Abigail Tiefenthaler – Elevate Your Business with Collaborations

Hi and welcome to the You World Order Showcase podcast. Today we have with us Abigail Tiefenthaler. She is the founder of the collaborators collective. It's a community of women business owners who want to grow together. Welcome to the show, Abigail. I'm really excited to chat with you about what you got going on over there.

So welcome.

I'm excited to be here, Jill. Thank you.

So what motivated you to start this collective?

We actually I'm in a business partnership, I have a business partner who's in Minnesota, I'm in Tennessee, and we met about six years ago and went into partnership a little over four years ago. Earlier this year, we started just putting out the concept that we'd like to do more collaborations, true collaborations, not e-mail.

Swaps her.

Summit guest spots or any of that. But actually two companies coming together to create a new offer or a new event. And we got into a collaboration that was very successful and that turned into the collaborators collective because we were getting a lot of people saying, well, I want to collaborate with you. I want to collaborate. How do you do it?

What do you need?

Needed and so there were so many questions coming up. We thought, let's get it started and it there's no one else in the industry right now that we can find. That's purposely helping, especially women coaches, speakers, consultants get into collaborations. We talk about it. I.

I say it's the throwaway word of.

2023.

But at the same time, I think it's there's a lot of logistics that surround it and there's a lot of fear of being vulnerable with another business person. So it seemed like it would be a good idea for us who've done them successfully as well as.

Understand the logistics behind them as marketing and salespeople.

So what kinds of things would?

People collaborate on I you're right when you say.

That it's the.

2023 throw away word everybody talks about collaborating, but really when you like, dive deep into what the word means and your thoughts around how to collaborate effectively.

With another person or another business.

Well, there's, there's a couple of things. I mean, one is a good collaboration is.

Two people who actually work in the same space, right? So their target audience is the same. They both may be digital marketers, but maybe one has the expertise around Facebook engagement and another person focuses on LinkedIn.

Visibility so they would be good to come together because they bring that next level of understanding around social media, right? So it elevates the conversation.

You know, let's look at health and Wellness. Maybe somebody who's a nutritionist coming together with somebody who's more into yoga or weight training or something like that where they could come together.

The definition of a collaboration is two people coming together to create one offer or event. So the nice thing about it is that it can have a beginning, middle and end.

Right. It doesn't have to go on in perpetuity for the rest of the world, you know, rest of rest of everyone's life.

So to you know, around January perfect time for.

Yeah, I think really you can collaborate at any time during the year. And to me collaborating is really offering your clients.

An expanded offer where you might specialize in one thing. If you can collaborate with somebody who's got a similar who's in a similar niche that offers something different, and I've interviewed so many coaches, everybody.

Does something different. You could both could be.

Doing weight loss.

And believe me, you're gonna bring different elements to the table.

It just. That's the way it is. Everybody is different and unique. And when you when you both come together and you share your audiences and you offer them something even more spectacular because you're bringing the uniqueness, you both have together to create something even.

Greater, but also unique it exactly it can be a marvelous thing.

Well, and here's the other thing is we talked to a lot of women who don't necessarily want to ultimately get into a collaboration, but they want to be in that community of collaborative energy. So we have the opportunity to share best practices without that fear around competition and scarcity and you know.

All those mind games that we are so good at playing.

Excuse me, I got like, something in my throat.

So yeah, I am.

Actually going to take a drink of.

Water bear with me. Just a SEC.

There I think I'm better now.

Yeah, I can see that.

Often when people.

Start thinking about collaborating. There's all those fears that can show up the you know what if they steal all my stuff?

I'm with you on that.

You know you're gonna put your stuff out there.

It's going to get stolen. It's going to get manipulated. It's going to get changed. It's not going to be the same as what you're teaching because.

They're going to put their own filter on it.

It you're it's not you teaching.

Yeah, it's not you, so.

So you really need to just get over that fear. But I recognize that it is a fear that people do have when they start thinking about collaborating and then money comes into the picture because, you know.

Everybody's always afraid.

Oh my God. I'm gonna get my share.

Right.

My opinion.

Go ahead. No. Sorry, just.

Let it go.

Put some contracts together, figure it out on paper what you want it to look like before you decide to do this.

Thing not after.

Exactly. Exactly.

And here's and here's the thing.

I think it's contagious. I think there are logistics that need to be addressed ahead of time. If you decide to come up with a custom logo, who owns it?

If you're accepting payments, who's taking it? How are you splitting the money? How are you splitting the delivery of whatever it is that you're offering? Are you using your client portal or theirs? So there's, you know, steps to navigate as you're doing them?

And I think, again, as women especially, it's.

