Strength in Numbers

On the evidence of recent months I can’t help but think that I must work in one of the most collaborative and inclusive industries in the country.

In the last couple of months other virtual assistants have:

• sub-contracted work out to me;

• undertaken work for me;

• recommended me to potential new clients, resulting in them contacting me;

• warned me of the pitfalls of working with one potential new client in particular, and

• wholeheartedly congratulated me on winning new clients.

In addition it is fairly commonplace to find VAs covering for each other during holidays or times of crisis.

Although I think the VA industry is much further down the road of collaboration rather than competition than many other sectors, particularly thanks to the likes of the Virtual Assistant Support Group and AUKVA, there does seem to be a growing movement towards this way of working. Businesses are waking up to the benefits of working together in terms of getting the customers they want, delivering a better service, and being able to negotiate with suppliers from a stronger base than they would as an individual.

While I was in the process of writing this post, Sally Walker of Media Labs was obviously having a similar thought process and has blogged about it here. It’s well worth a read.

So, what about you? Do you compete against others in your sector or have you found ways of making your business stronger by collaborating?

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