Have you heard the term ‘Co-opetition?” It refers to the idea that two businesses that are actually competitors can come together and collaborate in a way that will add value to both their businesses – and to their customers.

It is an interesting concept – and has been written about and taught in business schools for about 12 years. Let’s see how it works.

Two businesses get together to share ideas, expenses or offer complimentary products to a given market. The idea is that your customer/client feels there is value added by the additional resources.

For example, two years ago, practice-building coach Juliet Austin and I joined forces to offer the Build Your Private Practice exclusive members program. It has been a lot of fun for us. But the important point is that the Exclusive Members get two points of view. On some points we are in complete alignment and on others we differ drastically. By offering two points of view, therapists and healers get more ideas and content to choose from. While we are competitors in that we both offer coaching services, by coming together we are able to reach and help more people than we could alone.

So, as competitors who are collaborating, everyone wins. Juliet and I have a lot of fun working together and having a partner helps with the loneliness that can come with being a solo business owner. By putting our names together on a project, we are able to reach and help more people than we could individually. And our members win because of the rich complimentary and often diverse information we provide.

As your e-coach, I invite you to think about who you might want to collaborate with. Perhaps it is someone who has a complimentary market – if you work with moms, could you team up with a therapist who works with dads? If you work with children, can you imagine writing an e-book with a couples therapist about parenting?

Maybe you like to speak and a colleague likes to write. How about collaborating on a program that could start out as a workshop and turn into a workbook and CD set?

Tap into your creativity and just see how your business grows!

I look forward to hearing your ideas!