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Profiles of real-life joint
venturers - Shel Horowitz...
Shel Horowitz (of the website www.FrugalFun.com)
is just a natural-born collaborator. He's also a self-proclaimed
penny-pincher and likes to branch out (see his resources box for substantiation of
both). So when
there's a business step to ponder on, Shel thinks JV first...
To some, joint venturing is a lifestyle.
Shel Horowitz has been sharing and bartering with people,
in and out of business, for years. And as he can attest, lots of
small joint ventures can save a lot of money - and get you where you'd never
have been able to go on your own.
This is Shel's approach to business:
"Before paying retail for anything, I always
think... Who else could benefit, what other options are there? And
before turning down a project for which I'm only qualified to do a portion, I
think... Who else has the skills to fill in the missing pieces, and does
it make sense to present as a package?"
What that means is that he also thinks
small...
As he put it to me, "Not every JV has to be a full joining."
Shel is quick to consider joint ventures "on a project or need basis",
preferring to plug people in on the short term rather than enter into agreements
of longstanding. It all adds up - and each collaboration is ensured of
being efficient and effective.
To illustrate, here are some of the activities he's
engaged in with others:
-
He and a graphic artist have collaborated several times -
sometimes one initiates the project, sometimes the other. Shel tells of
one time the artist "pulled me in to a consultation for a real estate
organization. There was already a web designer on the team. The
artist and I came up with a domain name (and talked them out of the awful one
they had), I wrote the copy for a mailing piece, the artist made it look great,
and the web designer took the concept and made it into an online data
form. When that project was over, so was the partnership."
-
"Back in 1990, I found three partners to go in on the
purchase of a laser printer. Most PostScript laser printers were $4500 and
up at the time. I found one remaindered for $2400, and then when we added
the table it was going on, etc., we each kicked in $700." As it
turned out, he bought out one partner. The printer was kept in Shel's
office, and the other two partners actually seldom used it. Shel ran that
printer constantly for five years - a very good deal indeed!
(Is this another benefit of joint
venturing?
...It may be, if you're the only partner who really knows what he wants!)
-
"Three years ago, I wanted to exhibit my books at
the American Library Association annual trade show. I didn't want to
be buried in a huge display, and I couldn't fill a table with my two (at the
time) books. So I used an Internet discussion list to find 18
publishers with frugality or self-help titles... We called ourselves
'Aaron's Frugal/Do-It-Yourself Co-op' (which gave us great placement in the
alphabetical exhibitor listings!) and pitched in money together to do a spiffy
10 or 12-page catalog... And I charged less to exhibit for people who
could come and staff the table."
-
When Shel felt the need for a regional association of
small publishers... he just started one. "The group has no dues
but is affiliated with two national associations (each of which give our
members a discount!). And because I represented the group to the
national conference for the first two years, I got to go for free."
If we count up all of the benefits just from these
examples... That's a lot of saving and profiting! (And frugal fun.)
You won't be amazed to hear that Shel's grassroots
organizing propensities find fertile soil outside of the work arena as
well... In late 1999, he and many others in his area of Massachusetts were
upset with plans to develop ridgetop land abutting a nearby state park in view
of all. As he tells it, several local conservationists interviewed
"basically said variations of, 'Oh, this is terrible, but there's nothing
we can do about it'." Shel's response?
He did something, of course - and if you'd like to read
about the multi-faceted and ultimately successful "Save the Mountain"
effort, see http://www.savemtholyokerange.com.
That's what comes of "thinking joint venture"
first,
before doing it the "normal" way!
Shel Horowitz is the owner
of http://www.FrugalFun.com
(800/683-WORD or 413/586-2388 - mailto:shel@frugalfun.com).
He specializes in writing news releases, brochures, newsletters, ad copy, resumes, etc.
His book, Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World,
was a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Finalist. He's also written books to save you money on business (Marketing Without Megabucks) and
pleasure (The Penny-Pinching Hedonist) - preview them, get free marketing
advice, arts/travel zines, and more at http://www.frugalfun.com.
What can we learn from Shel
Horowitz about joint
venturing?…
-
Don't hesitate to think small in joint
venturing!
-
Why pay retail if you don't have to? ...Consider what
you have to trade (or ante into a pool of resources).
-
Always think joint venture before saying no to
something you can't do entirely on your own - someone else may be
able to fill in the gaps.
-
Sometimes even when you can do it yourself, it
might be more profitable to do it with others.
-
Your list of successful JV partners might be drawn from
again and again... keep it handy.
-
"It can't be done" probably
can
- with some vision, effort, and the right contacts.
-
Once the idea of collaboration becomes second nature,
benefits flow in continually!
For
those serious about JV marketing...
SEARCH THIS SITE OR THE WEB:
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