If you are a small business owner or thinking of becoming one, you have probably heard the term "joint venture" or JV. All this means is a partnership between businesses that have specific interests in mind, such as combining their strengths or sharing their customers. When two parties enter into a joint venture, they are actually creating a new business entity entirely.
Joint venture actually refers to the reason for the partnership and not to the entity created by the joint venture. Anyone can enter into a joint venture agreement. The forming partners can be individuals, corporations, organizations, limited licensing companies (LLCs), or any combination of these. Likewise, the resulting entity can be an LLC, corporation, or any other legal structure.
It's common for very large businesses to enter into joint ventures. In fact, they often need them in order to enter new markets or attract fresh blood. Some countries have laws in place that demand that any foreign business must create a joint venture with a home-grown company before doing business in that country. This can work to the foreign company's advantage if they don't plan to move operations overseas. Having people on the ground where you're doing business is the easiest way to watch the local economy.
Joint ventures can create amazing possibilities for two entities -- as long as they are taken seriously. Many small businesses and new entrepreneurs find entering into a JV an attractive option in order to build their customer base or offer new products or services.
For example, let's say you have incredible computer repair skills. Your only problem is that you don't have much of a customer base and very little money to advertise. To help your business grow, you approach a local computer sales store that doesn't currently offer repair services to its clients. You propose a joint venture where the store refers its clients to you, and only you, for repairs. The benefits? You get a steady flow of business at no cost to you, and the store adds valuable repair services to its list of offerings to clients.
Although joint ventures offer a great many benefits to all parties involved, they can be disastrous if they're taken too lightly. Small businesses that are able to successfully enter into joint ventures generally possess five common characteristics: 1) Creativity; 2) Persistence; 3) Visualization skills; 4) Negotiation skills; 5) Client relationship skills.
Creativity is a key skill in successfully seeking out and developing joint ventures. You must be able to see all the ways that your business could fit into various joint ventures. There are joint venture possibilities for virtually anyone and any kind of business if you know where -- and how -- to look. Creativity is also important when you're explaining the benefits of a joint venture to a potential business partner.
Persistence is particularly important when you first approach your potential partners. Small businesses have a lot going on, and the owners can forget you if you're not careful. You might also have to explain what a joint venture is if they don't already know.
You must be able to look beyond the present and visualize how your side of the partnership will fit with the other business's contribution. If you look ahead and see problems, you must iron them out before you make any firm commitments. Look for the bigger picture, or the bigger picture might not be as pretty as you'd hoped.
When you're putting together your JV agreement and business plan, you'll spend a lot of time negotiating with your partner. You'll want to make sure you're getting exactly what you want out of the deal, and that means sometimes you'll have to be pretty hard-nosed. If you have difficulty entering into professional negotiations, forming a strong joint venture that provides the best benefits for you will be very difficult.
Once you have successfully entered into a joint venture, you will need to find and build a client list. If your partner is providing clients for you, you must be extra attentive to their needs and make sure you don't lose them for your partner. If you have clients, they might be wary of your new business and fear that your products or services are about to change or become more expensive. It's important to keep in close touch with them and explain the changes in detail.
If you properly research what it means to enter a joint venture, and look at all the different possibilities before choosing a partner, you are likely to succeed and reap great benefits for your efforts. The main thing is to be assertive, honest with your partner -- and most of all, to make it fun!
