Strengthening the business – Co-operating with other Business Owners

Are you co-operating with other business owners in your farm business? Do you even need to? Why would you?

Well, have you ever noticed that once you have set your reference points and goals, backed them up with focussed action, stepped up personally, implemented systems, made your business different and stayed accountable, you tend to attract others who are using are the same concepts and who are genuinely moving forward to achieve what is most important to them?

“Like attracts like” is a universal principle seen throughout nature, due to a common level (and quality) of energy.

In business it is incredibly important to align or work with other successful business owners because very few of us have the ability to know all and do all. This alignment could range from friendly advice through to joint ventures and the like.

Business owners are usually generalists – they need to know a little about a lot of things, as opposed to specialists who know a lot about a few things.

• Business owners own systems and sometimes systems need specific design or management expertise.
• Business owners may not necessarily employ other business owners as such but rather work “with” them and/or contract them to fulfil roles and tasks.

Therefore, they need to induce friendly co-operation without force and lead these other independent business owners towards a common goal.

When selecting people for your culture, remember to select the “right” people - selection of character is critical for the delivery of outstanding and consistent results. As good sports teams know, success relies more on harmonious coordination of effort than individual skill. Without the support of the entire group, no team can long endure. A winning team is one whose members recognise that when one member of the team is successful, the entire team wins. Conversely, a sure way to develop a losing formula is to create an environment in which team members compete with one another instead of the opponent. When all members give their best in every situation -- whether they are carrying the ball or doing their bit on defence -- the team wins and so does each individual member of it.

Organised effort in a spirit of harmony (between business owners) towards definite ends has so much potential in the farming industry. It can enable average performers to achieve greatly and consistently, it can allow the minimising of petty mindsets, it can focus effort and action down to what is necessary, and it can create fun through the achievement of things not usually possible through our own efforts alone.

Examples can include:

• Livestock marketing teams where all livestock trading/slaughter for a farm is done through a small team with commission negotiated and split between the team.
• A focussed business team or advisory board of (potentially) your financier, accountant, lawyer, livestock agent, trusted fellow farmer, business coach, other specialists, farm manager etc.
• A team of farm business people coming together to genuinely help improve the farming industry in an entirely new way or through a new synthesis of existing methods.

These types of teams are in place in our industry now and great results are being achieved. More will emerge in the future. Even greater results will be achieved than what is currently being done.

A good question to ask yourself is "how co-operative is my business with other business owners we deal with?" Perhaps it is more fitting to ask "how co-operative am I with other business owners I deal with?" Either way it is worth asking the question. Your answer will highlight huge opportunities to create winning teams of business owners to enhance your business and theirs, together!