Fluent Essays

Discussion The Benefits of Partnerships Companies form partnerships for many reasons: for example, a company may create alliances to optimize its business models, reduce risk, or acquire resources. Such partnerships are becoming the cornerstone of many contemporary business models.  Austin discusses the benefits of two major partnerships, one with General Mills and one with ThinkFoodGroup. Think about Austin's experiences with these partners and consider what partnerships you may need to be successful with your new idea.  KEY PARTNERSHIPS: Describes the network of suppliers and partners that make a business model work.  After reviewing the above definition, answer the following questions:  What have you learned from the Tio case to help you develop strong partnerships in the future?  Who are your Key Partners? Why?  Who are your Key Suppliers? Why?  Post your initial response by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates' initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone.​ Additional notes   Partnerships and teamwork along with a great idea and an addressable market, a new venture need to pay careful attention to human resources. It is often said that talented and committed people are the greatest asset of any business. For a new business or initiative, it is doubly important to be careful about the selection of partners, funders, employees, and team members. The quality of the alliances and teams that you form will directly relate to your new venture's success. Austin provides some real-world examples of this as he talks through the value he has gained from two quite different strategic alliances, one with General Mills and one with ThinkFoodGroup. By the end of this week, you will: Explore the benefits of well-matched partnerships and strategic alliances Understand how a strong team contributes to a new venture’s success  Identify key partners and suppliers and discuss ways to build strong alliances  Tio Gazpacho: Strategic AlliancesAustin partnered with General Mills through a funding deal, but his second major partnership developed quite differently. Austin admired celebrity chef, Jose Andres, and his innovative organization ThinkFoodGroup. So he found a mutual connection willing to introduce him to Jose Andres and he sent over samples of his product. It took six months to get a response but it was worth the wait. Jose Andres met with Austin and decided to partner with him, which created a new sales channel for Tio as a co-branded product. ThinkFoodGroup manages a national chain of vegetable-focused fast-casual restaurants called Beefsteak and they integrated three of Tio's soups into their menu. The CEO of ThinkFoodGroup accepted a place on Tio's Board. So now Austin has the benefit of a new sales avenue, an alliance with a national brand, and a Board member with expertise in the restaurant space. Ist classmate to respond to  Ronald StowePosted Date:August 23, 2021 10:16 PMStatus:Published Dr. A & Class,                 Austin Allan had a key point in the week 8 video clip from Real Time Cases – take the ego out of the game.  The point was made subtlety when he talked about how he integrated several of his soups into the Beefsteak restaurant chain.  In this partnership, he was selling his soup under the Beefsteak branding, with only a small logo for his company – to continue to grow and access to a new market, he minimized his name to support sales through his partner [1].  In his book The Art of the Start 2.0, Guy Kawasaki similarly talks about knowing when the founder stepping away from the company may be in the best interest of the company long-term growth, again the creator has to check their ego for the good of the company [2].                  Brew Here depends on partnership with the local brewing community.  One element of the Brew Here enterprise plan is the integration with local brewmasters and breweries as the tie to the local beer culture.  This weeks’ lecture notes highlight how partnerships must be mutually beneficial or the partnership will not be attractive to both partners [3].  Without partnering with the local brewing community, Brew Here would open in a competitive rather than in one that is a mutually supportive relationship.  This makes the local brewers one of the key partnerships at the start of the enterprise.                  The other key partnership is with the local homebrewing clubs.  Five active clubs are representing over 150 local home brewers registered with the American Homebrewers Association in Huntsville, AL.  While the clubs do not represent all the homebrewers in the Huntsville, AL area, they are a key inroad into the community and the initial clientele for the homebrewing supply store side of the business.  This group, like the local professional brewers, does not necessarily directly bring partnership money, but they do bring a customer base.  Guy Kawasaki covers several concepts in his book, all directly relating to this community.  Managing the relationship with the local homebrewing clubs is key to not only building the partnership and customer base but also to building advocacy in the community [2].  Conversely, if managed poorly these clubs have many members active in message boards and other social media outlets, and spreading negative press is always easier than inspiring advocacy.                  Key suppliers are needed to make the entire enterprise work smoothly, without the wholesale network behind the store, there would be no profit margin for the homebrewing supplies and the grain would be too expensive to source for production brewing.  