It's important to help them understand that you have to release a lot of those fears and a lot of those worries about.

All of those little things that you know it it's like dating.

Right, you know, I mean, most of us have been on more than one date in our life and some of them were really great people.

But there was just something that was never going to move forward. Other times you had maybe not so great people that you knew weren't going to go forward. So it's about identifying being open to relationship and identifying what it is you really need to complete you and so.

I can't get it.

Talking about.

And talking about it, yeah, I mean, as a strategist to me, all of the best part of your business is done in that thinking phase, right, versus being a, you know, a tactician where all of it's done.

In the execution.

And I think that in today's world, you know, we often think act, you know, like we often.

Think act plan instead of Think, Plan, act and so we get surprised and frustrated when something doesn't happen because we never put that scenario into the conversation. Well, what happens if, you know, we never create those?

What if trains?

Right.

And beforehand.

Before you start getting out there and talking to people and using words like I feel or I felt or it feels to me like and being vulnerable with that other person, but being real it's, you know, if you have boundaries, let them know what your boundaries are.

If you have things that you're really good at and you feel like that's where you should be driving the train, you need to let them know. Hey, this is, this is my area of expertise. I'm really good at this piece. What are you really good at?

And, you know, think of those little pieces out before you start. Just jumping in and taking all kinds of action and.

Yeah, I mean, because you can be past.

Been having problems.

Right. You can be a dramatist. You can do a lot of different things so.

It is a matter of having those conversations up front and that's what we want to do is facilitate that. I mean, we do the main core of our business is as sales closers, we provide fractional sales closers to different clients in the coaching and digital marketing sphere. And it we have to find the right salesperson.

For the right client and the client has to agree and the salesperson has to.

So it's important to, you know, understand those relationships. And here's the thing. I mean, I think both, Tammy and I come from pretty successful relationships. We have proven track record. We've been partners for four years. We're both married 30 plus years to the same man. We both have children that we have good relationships with.

So understanding that not all women have the privilege and the honor and the blessing of that support or that experience, we're able to help them see.

Maybe they need to do this, or maybe they.

Need to do that because.

Of the first thing.

Is really getting collaboration ready?

And that's a logistics and a mindset conversation.

Right then you're ready to get partners and identify. How do you want to collaborate, potential collaborations. Then you go into the logistics and navigating of the process.

But so many people just want to jump.

Right into the process.

This is never a good idea.

No, but it happens. And so our job is to make them realize that failure.

That's a lot.

And it's also to make them realize that you know what, just because it didn't work the first time doesn't mean it.

Won't work in the future.

Yeah, and. And to analyze what went right and what went wrong with it so that you can the next time you decide to do something like that, you have an idea of the things that do.

Work and don't work.

It's like.

Sometimes people get into second marriages and it's way better than the first one.

Right. Or they repeat the exact same pattern and have.

Another failure. So.

Right. So yeah, pattern recognition struggles.

You try to avoid that in life.

So how do people? How do people find you, and how do they join your?

Your group and how does that?

Look what goes on in.

Yeah, we.

We would love you to.

Your group.

So what's interesting about our group is it is not a restrictive group. We want everybody to be interacting with each other. So it's a free private Facebook group. Right now. It's called the collaborators collective and you can find it on Facebook.

Look, I it's.

We do a training once a month, so we do actually this past month it was on clarity. You know we do a training the second Monday of every month and then we do a live networking the third Monday of every month and then our goal is really to get the Community to interact within each you know within the Community.

Where so many groups you know, it's the moderator that decides everything or is the only one that can post, and we don't do that. We want the Community engaging and we're small groups, so.

I think it's pretty phenomenal the level of engagement that's actually happening in the group as we grow, we will be launching a membership actually later on this month and the membership will have some additional benefits like a complete directory it.

We'll also have a.

Private like small little matchmaking sessions and then some guest experts coming into it so you know.

The goal is.

Really. Get them interested in the idea of a collaboration and then help them navigate however we want, you know, however, we can.

So the directory would.

Be for people that are interested in collaborating with other people, and it would tell. Tell the people what, what, what would be included in.

The directory. I guess that's my question.

Well, in the direct. Oh well.

There's the collective which is free, so it has the free training, the free membership in the community within a Facebook world, right? As much as we can do within Facebook and then kickstart is the name of the membership and the additional things is a more comprehensive directory, some matchmaking that will go on small, intimate.

Groups, maybe. Health and Wellness coming together, maybe digital, you know, marketing services coming together. So you know how you've been in, in a networking community before, where everybody gets thrown into a room because that's how zoom breaks you up. But there's, you know, there might be one or two people you really want to talk to, but you may never get into their room.

