business already, you know the importance of you clientele and growing your customer base. Sometimes it can be difficult to design and market new products and ideas on your own, especially if you are just starting out. One solution to this dilemma is Joint Ventures (JV). A joint venture is a business agreement between two parties with the intent to achieve a common goal.

Here are some great advantages Continue reading

Channels Of Distribution, Growing Your Company

Resellers are an important part of growing a business. Without partners, most businesses will simply start to stay in place without any real growth. In order to avoid this, it is important to open up the channels of distribution.

How To Pick Channels To Consider

Do not just pick any random reseller Continue reading

The Advantages of Value Added Resellers (VAR)

In the world of business there are many benefits to producing products as Value Added Resellers (VAR).  In the computer industry, a company that makes the hardware can increase the value of their product, if they offer a specific type of software as standard on the computers they make.  The computer maker and the software creator work together to provide a new and more valuable product.

The advantages to the partners involved as VAR are numerous.  Continue reading

Should Your Next Business Partner Be Your Rival?

Although many businesses focus on outperforming competitors by taking advantage of their competitive advantages, many would actually benefit by forming a strategic alliance and turning their competitor into their business partner. While it may not be the most conventional approach, businesses have figured out that in some situations it’s better to focus on growing the entire market, rather than fight for the largest market share of a small market.

A recent Harvard Business Review article discusses why this strategy has emerged Continue reading

Goes Together Like Peas and Carrots

There are many things that go together so well that many people think of them that way. Such as peanut butter and jelly, peas and carrots, salt and pepper, or spaghetti and meatballs. Value Added Resellers (VAR) can take your company to the next level by creating a partnership that fits together just like those famous pairs. By pairing your products with products from another company, you enter into a win/win situation. Both companies are able to increase sales by offering an improved product, as well as accessing a customer base from each company. Continue reading

The “Eight I’s” in Strategic Alliances

There may be no “I” in team, but there is certainly an “I” in strategic alliance. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, author Rosabeth Moss Kanter explains her “Eight I’s That Make We” concept. The article ironically plays with the well-known phrase and suggests that in order to be successful, a company should actually concentrate on the following “I’s” when in a strategic alliance: Continue reading

5 Ways to Collaborate With a Fellow Business

Forming company-client bonds is one of the most important aspects of running a business. Keeping customers coming back will provide you with stability and allow you room for potential growth. Collaboration with fellow businesses is just as important, because it allows you to develop relationships with companies that you can depend on. Continue reading

Channels of Distribution Best Practices

The channels of distribution best practices utilize the warehouse facility as quickly as possible. Moving through the distribution center needs to happen with haste and warehouses are now being referred to as throughput centers. Every center, no matter what it is called, needs a best practices system in place.

1. Use an Advanced Shipping Notification (ASN)

This system finds Continue reading

Preserving Trust in Strategic Alliances with Alliance Management

The role of an alliance manager in a strategic alliance is important during its formation because of the complexity of the agreements made. Then it becomes increasingly important later in the strategic alliance after it starts to lose its shine. It’s crucial to provide as much stability as possible, starting with keeping the same personnel throughout its duration. It is particularly difficult to maintain a high level of trust in the business relationship, and therefore, the role of the alliance manager is to sustain the level of trust by providing stability for all parties involved.

Because of the initial complexity when forming a strategic alliance, Continue reading

Assigning Responsibilities between Business Partners

There are many factors that demand attention when considering a business partner, but one of the most consistent pressing concerns is the delegation of work and responsibility, or more simply, “who’s going to do what?” Another company may seem like a good candidate for a business partner in theory, but in reality, the delegation of work may make the business partnership undesirable.

Because of the internal strife that may result from Continue reading

Alliance Performance Coaching: CEO Partnership Support

We all have a basic understanding of these three words.
Performance is the presentation of work, generally applied to an expected level of success. Coaching is mentoring and/or apprenticeship by instruction, encouragement and example. Put this all together for the corporate world and you have the following definition: The mentoring of executive leadership in forming strategic partnerships between mutually motivated companies to effectively raise profits and lower losses for each partner.

At a time when “coaching” is the go-to word for any form of guidance and “expert” advice, from Little League to self-help gurus, it’s important to Continue reading