The key suppliers are broken into three categories, the local brewmasters and breweries providing their finish beer at a rate sustainable for resale, the ingredient wholesalers providing the grains, adjuncts, yeast, and hops, and the homebrewing equipment manufacturers providing equipment at wholesale for follow-on retail sale.  These three key suppliers, the local breweries being both a key partner and supplier, each feed one or more elements of the Brew Here strategy.  The brewers provide beer for sale in the taproom and education and interaction with the amateur brewing community – hopefully driving sales and bookings of training classes and brew-on-premises time.  The maltsters and yeast producers provide the key ingredients to support both the brew-on-premises operation and sales to the homebrewer in the supply store.  The equipment manufacturers provide both the equipment sold in the store, encouraging additional future ingredient purchase and the equipment to set up the brew kitchens rented for the brew-on-premises operation.  The loss of any one of these key partnerships impacts the envisioned brand [4] areas would result in the loss of one or more of the Brew Here planned lines of revenue.  I appreciate your thoughts, Warm Regards, Ron References [1] A. Allan, Interviewee, CEO Tio Gazpacho. [Interview]. 2021. [2] G. Kawasaki, The Art of the Start 2.0, New York: Penguin Group USA, 2015. [3] JWI575, Week 8 Lecture Notes: Building a Winning Team, Strayer University, 2021. [4] JWI575, Week 7 Lecture Notes: Branding and Sales, Strayer University, 2021. 2nd classmate to respond to   Malgorzata PerotinPosted Date: August 23, 2021, 6:43 status: Published Dear Dr. A. and Class, What have you learned from the Tio case to help you develop strong partnerships in the future? Tio's case taught me that strong partnerships could help the company grow in many strategic areas, such as product development or new distributions channels, through mentorship, tapping into partners' know-how and connections. In Tio's case, the partners' representatives are part of Tio's Executive Board. General Mills invested capital in Tio Gazpacho and acted as a critical R&D partner, helping develop new soup flavors to diversify Tio's offering (JWI 575, 1). ThinkFood Group partnership and support led Tio to gain new distribution channels in Think Food's restaurants (JWI 575, 2) with three core soups flavors. Most likely, having that experience led them to pilot a similar partnership with Walmart with the same flavors (SFA, 3). Strong partnerships bring win-win situations to both parties. And in the case of new companies, they help open doors of opportunities for growth, innovation, and development that otherwise would not be possible for them to gain. Who are your Key Partners? Why? I have a few key partners. The first small group is my mentoring partners, including my husband, who supports me from the creative and visual aspects of my brand and digital presence. He also acts as a sounding board and day-to-day brainstorming partner. I also have a sales mentor who has been guiding me and teaching me sales skills for the past year. Sales skills are one of the most important ones for any business owner, and I think they are often overlooked (Haden, 4). When I started my business, I have benefited from the mentorship of BACD, a non-profit organization in my area helping entrepreneurs (BACD, 5). I have partnered with BACD further by running workshops during the events they prepare for entrepreneurs. With such collaborations, BACD can accomplish its mission as a non-profit while offering me exposure to its audience (which is my ideal client) and opportunities to establish my expertise in the local market. As of 2022, I will also be eligible to become one of their recommended experts. Along with BACD, I am in the process of forming partnerships with three other networking organizations. By volunteering time to run meetings or offering free workshops to the members, I can expand my reach and know-like-trust factor for my brand and gain clients. Who are your Key Suppliers? Why? My key suppliers are technology companies that I rely on to run my business, such as Zoom, Google Business, or GrooveFunnels. I also rely on Amazon for my DREAM-PLAN-DO journal. Amazon offers self-publishing services, which I am using. This solution allows me to ship my journal to any country my clients are in for a relatively small cost. I also do not need to carry any stock, which lowers my expenses (Amazon, 6). Moreover, I can sell my journal separately as a recurring revenue stream to people who are not my coaching clients (Amazon, 7). Additionally, I currently work with one graphic designer who has been helping me developing visual content materials, for example, social media graphics, other marketing materials, and worksheets for my training. As my business grows, I will form more partnerships and the list of my suppliers will expand as well. Regards, Maggie References: JWI 575. 2021. Week 4. Tio Gazpacho Business Case Video. Retrieved from https://blackboard.strayer.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/ JWI 575. 2021. Week 8. Tio Gazpacho Business Case Video. Retrieved from https://blackboard.strayer.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/ SFA. 2018. Tio Gazpacho is Now Available at Select East Coast Walmart Stores. https://www.specialtyfood.com/news/article/tio-gazpacho-now-available-at-select-east-coast-walmart-stores-125087/ Jeff Haden. 