There can be a lot of stress on entrepreneurs when those you love don’t get what you’re doing. It’s like my 80-year old aunt who just wants to hear me say business is good. She doesn’t understand or want to know anything about my website. Or there are times my husband will ask, “So, how did you do that?” And I get so excited and overwhelm him until his eyes completely glaze over. He tries to stay focused, but I just give him too much information. (more…)

Lately I haven’t been getting out enough and while I like hunkering down for the cold winter with my family, working from the warmth of my home and connecting via phone and social networking, there’s nothing that replaces connecting in person. And, lately I’m missing that part of my life. For me, connecting is a fuel, especially with great women.

In 2007 I started hosting Great Women’s Gatherings in my home. I began them at the suggestion of my coach who reminded me how much I love to entertain and connect with great women so why not put it together with a bit of networking. I never expected it to become what it did, but every month for two years I hosted a gathering on a Saturday afternoon, complete with a full spread of food and drink and a different assortment of women each time.

The amazing thing to me about these gatherings was they were always intimate and always magical. No matter how many I invited, about 10-15 showed, which was really the perfect number for magical conversation and connection. There were a few die-hards who always showed, those who came when it worked for their schedule, and those new people I met while out and about who I shared with my special community.

After the last woman left and the food was put away I’d recount the entire night, woman by woman, to my husband, who, bless his heart, listened attentively and most importantly gave me the space to share. I was continually astounded by the quality of conversations and depth of connections made in a 4-hour window of time. Some women shared personal stories, some shared professional. Unlike the typical “male” networking scenario sharing a 30-second elevator speech, each woman shared until she felt complete. There were no rules and it worked. Some spoke for a minute, others needed ten. It always worked out, and amazingly enough, magic always happened.

As my life and business changed, I somehow never put the Gatherings on my calendar in 2009. Today I long for them and the camaraderie of the women. These gatherings were the seed of Metromom. They were the gift in my life that led me to realize how much pleasure and value I get from connecting and therefore the desire to come up with a business model that allowed me to do just that.

Many asked me to show them how to do what I did. They wanted to connect in their areas. I came up with a concept called Metromom Gatherings about a year ago to bring this concept to other women nationally so they could develop their own circles of women to connect with. Often as entrepreneurs we’re isolated, these Gatherings were an answer.

As my vision for my business as a whole evolved last year, I needed to put the expansion of Metromom Gatherings on hold. Now, I feel called forth to begin them again locally, if for no other reason, than I miss the women. And stay tuned as I put my plans together to share more with you.

Every once in awhile a joint venture partner will just fall in your lap. But, that’s not the norm. More often it requires a little more effort if you’re looking to find the “right” partner.

My first suggestion is to get out there and connect. It’s extremely critical to become more visible. You need to grow your network among like-minded people. To create a successful joint venture, you want to connect with people who are moving in a similar direction, share a similar goal and common interests.

I’m really happy to say that quite a few joint venture partnerships have blossomed among Metromom members and from entrepreneurs that have participated in my interactive coaching programs. These partnerships work because not only do they have a lot in common, but they’re working towards similar goals.

The next step is building your credibility and trust. You can build credibility by following up with your promises. You build trust by having the intention of giving and serving others. Your intention is, “How can I help you?” rather than “What can I get from you?”

Building trust and credibility takes time and doesn’t happen overnight. My friend Gina Bell shared that, “If you’re trying to go straight to profitability, it’s like proposing marriage on the first date. It just doesn’t work.”

Next, your joint venture need to be a win-win-win, which means it’s good for you, your partner, AND your clients and prospects. Often the missing piece is knowing how it’s going to benefit the customers and new clients you want to serve. However, if you’re clear on the benefits for everyone involved, the odds are very high that you’re going to have a profitable outcome for your joint venture.

Finally, don’t be afraid to lead and motivate your partners. People are busy. So don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and make some reminders. This can be the difference between a joint venture being spectacular and failing. Don’t be afraid to give your joint venture partners a gentle nudge.

Bottom line? The key to being successful in a joint venture partnership is having faith, being of service to others, being of value to others in your network and finding ways for everybody to win.

I’d love to hear your experiences about positive or negative joint ventures you’ve created. Please share your comments.