Mercer Island
Chamber of Commerce

By Lynette Vargas Garcia Blanks, Creative Director of Seattle Agenda and CEO of The Networking Bee Group Hey there, business builders! Through my work with The Networking Bee Group and the Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce, I've discovered a powerful truth: collaboration beats competition every time . The most thriving local businesses aren't going it alone they're building strategic partnerships that create mutual growth. Let me share the partnership strategies that are transforming businesses right here in our community. Why Local Partnerships Are Your Secret Weapon The business world has changed. Big retailers and online giants dominate on price and convenience. But local businesses have an unbeatable advantage: authentic community connections . When we partner together, we amplify our strengths and create experiences customers can't find anywhere else. 3 Partnership Strategies That Drive Real Results 1. Co-Marketing: Double Your Reach Skip the expensive ads. The best marketing happens when complementary businesses join forces. I've watched a local coffee shop and bookstore launch a "Coffee & Pages" promotion crosspromoting on social media and offering bundled discounts. Both saw 30% increases in foot traffic. Your move: Identify three businesses whose customers align with yours. Reach out with one simple collaboration idea this week. 2. Joint Events: Create Community Experiences Events connect people and they're easier when you're not solo. The Mercer Island Chamber's "Thankful for Local Bingo" event perfectly illustrates joint event success. This past November promotion brought together over 20 local businesses, from YogaSix and Island Books to The Crawlspace Gastropub and Mercer Island Florist, creating a community-wide scavenger hunt that drove foot traffic to every participating location. These collaborations create authentic experiences customers love. Your move: Think of an event you've wanted to host. Who would be the perfect partners to make it happen? 4. Referral Networks: Build Trust-Based Growth This is where magic happens. When you genuinely know and trust other business owners, you become each other's best advocates. At The Networking Bee Group, we've built an entire community around this principle. I'm talking about authentic relationships where you confidently refer clients because you know they'll be taken care of not transactional arrangements. Your move : Schedule coffee with one local business owner this month. No agenda just build the relationship first. Keys to Successful Partnerships • Start small: Test with a simple collaboration before formal commitments • Communicate clearly: Set expectations about roles, success metrics, and problemsolving • Seek complementary strengths: The best partnerships combine different capabilities • Think long-term: Ongoing partnerships create sustained growth • Celebrate together: Acknowledge wins to build momentum The Mercer Island Opportunity Our community is perfectly sized small enough for genuine connections, yet connected enough to the Seattle area for real impact. When Mercer Island businesses collaborate, we strengthen not just ourselves but our entire community. Through Seattle Agenda and The Networking Bee, I've witnessed this transformation. When we support each other, everyone benefits businesses grow, the community thrives, and we build an economy our neighbors want to support. Take Action Today Strategic partnerships require intentional relationship-building, but you don't have to figure it out alone. Start with one idea from this post. Reach out to one business owner. Have one conversation. That's how every great collaboration begins with someone taking the first step. In our community, we rise together. What partnerships will you explore? Let's connect at the next Chamber event! — Lynette VGarcia Blanks

Small business owners are usually not short on ideas. You have them in the shower, in the car, halfway through a client call, and even in the middle of the night. Ideas for a new service. A better way to onboard customers. A partnership you should pursue. A social post series that would actually sound like you. No, the problem is not creativity. The problem is action. Most good ideas don’t die because they were bad. They die because they never get translated into a next step while they’re still exciting. That’s why you need the 48-Hour Rule. The rule is simple: If an idea doesn’t have a next action plotted and scheduled within 48 hours, it’s not a plan. It’s entertainment. This is not a judgment on your executing abilities. It’s your business. The urgent pulls harder than the important. And once an idea slips behind payroll, customer emails, and the Tuesday fire drill, it rarely climbs back out. So, let’s talk about how to make the 48-Hour Rule work in real life with time limits. Why 48 Hours Works (And “Someday” Doesn’t) A new idea creates a burst of clarity. You can see the path. You can picture the result. You feel a little lighter because you’ve imagined a better version of your business. But clarity fades fast. In 48 hours, two things happen: Reality returns. Your current workload reasserts itself or you start doubting your abilities, your team’s abilities, your customer’s interests, or any other number of things that begin to cause… The idea starts to feel bigger than it is. You forget the simple version and only remember the “perfect” version. This becomes next to impossible to put into action. The 48-Hour Rule protects your idea from both. It forces you to do one thing before the moment passes: choose the next action . Not the whole plan. Not the branding. Not the full rollout. Just the next action. The Difference Between an Idea and a Next Action An idea is fun, creative, exciting, while a next action is specific, physical, and schedulable. It’s something you can do without needing another meeting with yourself. Shy away from your action being “research.” It’s easy to get lost in it with little to show. Here are examples: Idea: “We should improve customer follow-up.” Next action: “Draft a two-email follow-up template and save it in the CRM.” Idea: “We should partner with another business.” Next action: “Write one partnership pitch email and send it to two businesses by Friday.” Idea: “We should raise prices.” Next action: “List top 10 services, current prices, and margins in a spreadsheet by Thursday at 10 a.m.” If you can’t schedule it, it’s not a next action. How to Implement the 48-Hour Rule Without Blowing up Your Week If you’re excited about your new idea, get something scheduled, even during a busy week. Try this: Step 1: Capture the idea in one sentence. Not five paragraphs. One sentence. Put it in a running note on your phone or a single “Idea Parking Lot” document. Step 2: Write the smallest next action. Ask: “What’s the first move that would make this 5% more real?” Step 3: Schedule it inside the next 48 hours. Not “this week.” Not “soon.” Put a 15–30-minute block on your calendar. Treat it like a client meeting. Because it is. Your future revenue is sitting in the lobby. Step 4: Give it a finish line. The goal of that block is not perfection. It’s progress you can point to. A draft. A message sent. A decision made. A file created. The “Two-Track” Trick for Busy Seasons If you’re in a truly slammed stretch, use this adjustment: you only have to schedule one of two things within 48 hours : The next action or A decision to deliberately defer it (with a date) That second option matters. Because “not now” can be a smart business decision. If you can’t do the action, schedule a 10-minute decision block: “Do we pursue this in Q1 or not?” That keeps you moving. What This Looks Like Over Time The magic of the 48-Hour Rule isn’t that every idea becomes a big initiative. Instead, your business becomes a place where ideas get handled, not hoarded. You’ll start to notice: Fewer loose ends rattling around in your brain Faster follow-through (which customers feel immediately) More momentum inside your team Better instincts about what’s worth doing, because you’re testing ideas in small bites Action compounds in the way that matters reducing chaos and increasing innovation. A Simple Challenge for This Week Pick one idea you’ve been sitting on. Just one. Write the next action. Schedule 20 minutes for it in the next 48 hours. Then do it. That’s how businesses grow—small, consistent moments of follow-through. Ask the Chamber If you’re thinking, “I have ideas, but I need the right people, resources, or a push,” you’re not alone. That’s exactly what a chamber of commerce is built for: turning good intentions into traction. Use your chamber for the kind of next actions that matter: Ask them to make an introduction that leads to a partnership or something specific you need Attend one event and meet your next vendor or client Join one committee and get closer to decision-makers Ask one question and get practical insight from business owners who’ve been there Your idea may be game changing, but you won’t know until you execute. You may not have time to get it completely worked out and implemented, but you do have time to start with a 20-minute next step. Try the 48-Hour Rule this week. Then let your chamber help you turn that first step into a path.