{"id":1180,"date":"2013-02-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/partnerships-with-other-small-businesses\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T11:08:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:08:32","slug":"partnerships-with-other-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/partnerships-with-other-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"How to form partnerships with other small businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/growth-customers\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Growth &amp; Customers<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to form partnerships with other small businesses\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2013-02-25T00:00:00+00:00\">25 February, 2013<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How to form partnerships with other small businesses\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/partnerships-with-other-small-businesses\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/mark-barrett\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/Mark_Barrett-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Mark Barrett<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Successful teaming relationships can help you gain experience, offer a more comprehensive service, take on bigger contracts, or reach a broader client base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You need to learn how to choose the right partners and communicate effectively. Just like anything else, some relationships are going to very good and productive, some not so, and others just fall apart and don&#8217;t work at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to try partnering with another small business, here are some tips to help towards a successful relationship:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-be-honest-to-yourself-about-your-weakness\"><strong>1. Be honest to yourself about your weakness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you team up, assess your strengths and weaknesses. Remember, you&#8217;re looking for someone who will be right next to you and compliment your offering. You have to be open about what you really bring to the relationship. Ideally, you&#8217;ll complement each other&#8217;s weaknesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-be-open-to-teaming-with-competitors\"><strong>2. <\/strong><strong>Be open to teaming with competitors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your instinct might be to look for partners that offer a service you don&#8217;t, but your best asset may actually be your competition. Even small differences in what you deliver to a client could make you a perfect match. Together, you could offer a more comprehensive service or tackle a bigger project that individually you&#8217;d both miss out on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-set-clear-ground-rules-at-the-beginning\"><strong>3. <\/strong><strong>Set clear ground rules at the beginning<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At the outset, make sure your expectations are aligned. Communication gets difficult when people have different expectations. Agree on logistics, as well as a game plan for potential problems, such as a client who doesn&#8217;t pay or a dispute you can&#8217;t resolve. That preparation will give you a framework for resolving any issues down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-keep-written-records-of-everything\"><strong>4. <\/strong><strong>Keep written records of everything<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To make sure everyone stays on the same page, write everything down. This doesn&#8217;t have to be meticulous; it can be as simple as writing meeting notes and storing them in a shared Google document. The notes will clarify any confusion and give you a written record if anything goes wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-watch-out-for-red-flags\"><strong>5. <\/strong><strong>Watch out for red flags<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When considering potential partners, make sure they reply to emails in a timely fashion, arrive on time for meetings, and deliver what they promise. If the other party is unwilling to compromise, that&#8217;s a huge red flag. Ultimately, trust your gut instinct, as you would when hiring a new employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-be-fair\"><strong>6. <\/strong><strong>Be fair<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, always treat your partner fairly. Your actions should be for the mutual benefit of both of you. Your success is reliant on your ability to work together, so having their best interests at heart will help you too and keep you both in a win-win partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">A free guide to growing your customer base<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A dependable customer base is the foundation for every successful business. Get our free guide for plenty of insights to help your businesses find new customers and improve relationships with your existing ones.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-f4aee3f8-4a71-4c14-9703-3cd9f104f837\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Get your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/growing-your-customer-baseCTA.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/growing-your-customer-baseCTA.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Successful teaming relationships can help you gain experience, offer a more comprehensive service, take on bigger contracts, or reach a broader client base. You need to learn how to choose the right partners and communicate effectively. Just like anything else, some relationships are going to very good and productive, some not so, and others just [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":1890,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9],"tags":[15],"business_type":[4],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[],"coauthors":[418],"class_list":["post-1180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","category-strategy-legal-operations","tag-grow-business","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Mark Barrett","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/IMG_5602.jpg","imagine_tags":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/170"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/1890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1180"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=1180"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=1180"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=1180"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=1180"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=1180"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=1180"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}