Finding the sweet spot in large business-small business collaborations - Partnering for the win

We could be on the verge of a new business relationship imperative - from B2B to B2C to B2E.

At the Toilet Board Coalition we think a lot about how to build and facilitate mutually beneficial relationships between multinational corporations and entrepreneurs running small to medium enterprises. In 2014, Unilever, Kimberly-Clark, Firmenich and LIXIL Corporation joined forces to form the Toilet Board Coalition with a mission of supporting to scale companies providing sanitation products and services to low-income consumers. In 2016 we launched the Toilet Accelerator, the framework for this ‘Business 2 Entrepreneur’ relationship and support. Each year, through the Toilet Accelerator, selected businesses design and develop bespoke project plans with our team to create breakthrough business cases in the sanitation sector.

None of us are as smart as all of us.  In today’s highly connected world, it is more critical than ever that we create strong relationships between business, academia, government, and society to solve our most complex problems such as the global sanitation crisis.  We are seeking new ways for large multinational corporations to work with local entrepreneurs and small to medium sized businesses with a set of common goals to achieve mutual success.”  

Pete Dulcamara Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Clear synergies emerge from the needs and offers expressed by businesses large and small. What small businesses need to professionalise and grow, large businesses can offer. And vice versa, small businesses hold important keys to the future growth and relevance of large businesses in new markets.

Accelerators can be excellent springboards to grow your business, particularly when mutually beneficial relationships can be developed. Through the Toilet Accelerator we have seen technical assistant and advisory support catalyst a company forward, but sometimes the two parties can seem a world apart, and without the right framework, promising opportunities can quickly dissolve. Below are our four key pillars to ‘partnering for the win.’

• Clear Expectations & Roles: It is imperative to success to understand the motivations and limitations of the other parties at the table. It can be natural to only see the objective and circumstances from your businesses point of view, but take time to be sure you’re also understanding their perspective. And know your role, what’s included and what isn’t. Respecting these boundaries will enable everyone to bring their best to the table.

“One of the biggest drivers of success for partnerships is being very clear on what you want to get out of the partnership, and understanding the motivations of your partners. For the people from the Unilever side who are involved in mentorship, it is very rewarding to make a difference with sometimes the smallest techniques, or just by asking the smallest question. I have immense respect for the work that these entrepreneurs are doing. What you are trying to do everyday is very very tough. Having a mentor to talk to is a valuable outlet.”  

Charlie Beevor Unilever

• Clear Language & Shared Objective: The two (or more) parties must have a clear shared objective, this is the foundation of collaboration. But a shared objective doesn’t always mean a shared journey, or a shared destination - be attentive to these differences and be ready to finish a collaboration once that shared objective is obtained. Take time to define the language of the shared objective, roles and timeline of a collaboration.

"Lessons learned? Accept that when you build a partnership you will have a common goal but you may have different interests - it is important to put that up front, because it’s ok. How do we create a common language? We often talk about the same things but with different words. The way you use words when you partner can shift the design of your collaboration. The challenge is in the use of the word 'partnership.' The TBC is a business coalition, not a partnership. For me, the first requirement is to share resources on both sides. A collaboration is working together with clear goals, partnerships require partnership brokers." 

Bérangère Magarinos-Ruchat Firmenich

These four pillars will build a structure around your collaboration or partnership that gives space, direction and resources to the parties included - ultimately enabling each of you to come away with a positive and successful experience.

At the Toilet Board Coalition, we believe B2E relationships have the ability to build new communities and innovative ways of working, pushing us and our planet forward to a greater future.

To learn more about the Toilet Board Coalition and the Toilet Accelerator please visit www.toiletboard.org

This blog is a part of the June 2017 series on advisory support for inclusive businesses in partnership with USAID and the African Agricultural Fund’s Technical Assistance Facility, both of which deliver advisory support and have new analysis of it just launched (AAF’s TAF) and forthcoming (USAID).

Read the full series for more lessons from seven different providers of advisory support and stories of success from entrepreneurs.