What a Strategic Partner REALLY Does For Your Business 

Have you ever wished you had someone on your team who could help you move things forward in your business? Not someone you had to manage or someone who organized your project management tool or client tasks?

Someone who really understands what’s in your head, knows what you need to grow your business, and knows how to turn your ideas into revenue-generating offers and campaigns? That’s a strategic partner, my friend.

Let’s define “strategic partner”

It’s probably easier to start with what a strategic partner is not. They’re not a virtual assistant who’s really good at keeping projects moving (although those people are great!). They’re not just a project manager, either, or an online business manager. Those things imply that someone manages a team or the multiple facets of a project — like checking in on contractors, setting deadlines, executing on things behind the scenes.

A strategic partner may do those things to help the team run smoothly (I’ve definitely put on my execution hat during Black Friday sales and large promotions for clients!), but that’s not their main focus. Their main focus is on getting you out of the day-to-day and really focusing on the whole picture.

Looking at the whole picture

This strategic partner is someone who helps you consider the whole picture of your business and really evaluates its overall performance. They’ll also help you evaluate your:

• Finances
• Resources
• Time
• Energy
• Focus
• Profitability
• Systems and processes
• And more

Depending on the business, a strategic partner will actually step in and pop open the proverbial hood on your business. They’ll get into the nitty-gritty to see what you’ve got, what’s working, and where there’s room for improvement or opportunity.

Turning ideas into action

By digging into the business at this deeper strategic level, a strategic partner is also much more equipped to help you turn your big ideas into an action plan. This isn’t just a set of tasks — you’ll have milestones, a holistic overview of resources, and accountability. You’ll also have someone who can hear your next greatest idea and let you know if it’s truly going to move the business forward… or just distract from your goals.

Custom strategies

Last but not least, a strategic partner is someone who understands your business, audience, and industry. Not because they’ve come to you as the expert in your specific niche, necessarily, but because they’ve dug in and done the work to truly understand it all. Because of that knowledge, they won’t try to push a specific formula but rather look at what you have, where you are, and where you’re going.

Know which kind of help you need — and hire for it

Not every business is ready for (nor needs) a strategic partner. Just like not every business needs a video editor or a Facebook ads strategist. The whole point of this blog is to help you see what a strategic partner really does (and does not), so you stop hiring the wrong people for the job.

One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard from business owners, especially in the online space, is that their team member (usually a VA or an OBM) just doesn’t have the ability to help them with the strategic side of the business. Often, that’s because their strengths lie in execution, not strategy.

As a CEO, you want to focus on your strengths, which are likely ideation, service to customers or clients, brand culture, etc. You may need to find a strategic partner who can help you focus on the internal workings of your own business, turn your ideas into action, and intentionally move the right projects forward.

Of course, if you do need help with project management, inbox management, or execution on your big ideas, you need a VA or project manager type of person. The key is knowing what you truly need first, and hiring for that role. 

Need a strategic partner?

If you want to tap into the impact that a strategic partner can make on your business, you can do that with my monthly consulting package. Together, we can go over:

• Your product or offer strategy
• Your launch strategy
• The current state of your business
• Your typical audience (and their pain points)
• Marketing, sales, and revenue history
• Your strategic projects inside your business
• And more

With monthly consulting, you get two 30-minute strategy calls, weekly check-ins for accountability, and real-time Voxer access to ask questions and get feedback as you implement your projects and ideas.

Space is limited, so book today if you’re interested.