2012. Without This Skill, You Won't Succeed. Inc. https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-one-thing-every-successful-person-does-well.html https://bacd.ca/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/seller-account/mm-summary-page.html?ld=AZFooterSelfPublish&topic=200260520&ref_=footer_publishing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L8XPCS3 © Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. JWI 575 RTC – Week 8 Lecture Notes (1188) Page 1 of 5 JWI 575 New Business Ventures and Entrepreneurship Week Eight Lecture Notes © Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. JWI 575 RTC – Week 8 Lecture Notes (1188) Page 2 of 5 BUILDING A WINNING TEAM What it Means In order to build a new venture based upon your “big idea”, you will need a strong team with a range of different backgrounds and qualities. Your extended team includes investors, partners, early adopters, and other stakeholders. But your core team is those first few employees you hire if you are an entrepreneur, or the colleagues who are willing to take the risk of working on your new initiative if you are an intrapreneur. How can you identify the best people to implement your new venture? What qualities do the people designing, launching, and building a new venture need to have? In this lecture we examine some key qualities to look for as you create the team to support your new venture. Some of these qualities are relatively easy to understand and seek out, such as sales ability or a solid track record, while others are more difficult to assess, such as creative skills or “good instincts”. Taken together, these traits are what you will need in your founding team to tackle the inevitable roadblocks that will arise as you launch and build your new initiative. Why it Matters • Innovators need an effective core team to support and grow their new ventures • Specific key qualities are needed in a team that will design and build a new venture • Identifying people with these qualities will enable you to build a strong founding team “Few tasks are more exciting than recruiting great people for a hot startup, and there are few factors that are more critical to success than great people.” Guy Kawasaki © Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. JWI 575 RTC – Week 8 Lecture Notes (1188) Page 3 of 5 WHAT MAKES A WINNING TEAM? As the founder of a new venture, you must have something of the visionary about your makeup. But once you start to build and grow the new venture based upon your “big idea”, it will take a strong team to achieve success. Your team includes your investors, partners, employees, and any other stakeholders. Finding the right people to support and work in your venture is vital to your success, so you need to do some careful thinking about what qualities you are seeking in members of your new team. The Essential Qualities of a New Venture Team There are a number of qualities that are really important to the success of a team starting up something new, whether it is a startup business or an innovative venture within an existing company. It may well be that no one team member demonstrates all of the below qualities, but these are the attributes you should be looking for. When you find several of these qualities strongly combined in one person, that individual is a great potential asset for your founding team. Sales Ability One of the first things entrepreneurs must do is convince others to follow them in their journey. Entrepreneurs not only sell their idea to customers, but they also sell to the people who become part of their team. They need to convey a genuine level of excitement to anyone they come into contact with. To get others to join their quest, members of your team, whether they are investors, partners, or employees, must have a knack for weaving together a compelling story that makes people want to be part of the venture. Drive Entrepreneurs wake up every day determined to move forward. Their sense of mission is totally captivating. However, a strong drive does not mean you should be inflexible. Some driven people are unable to change course. These individuals will not be a good resource for your venture, as you will likely have to change course and adapt your product or service multiple times. They must be willing to work through the tough process of product adaptation, iteration, and learning. The drive you are seeking is to keep making progress and to find a way to address challenges and remove obstacles along the way. Domain Knowledge Your venture cannot be all things to all customers - it must find an initial focus. Determine the specific domain of expertise that is key to your early success, and make sure that some members of your team have a deep knowledge in this area. You might have to think creatively about the domains that are useful to you. Imagine that you had been Thomas Edison and you wanted to build an electricity infrastructure across America where none had existed before. It might have proven difficult to find anyone with specific knowledge of this new domain. So where would you have turned? You might have thought about the telegraph companies, the railroads, and other businesses that tackled similar tasks. Locate the disciplines you need to support your venture, even if your field is so new that few experts exist. © Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. JWI 575 RTC – Week 8 Lecture Notes (1188) Page 4 of 5 