Build Better Strategic Partnerships

Key Points:

0:00 – Opening and Mastermind Setup
Howard opens the Advanced Strategy Mastermind and frames the call as a discussion-driven session where coaches bring real challenges and learn from each other.

1:00 – Karen’s Strategic Partner Challenge
Karen shares that she is working on strategic partner agreements, MOUs, venue relationships, and building a larger ecosystem around small business support.

2:30 – Venue Partnership Strategy
Karen explains that she wants venues, especially coworking or small business spaces, to provide rooms while she brings group coaching value to their clients.

4:00 – Coworking Spaces May Be a Tough Sell
John shares that coworking spaces often think first about charging for space, not necessarily helping their tenants become more profitable.

5:00 – Libraries as Easier Venues
John recommends local libraries because they are often looking for community education and may be more receptive to business-focused workshops.

6:00 – Community Colleges and Public Resources
Karen notes that community colleges may also be a possible venue because they sometimes open space for public learning opportunities.

7:00 – Entrepreneurial Centers and Incubators
Gary suggests looking for entrepreneurial centers, startup groups, ag-tech spaces, business incubators, and local organizations that want to attract business owners.

8:30 – Women’s Business Development Groups
The group suggests women’s business development groups and similar organizations as potential venue and audience partners.

10:00 – Business Broker Opportunity
Mark brings up the “silver tsunami” and the large number of retiring business owners whose companies may not be ready for a strong valuation or sale.

11:30 – Karen’s Marketplace Vision
Karen explains that she is building a business services marketplace where partners share the language of Jumpstart 12 and support small business profitability.

13:00 – Ecosystem vs. Traditional Client Model
Howard clarifies that Karen’s approach is more of an ecosystem or business services marketplace than a standard coaching client acquisition strategy.

15:00 – Build a Coalition of Business Service Providers
The group suggests that Karen may need a coalition of business service providers who share the same vision and common language.

17:30 – Trust and the Business Profitability Network
Karen describes her goal of creating a trusted business profitability network where business owners know where to go for reliable help.

20:00 – MOU Resource and Strategic Partner Structure
The MOU resource is positioned as a tool to help structure partner relationships once the relationship strategy is clearer.

23:00 – Scott’s Library Live Events
Scott shares that he has two library events booked and is recording videos for the event pages and follow-up process.

24:00 – Using ZoomInfo for Local Outreach
Scott explains that he is using ZoomInfo to identify businesses near the event locations and call them with workshop invitations.

25:00 – Business Broker and Community Partner Promotion
Scott shares that he is also partnering with a business broker who can invite people to one of the events.

26:00 – Following Up After an Expo
Scott asks how to follow up with 150 business cards collected from a Boston business expo.

27:00 – Quality Over Quantity From Expo Contacts
Howard recommends focusing on the few high-quality potential partners rather than trying to pursue every business card.

28:00 – Identifying Strong Expo Partners
Scott identifies two strong contacts from the expo: a business broker and someone who writes operational SOPs for businesses.

29:00 – Business Broker Target Fit
Howard explains that not all business brokers work the same market, so coaches need to confirm whether the broker’s target business size matches their ideal client.

30:00 – “Not Ready to Sell” Broker Question
A strong opening question for business brokers is whether they have owners who want to sell but are not ready because the business is not valuable enough yet.

31:00 – Business Academy as Broker Support
Howard suggests using Business Academy resources, such as financial management or MBA-style content, as a value-add for broker clients.

32:00 – Meet With Business Brokers Regularly
Gary suggests meeting regularly with a true JV partner and walking them through Jumpstart 12 for their own business to build trust and referrals.

33:00 – Restaurant Broker Example
RJ shares that his restaurant broker contact says many sellers are simply done and willing to accept less money rather than improve the business before selling.

34:00 – Work With the Buyer Instead
Gary suggests that if the seller is not open to improvement, the buyer may be the better coaching opportunity because they are getting a business that needs work.

35:00 – Restaurant 90-Day Rescue Idea
Howard shares that he is working on a restaurant-focused 90-day program around supply chain, cost cutting, and improving profitability.

37:00 – Pricing Restaurant Turnaround Help
The group discusses how a restaurant program that saves significant money should not be priced too low if it creates major financial impact.

39:00 – Restaurant Mastermind Possibility
Mark asks whether a restaurant-focused mastermind for Focused coaches could be useful for sharing ideas, strategies, and resources.

41:00 – Client Who Wanted to Sell but Stayed
Phil shares a story about a frustrated business owner who wanted to sell, then changed his mind after working through the system and later sold the business for much more.

43:00 – Sell, Hire, Transfer, or Rebuild
Howard discusses the idea of a short program to help business owners decide whether to sell, hire a general manager, transfer to family or employees, or rebuild value first.

45:00 – Independent Restaurant Opportunity
The group clarifies that the restaurant opportunity is focused on independent restaurants, not large chains or private-equity-backed operations.

47:00 – David’s Setup Progress
David shares that he has been getting help from Tel to get his setup squared away and plans to reconnect with Howard for a path forward.

49:00 – RJ’s First Live Presentation Story
RJ shares that he had to present quickly, felt overwhelmed by the large slide deck, and decided to use the simulator instead.

