Written by Monica Magnetti
When I went into business three decades ago, businesses were antagonistic toward each other. Every business wanted to establish its importance, to corner the clientele, to be the only one on the block that mattered. We did not take strength in numbers, we took strength from our solitude.
That was then. Now business owners have a new philosophy: The more the merrier. My clients can be your clients. We are all in this together, providing value to the world!
Why the change? And what does this change mean?
Ever since the new age movement introduced us all to the concept of abundance, business owners have learned that when we get together, everybody wins. This is not about merging our businesses. It’s about promoting our value not only to our clientele but also to our competition. It’s about getting more people interested in what we do so that everyone benefits from our expertise and understands better what their own business is about. Now similar businesses open up in the same area and market their establishments together. In short, they become allies because … there is strength in numbers!
The new decade of the new century has become marked by the idea of collaboration. Maybe this hasn’t really come about by choice. Maybe this has come about by the sheer number of new businesses opening up. The reason doesn’t matter! It’s great to see businesses collaborating. It’s great to see them offering clients the value of shared expertise. Everyone—the business owner, the client, the community—benefits from this new whole.
This is what collaboration is really about—offering value both as an individual and as a community of like-minded people, all of whom have in mind the greater purpose of being of service to the world. For me, I love brainstorming with my friends and colleagues who are entrepreneurs. Their ideas feed my creative mind and my ideas feed theirs. Everybody gives and receives by stepping out of the comfort of their own thinking for the sake of sharing and collaborating.
How are you teaming up in your life—your personal life, your business life—to create your own nucleus of like-minded people? How do you give of your time for the benefit of your community? How do you find support to move out of yourself when you become stuck in your comfort zone?
Let’s rejoice in the fact that we are all here together, making our individual and community marks on this beautiful world. There is space for each and every one of us to shine. There is strength in numbers!
Find your strength in numbers by associating with like-minded people.
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