Introvert Entrepreneurial Collaboration Success

In Jerrilynn Thomas’ new online magazine, Affluent Business Woman, for the Up & Coming Female Millionaire, she shares one of her favorite quotations. “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much,” Helen Keller. In business, with online social networking, it’s now possible more than ever that building on the basics of collaboration will help you to be that millionaire in you. What does an introvert bring to collaborating when our famous quote is more like, “One is company and two is a crowd?”

Have you have ever been at a doctor’s office and noticed business cards for a masseuse or a nutritionist? Or maybe you were at a grocery store and noticed they also had a corner taken by your favorite coffee shop in the store? These are forms of collaboration; in-person in your local community, business collaboration. Usually, those business owners have taken time to build the relationship with each other. It’s not usually a trial and error process. So whether your business is mostly locally, or it know no boundaries, as an introvert you bring strengths to a collaboration.

First, the basics to collaborating:

1. Businesses help other businesses.
2. Businesses refer business.
3. Share resources.
4. Share time.
5. Share expenses.
6. Cross market or promote.

Match that list to basics of introverting:

1. We love thinking, planning and creating! That is a check for, businesses help other businesses.
2. Small talk annoys us. To refer a business means there is a substantial conversation we could have.
3. Since we value our alone time, if sharing resources helps to move the collaboration forward, we can do that.
4. As introverts we must create our own structure so that we can find time to rest and recover for a brief escape. The time shared will be prime time and we’ll give 100% or more.
5. We usually think things through before acting so those expenses will be well invested and we’re happy to share.
6. Promotion is not about being verbally diarrhea-like all over someone. Think of it as tooting your or your partner’s horn in harmony with the audience.

Only you know the balance of in-person or online collaboration that would best serve your business goals. In the long-term as technology opens up more of the world to all of us, the shaking up of your business begins with you – and that collaboration partner or two. Serious minded introvert entrepreneurs will find online collaboration can be both easier and not so different as what you might experience in-person.

What other collaboration basics can you add to the list?

What strength do you, introvert or extrovert, bring to the process?