Sakhile Shabangu of the Creative Minds Movement in Alexandra, writes:
Collaboration is one of my favourite topics or concepts, especially as a start-up entrepreneur. The ability for two worlds to come together in order to create something totally awesome is inspiring at many levels.
The vision behind collaborative efforts, in most cases, is underlined by having two or more parties in a position to take advantage of their ability to influence each other’s brands positively.
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In many cases, such efforts are groundbreaking. They are inspirational and they introduce the world to a new way of thinking. Collaborative efforts are spearheads for creative and futuristic living.
I personally allow myself to take advantage of collaborative opportunities around me. But as an entrepreneur one needs to carefully consider the relationship between cost effectiveness, efficiency and return. You should always consider all the benefits, weigh them against the cost of assembling that specific collaboration and make an informed decision based on that.
Let’s look at a typical form of partnership between a sporting gear brand and a worldwide superstar athlete. The sporting gear brand strategically associates itself with an athlete; the athlete in this case is both a direct/indirect drawing card as far as customers are concerned. Both parties will be rewarded monetarily and otherwise.
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Collaboration has many benefits to all parties involved. In our everyday lives we see cases were an entire industry is transformed simply by considering solutions from a completely different industry such as the influence IT and technology companies have in society at large.
Bringing the subject closer to home, one needs to spend time studying influential brands and individuals in their community and find creative ways to partner for the betterment of all parties involved. Yes, this is not a foreign concept to many but I do believe we are not fully taking advantage of such partnerships at a community level.
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Life and entrepreneurship are synonymous in that we are always looking for better and more convenient ways to survive at all levels. The most important thing to do is to make the decision to start. Start today.
Details: Sakhile Shabangu 071 972 9042; shabangusc@gmail.com; @Alex_Township
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