Humility When looking for people to join your team, make sure they know their limits and are comfortable with navigating unknown territory. There is no set path or route for launching a new venture. Your team has to expect the unexpected every day. Someone who claims to have all the answers will not do well in a small, agile company. Instead, look for people who can say, "I don't know" and who enjoy the challenge of searching for solutions. A Solid Track Record You want people with a proven ability to deliver, and a history of doing enterprising things. But take note that this quality is not a requirement nor is it at the top of the list. Often you can find raw talent or a college graduate who is well suited to your team. Recruiters can sometimes get so stuck scrutinizing resumes for just the right set of accomplishments that they overlook a person with high potential to grow into what the venture needs. That said, at least some part of your team should display a strong record of accomplishment in a field similar to yours. When you are assessing young candidates who lack professional experience, look for a solid track record in school, clubs, and sports. Top performers cannot help but excel in everything they do. Formal Credentials If you are looking to attract investors and customers, it is important to have some well-recognized credentials on your team. Look for traits such as membership in professional societies, awards, published papers, admittance to prestigious boards, and so on. The accomplishments of your top people rub off on the reputation of your venture, and these team members will also bring with them a network of potentially useful contacts. Creative Skills Some people are great at seeing new possibilities and brainstorming, and some are less visionary but great at getting things done. That is, some employees are idea generators and some are idea executors. Do you know which you are, and which you need? Make sure your team is well balanced between those who create and those who follow through. Good Instincts In the end, this is one of the hardest qualities to define. Study famous company founders, and observe the behavior of people that you admire, and you will be able to build your own checklist of what constitutes good instincts and a “can-do” attitude. Some people seem to exude an air of improvisation and confidence. They approach setbacks as learning opportunities, and they are determined to move forward past any and all obstacles and challenges. Be sure to surround yourself with people who have qualities like this. The Power of a Winning Team The founding team is the heart of a new venture. Product development will rarely go as planned and customer preferences will change. Market size estimates will turn out to be inaccurate and the competition will come up with unexpected counter-ideas. But if you hire a winning team, the people around you will be a constant source of strength. Pick a strong founding team for your venture, and you will be in a solid position to overcome initial challenges and win in the marketplace. © Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. JWI 575 RTC – Week 8 Lecture Notes (1188) Page 5 of 5 GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS WEEK’S CLASS As you read the materials and participate in class activities, stay focused on the key learning outcomes for the week: • Explore the benefits of well-matched partnerships and strategic alliances Whether you are seeking people as investors, partners, customers, or as early employees in your venture, a good match is imperative for success. What can you do to find partners and team members who are a good match with your “big idea” and your venture based upon it? You know what you are seeking in a partner or a candidate or a customer, but put yourself in the other person’s shoes. What is in it for them? Is the opportunity attractive enough to them that they will stay involved for the long term? How will both sides benefit from the alliance so that it becomes a win-win partnership? • Understand how a strong team contributes to a venture’s success After reading this lecture, you will have a better understanding of the importance of a strong team to develop your new product or service into a successful business. Think about the key qualities described in this lecture. Where are they similar to qualities that most recruiters would seek in a new hire, and where are they distinctive traits needed to cope with the uncertainty and challenge of starting something new? What does “domain knowledge” mean in the context of your big idea? How would you define that elusive quality described as “good instincts”? How many of the key qualities described here do you think you can find in one candidate? • Discuss how to identify and grow strong partnerships for your new venture How will you identify the best people and organizations to become partners in your new venture? There are many ways to find potential partners but, once you have a list of possible prospective partners, how will you narrow down that list to the people and groups you want to engage with more seriously? Once you have set up alliances with like-minded people and organizations, you will need to nurture those relationships, so as to benefit both your growing venture and the partners who invest in and provide support for it. How will you build and strengthen your partnerships and strategic alliances, while still giving your new business venture the time and attention it needs to grow and thrive?