By Michelby Whitehead
Collaboration is a great thing for entrepreneurs. The thing is, how do you know if you’re dealing with the right people?
First and foremost, get the paperwork rolling with a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) so that your ideas are not stolen. Moreover, take very careful evaluation of the reputation and habits of those who want to be in your business circle.
Reflect Beauty wants to see you glow inside and out! Check out these tips for collaboration and team-building as an entrepreneur.
Evaluate Past Behavior
Stay away from people who have already proven themselves to be bridge-burners. Needless to say, enough is enough and any thought of collaborating with people who keep dropping the ball or prove themselves untrustworthy means you need to see a psychologist. If you don’t honor yourself, why should anyone else? Put up healthy boundaries in business, just as you would in your personal life.
People can redeem themselves by flourishing on other projects; they don’t have to practice redemption on you. That doesn’t make you a mean person — just a cautious one.
Take It Slow
Would you cosign for a stranger to get a new car, even if you lived in the same apartment building as them? Well, similarly, no one is thrilled about doing business with people they haven’t built a rapport with. If I collaborate with anyone, I want to make sure the person is walking the walk that matches their talk. Social media can create a great illusion, and I’d rather get to know someone’s level of expertise and integrity before I make a fool of my brand.
Chase Purpose, Not Popularity
We should only want to be tied to people who are aligned with our purpose. Social media has made us think that a large social media following automatically equals wealth and wisdom, making it easy to overlook the micro influencer with only 1,000 followers. Do your research and gather receipts on a person’s level of knowledge and experience before collaborating. Pretty pictures at celebrity events aren’t enough.
Photo by Clarke Sanders on Unsplash
