How to make enemies

Here's a great way to multiply the number of commercial competitors you're up against - if you really want to! (OK, maybe the word 'enemies' is a bit strong.)

Many early stage businesses that haven’t yet found their specialist niche sometimes offer a very wide range of creative services (or products). This approach is often a desperate attempt to find work by 'offering everything to everybody'. Unfortunately, the 'jack of all trades and master of none' will generally lose out to a 'master' in each competitive field.

This ‘jack of all trades’ tactic instantly creates a multitude of rivals as the enterprise announces its entry into many different competitive fields. It also slams the door in the face of partnership working at a stage when the company can least afford to do so.

On the other hand, many of the most successful creative enterprises don't try to do everything - they specialise and become excellent at a few things. They then work in partnership with other businesses, devising creative collaborations that suit the client's needs.

There's more about partnership working and creative collaborations on my guest blog for Vision and Media, with examples of how businesses have worked in partnership to win work - including making TV programmes for the BBC and major international projects such as the design of the Liverpool Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

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Join the discussion about Profitable Collaborations on the T-Shirts and Suits Creative Enterprise Network.

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