How to Collaborate with other Small Businesses
At Long Story Short, we as individuals are fiercely dedicated to supporting local businesses and talent. Any opportunity we find, we champion home-grown products and services - from purchasing flowers from our neighbourhood florist, buying goods from our nearby bakery, shopping at farmers markets and finding thoughtful gifts for our loved ones from local, Aussie-owned gift stores or Etsy artisans.
And as a business, this includes finding and collaborating with the best Aussie design and illustration talent to work on your beautiful product labels!
Collaborations are one of the most effective ways to add a new, fresh dimension to your small business AND support local talent at the same time. What’s more, collaborations are an excellent way to grow your audience and prospective customers.
And we are proud and excited to introduce to you our latest collaboration project with the hugely talented Jess Walker!
Born and raised on the doorstep of the majestic Murray River, Jess has a love of nature and the outdoors that influences every aspect of her art.
Her designs are infused with colour and energy, and reflect the beauty of Australian nature in each piece. From beaming sunrises, to graceful palm trees, to bright floral patterns, her scenes both catch and keep one’s attention.
“Jess is a fantastic fit with LSS”, says owner Jes Moreta. “She embodies our mission of bringing clients’ dreams and visions to life through her beautifully curated designs and her passion for nature.”
You can find Jess’s gorgeous work featured on the latest Premade label and Thank you cards
Thinking about a collaboration to grow your business? Not sure where to start?
Here are a few tips on how to collaborate with other small businesses:
- Find a local person or company that fits with your brand needs or personality.
> Think about approaching your neighbourhood florist, hair and beauty salon or gift store to see if they’d like to feature your products in their store, in exchange for promoting their business on your socials.
> Have a friend who sells their arts, crafts, furniture or baked goods online or at a market? Talk to them about how you can work together to recommend each other’s products.
- Do some social media research to find other like-minded business owners that support your visions. For starters:
> Are you on a quest to be completely eco-friendly? Seek out a local environmental group online that may be open to sharing your products at their events on online.
> Are you dedicated to supporting women in business? Check out female-based Facebook groups for female entrepreneurs that are open to collaborating.
- Once you have found a business to work with, you can share each other’s social media posts, stories and updates on your feeds. This is a great way to increase your following and do a good deed for one another!
- You can offer special offers or discounts on each other’s products and services.
- You can create a shared event where you invite prospective customers to check out your goods!
When it comes to collaborations, the world is your oyster! Remember: you don’t need to find an exact match for your physical products. Rather the most important thing is that the intentions and values of your businesses are in harmony with each other.