51:00 – Simplifying the Presentation
RJ explains that he made the presentation about value, action steps, compounding profit acceleration, stacking improvements, and “Moneyball instead of home runs.”

53:00 – Using the Simulator With a Room
RJ describes using the standard simulator numbers and a QR code so attendees could run their own report and join his email list.

55:00 – Lowering the Improvement Percentages
RJ shows how he used 5%, then 3%, then 1% improvements to make the numbers feel believable and still demonstrate major profit potential.

57:00 – Scott’s Similar Workshop Approach
Scott shares that he is also leaning toward using the simulator instead of trying to present the full slide deck for his first event.

58:00 – AI to Create a Shorter Presentation
Gary suggests using AI to take the slide deck and simulator material and generate a shorter, more impactful presentation.

59:00 – NotebookLM and Slide Simplification
The group discusses using NotebookLM or ChatGPT to reduce decision fatigue and pull the strongest slides for a simpler presentation.

1:00:00 – Profit Strategy Framing
Howard shares a framing he uses: most business owners do not have a documented profit strategy and are either looking backward at a P&L or forward through a business plan.

1:01:00 – Membership Portal Question
RJ asks whether FBS or GoHighLevel can support a client portal or membership area for videos and mastermind content.

1:03:00 – School vs. FBS Membership Discussion
Scott and RJ discuss using Skool or FBS membership/community features for hosting videos, resources, and client access.

1:05:00 – Final Presentation Encouragement
RJ encourages others not to overthink the first presentation and to use the simulator if it already flows naturally.

1:06:13 – Closing Thought
The call ends with the idea that profit can solve many of the problems business owners bring up, because profit is the domino that knocks over other dominoes.

Five Key Takeaways

• Strategic partnerships work best when the partner clearly understands how they win.
• Libraries, community colleges, entrepreneurial centers, incubators, and business development groups may be easier event partners than coworking spaces that mainly sell room rentals.
• Business brokers can be strong partners when you help owners improve valuation, prepare for sale, or support buyers after acquisition.
• For first live events, coaches do not need to overcomplicate the presentation. A strong simulator walkthrough can be enough to create value and start conversations.
• AI can help simplify large slide decks, reduce decision fatigue, and create a tighter presentation, but the coach still needs to own the message.

Notable Quotes

“Let’s hear from you guys what is challenging you and your business.”

“You’re building a business services marketplace.”

“You need to build a vision and invite people into that vision.”

“They all work different spaces.”

“Do you have companies that come to you that want to sell but aren’t ready?”

“Are they really tired or are they just frustrated because it hasn’t worked the way they thought it would?”

“There are entry points.”

“I just said my goal is for all of you business owners to walk away with executable action steps.”

“It’s not about perfect. It’s about installed.”

“We think differently.”

“Profit is the domino that knocks over the other dominoes.”

Action Steps from the Call

1. Identify whether your partner strategy is a traditional JV, a venue partnership, or a larger ecosystem.
2. If approaching venues, focus on groups that already want to attract and support business owners.
3. Test libraries, community colleges, incubators, entrepreneurial centers, and women’s business groups as workshop venues.
4. Use MOUs only after the relationship and expectations are clear.
5. When evaluating expo contacts, sort for quality instead of trying to pursue every card.
6. Follow up first with the strongest potential partners, such as business brokers, SOP consultants, or complementary B2B providers.
7. Ask business brokers whether they have owners who want to sell but are not ready.
8. Consider whether the seller, buyer, or broker is the better coaching opportunity.
9. For restaurant opportunities, look for independent owners who need help with costs, supply chain, operations, or profitability.
10. If creating a niche program, test the offer with a few real clients before scaling it.
11. For a first live event, consider using the simulator as the core presentation rather than trying to master a large deck.
12. Use conservative improvement percentages, such as 1% to 3%, to make the profit potential feel believable.
13. Add a QR code so attendees can run their own simulator report and join your follow-up list.
14. Use AI or NotebookLM to condense large slide decks into a shorter presentation.
15. Create a simple profit strategy framing that helps owners understand why planning for profit matters.
16. Explore membership or portal tools only after you are clear on how the content supports client value.

Resources & Tools Mentioned

• Advanced Strategy Mastermind
• Strategic Partners
• MOU
• Venue Partnerships
• Coworking Spaces
• Libraries
• Community Colleges
• Entrepreneurial Centers
• Business Incubators
• Women’s Business Development Groups
• Chambers of Commerce
• Business Brokers
• Silver Tsunami
• Jumpstart 12
• Business Profitability Network
• Business Services Marketplace
• ZoomInfo
• Live Events
• Workshop Pages
• Business Expo
• SEO
• GEO / Generative Engine Optimization
• AEO / Answer Engine Optimization
• SOP Consultants
• Business Academy
• Financial Management Course
• MBA Course
• PAS
• Restaurant 90-Day Rescue Program
• Supply Chain
• Cost Cutting
• Profit Acceleration Simulator
• QR Codes
• Local Legend / Profit Acceleration Seminar Slides
• NotebookLM
• ChatGPT
• Skool
• GoHighLevel / FBS
• Membership Portal
• YouTube Unlisted Videos
• Chamber Mastermind
• Moneyball
• Compounding Profit Acceleration