Because the algorithm on zoom just.

Randomly chooses who where. These will be more purposeful.

I like that.

Can you use them?

Can you actually like have people pick?

Which room they want to go in?

Like if you had a menu of rooms.

I am not. I have. I have only ever been assigned a zoom room and I am not.

A zoom person.

So meaning that I I'm like one of the least techie people you'll ever meet. So I don't know really how extensive.

OK.

The zoom community is but.

One of the things that I know is that I've been in networking meetings before where I'll meet somebody, I'll see somebody and it's like when I hear their 32nd or something. I'm like, oh, I want to get to know them, you know, then we go into a networking, then we go into a breakout room and like, we may do it two or three times and I never end up with that person.

So these will be more purposeful.

Yeah, I've been to networking events. I've been to networking events like that and.

At least that's the goal.

Sometimes it's just easier if you can get all their information in the main.

Networking thing like I'm right madly like taking notes and then reach out to them later. You know, stuff on my Facebook or LinkedIn.

Well, yes. And that's often what.

That's often what happens, but you know, in the moment you're like, oh, I just, I at least want to just meet her or him or whatever. So the idea is to have more focused types and intimate types where we're not going into breakout rooms, but maybe all 10 or 12 people on the call are really having an opportunity to get to know each other.

Because I don't know who still wants to be matched to or until we have that deeper conversation. Right. So that's the idea behind.

Yeah, and I'm already over here thinking so. I got people I need to cook, cook.

You up with.

Well, thank you, please.

And after we're done here.

I'm going to.

Thank you. Thank you so.

I know that you offer checklist for people that join your group, kind of as an incentive to.

Pop over there and see.

What you got going on?

Yep, we do. It's called the collaboration checklist and there's some other things that we have in the group as well, but the collaboration checklist is really a good primer to see if a collaboration even is something you want to consider.

And again, just simply being in a community with that has collaborative energy.

It you know, not competitive energy or scarcity mindset, but just like let's figure it out, let's find a way. Something's possible it, you know, can be refreshing in today's world. Yeah, just.

Getting to know.

Other people doing different things out there.

You never know.

When you're going to need.

Somebody's help. And when somebody's going to have an idea that's just like it sends you on a trajectory that you never imagined you were going to go on. But it was just because, you know, you decided to get in this group.

Yeah, the brain trust possibilities are so crazy. And I've been lucky enough. You know, I'm. I'm a part of the Women Network, which is a North American organization. I run the Knoxville chapter in Tennessee, and I love some of the principles. You know, it's a value based membership program, and I love some of the principles.

Because we get on as a small strategic business introduction and it is all about sharing best practice, it is not about saying well when you work with me, you will, but it's about no, you know, we really need to take care of the e-mail issues that are happening because of what's going on in the industry, like we're bringing things up and people are like, oh, I've never even.

Heard of it or thought of it? Or? Yeah, that's a great idea. Have you ever tried doing this and we're there providing support and ideas that don't overwhelm but are tied to the question or opportunity they have.

Right. So how do we solve this?

And when you get.

Yeah, so it's cool.

When you get more women minds together that.

The solutions are like phenomenal because you you're getting it from so many different perspectives that you know the answer is.

The answer is going to be a unique.

Again, that that collaboration that gives you the unique offer that's solution offer whatever that piece.

That you end up with, it's just amazing.

Yeah, it's it. It is really fun to watch and fun to be a part of because there's really nothing better than seeing a light bulb moment in somebody when they say I've never thought of it that way or wow, how simple I'm overcomplicating it or.

I don't need to do this. Are you giving me permission to not have to do AB or C? Yes, I am. I'm telling you, you do not need to do 15 different social media platforms, you know? And. And I think sometimes we just need to hear it from somebody else, even though intuitively we're pretty brilliant on our own, but.

We don't use it.

Right. What did? What did they say? Take my.

Just need somebody else to.

Yeah, we just need somebody to say it's OK.

Exactly, exactly it is. It's simple. I mean, what I was going to say is, you know, what do they say? Take my advice on not using it anyway, so it's.

Yeah. Yeah, exactly so.

I hope this helps a little bit, you know and that there is.

That there are there are communities and there are networks where everything isn't all about selling, but it's about coming together for the right reasons and being in a place where you feel supported.

I think the selling happens.

And the money.

But it's more.

Because people are like they're genuinely interested in getting your help because you've already helped them a certain amount to begin with. And they're like, wow, look at this, this is really great. And I think I can get more of it. And if you have enough.

I hate to say enough offers, but if you have enough ways that people can work with you that matches you know their needs with what you.

Are already doing without having.

To like.

