Identify Yourself

We have written about the many benefits of partnering with a complementary business.  It can build your profile in the community and provide you with additional income, both positive outcomes.  However, recently, we have experienced a situation which left us puzzled about who we were supporting.

Let’s first consider a case close to home that appears to work as designed.

Illuminate shares office space and, at times, has provided administrative support to the architecture business owned by a family member.  If you come to our suite you will see the logos of both firms prominently displayed.  There is no confusion about who we are or what we do.  Illuminate had special business cards created for jobs where we might be offering photography support or financial data work.  The cards read ‘Partner to’ said organization.  The goal was to show a working partnership but that we are identifiably still our own firms.  This seems to have worked well.

Now, a recent case that left us confused.

A firm we know well recently aligned with another organization for an event.  However, only one of the organizations marketed and advertised the event.  The other was silent.  We really were not sure who was the recipient of the sales made.  In fact, friends we attended the event with thought the one organization owned the other.  Of course, a professional firm or a not for profit usually cannot legally own one another.  But, this points out that organizations need to tell their story succinctly, accurately, and separately.

Upon discussion with an Executive of one of the organizations, we found out that the event was really an income generator for the silent party.  That organization allowed the other to run with all the advertising and marketing.  To members of the general public, our friends, they had no idea the other organization was even involved in the event.  This, in and of itself, should raise not only eyebrows, but multiple red flags.

When ‘partnering’ of any kind, make sure that you are always on equal terms with the partner.  Your firm’s name, your firm’s mission, the reason you are partnering in this situation, should be articulated and communicated succinctly, leaving no one second guessing or confused.  

If you partner on a project, or you partner at an event, or you partner to simply gain awareness, make sure you are telling your own story..  The title of the project or event, the branded brochures for the project or event, and the signs marking the location of the event or service or project, they must be clear and all parties involved in the partnership must be on equal ground.  Otherwise, you may be forgotten or assumed owned by another entity.  Not ideal for your brand or its community profile.

In the field of dog sports, often there are labels used identifying the name of the Team.  The human handlers and the canines competing wear shirts, caps, collars, leashes that identify the two (2) are working as the part of the same Named Team.

You may not want to wear collars or leashes but you certainly will want to give your brand and your organization the just due it deserves.  Identify yourself and you control the dialogue, something a small business owner, a sole practitioner, a licensed professional, or executive director must do.

Be well.