Building powerful relationships is the longest standing secret to achieving success in business and in our personal lives.

With classics like Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People—which is over 80 years old now!—there’s no argument that building strategic connections and a highly curated circle of influence will get you further in life.

Now… pair that with the emergence of a growing partnership economy, and Dale Carnegie’s advice is just the tip of the iceberg.

Building an environment that gives you superpowers is crucial for individual success, so just imagine how building an environment that gives your business superpowers will transform the world.

What we need is a new book.

A How to Win Friends and Influence People for the partnership economy.

With best practices for strengthening existing partnerships and building new partnerships that will allow your business to thrive in the business landscape today.

I’m calling this book: “How to Win Partnerships and Influence the Masses”.

And I have a few ideas on the principles that should be included.

Be authentic.

We attract like-minded people.

As you put yourself out there more—both online and offline—you will catch the eyes of like-minded peers who align with your message and brand. You’ll have the right foundation in place to grow strong, meaningful, and mutually beneficial connections. After all, a strong relationship can give you a competitive advantage. You’ll be the first agency they think of when a new opportunity comes in or a client asks them who to work with.

Showing up authentically can actually expedite our efforts in attracting the right partners. It’s easy to sell a product you believe in, and it’s even easier to be your authentic self when you’re aligned with your business. Which is why sensing a lack of authenticity—either in yourself or in your partner—is a red flag for misalignment in culture.

People buy energy, so be memorable, be engaging, be someone they want to have a drink with!

Give more than you expect in return.

Helping others realize their goals is the surest way you’ll get real value in return.

Take a moment for a pulse check—are you giving more than you receive when networking or building your connections? This is universal across anything in life, but even more important in partnerships: you get what you put in.

Successful partnerships create unlimited opportunities. An environment where both partners are giving more than they expect in return is one where a long-lasting partnership will thrive.

Personalize your approach.

The foundation for every productive partnership begins with a deep understanding of what each side brings to the table and what you’re each trying to achieve.

Yes, this insight develops over time as you build trust and confidence in one another, but you should never approach a potential partner without at least a vague idea of what this might be.

Mix flexibility with intentionality—allowing the partnership to evolve into its best version while staying true to why you’re building it in the first place.

It’s why you can’t fully scale every area of partnerships. Just like you can’t scale the friendships in your personal life. Each one is unique, special, and should be treated so.

Be collaborative.

Gone are the days of climbing a ladder and pushing others down for individual benefit. Thankfully, we’re evolving into kinder and more conscious business people, who rally behind a universal mission or purpose rather than personal accolades.

Today, it’s about following your unique path and surrounding yourself with like-minded hustlers who will accompany you on this adventure, and not about power plays or self-serving.

When building business partnerships, you’re looking for an overlap in audience and ideal clients. We should eliminate the word “competition” from our vocabulary entirely.

There’s unlimited abundance, freedom, and happiness to go around, so instead of worrying about the size of our slice, let’s focus on expanding the pie. 

These principles are just the beginning. But locking down even just these three will massively increase the number of partnerships you win.

I would LOVE to hear what other principles guide you when building smart collaborations for your business. What else would you add to this list?