Go and create a whole new program just for them, because that's never really a good idea, but you can if you can help them find a way to work with you that's within their budget.

And really can get them amazing results.

You're going to end up with clients.

Absolutely. And. And here's the thing. You know, a lot of people talk about sales and to many people, it's an icky topic, you know, with Tammy and I met doing sales contracts. That's why we have a fractional agency that's growing.

So then people will say, well, don't sell, but serve. Here's the thing. Don't sell solve. I think solving is a much better word because again, you're not coaching necessarily because you don't want to do that. If you fix a problem somebody doesn't need you anymore until the next problem. But they don't know there's going to be a next problem at that moment.

The concept of solving is, you know, the idea of if you give a person a fish, they eat for a day. If you teach them how to fish, they eat for the rest of their life. And that's the idea is, you know, let's share the things we know because after however many years we've all been in the business world or in our, I've been in the marketing and client development.

Is for 40 plus years. I grew up in the industry. My dad was a madman. My mother had a marketing company that she ran in the 60s out of her home. So I truly understand marketing as a discipline, that is.

Completely separate from sales, but completely dependent on the outcomes of both, right? They're so interconnected.

And when you get somebody who's like not trying to sell you.

An 8 week course with 15 templates that's going to meet on Tuesdays.

Now we can.

Relax and we can have the conversation. Well, is this?

You know, is what I can help you achieve really where you're supposed to go next.

Right. Maybe you need something before you start working with, so that's the benefit of being in community of women who really they understand their value, they know they're good at what they do, right. A lot of 20-30, forty year old career specialist.

But they've always had to either shield what they know because they didn't have the voice they right, they didn't think their voice was worth anything or they.

You know, question it and they so it it's a it's an interesting dynamic to come into a community where we really do want people speaking up like we want to challenge them, to share who they are and what they do.

I always looked at sales as.

Helping I've been in.

Sales my whole adult life. I've sold so many different things in the in the real world as well as online and.

I never liked the word selling because it always had that connotation of I'm going to manipulate you into making a decision that's only in my best interest, and I didn't. That didn't feel right to me, so I always termed it as I'm going to help you and if I can help you really good.

I know you're going to pay me.

And if I can't help you, you know, I probably have somebody I can connect you with that can help you.

It.

And I'm happy to.

Do that.

Yeah, I like, I mean, I agree with you. It is for us in the industry that the type of work that we sell around for the most part, it's about helping really achieve clarity. It's about helping somebody decide that this problem or challenge that they're experiencing is worth.

The investment.

Is worth the commitment and is worth the vulnerable iness or vulnerability they have to possess to really get out of it. And if that's the case, then they're clear. Sometimes they're clear on the problem, but not the solution. And sometimes they're clear on the problem and the solution.

And sometimes they're clear on the problem and the solution, but they're.

Not committed enough to really make it worthwhile, because who wants to actually have somebody buy a program and then?

Never use it.

Yeah, that sucks a lot, yeah.

Of time creating.

The program and you want them to get the best results.

Exactly. You're absolutely right. I agree with you. It sucks.

Thank you. Abigail, do you have any last thoughts that you want?

To share with the audience today.

I think it's.

Just a perfect evolution for women business owners who.

Want to be you know who are driven and successful and they just don't want to feel like they're alone and isolated, as so many are.

Yeah. And whether you collaborate with somebody or not just being among other people that are open to the idea of collaboration.

It's just like.

It's a windfall as far as resources, I mean.

These people? Oh yeah.

Amazing ideas.

Everybody does.

Ideas, amazing resources. Amazing solutions. You know, everybody again has their own little wheelhouse, so.

How many wheels does it take to run a car? If you add it up, all the wheels that were in a car, it's not one.

Right. The steering wheel without the wheels on a tight around the tire. Don't get you anywhere. The tires don't get you anywhere without the wheel of the steering wheel. So. And then there's, I'm sure, a ton.

Of wheels that.

Are in the engine.

And other parts, yeah.

Exactly. Exactly. So think of it this way. I mean, I don't think any of us are meant to truly.

Do everything on our own, because in this day and age you just can't. It's almost a physical impossibility, you know, so.

That's my perspective.

I've coined a new word. It's called Coopetition and it's not about competing with each other, but cooperating with each other, being the best we can be in our own right and be centered and grounded in what it is that we're our strengths are.

But of being able.

To really appreciate what others strengths are and that.

They what they bring to the table is valuable and respecting that and working together.

I'm right there with you.

I'm right there with you. Thank you so much for having me on, Jill. It's been a pleasure chatting with you and.

Getting to know you as well.

It has been a pleasure chatting with you too, Abigail, thank.

You for joining me