Australia is founded on the value of mateship, however when it comes to business, we are often taught that it’s a solo climb. We are encouraged to guard our IP, outpace our competitors, and fight for every slice of market share. But what if the secret to true sustainability isn’t about building higher walls, but building longer tables?
As the founder of a foundation that has evolved from a small family fundraiser into a significant community movement, I’ve learned that the principles of a collaborative business are not just “nice to have”; they are essential strategies for longevity and impact.
My journey began with a personal tragedy – the loss of my brother, Jared – but the growth of the Jared Dunscombe Foundation (JDF) has been driven by a very specific business philosophy: collaboration over competition. By adopting a collaborative business mindset, we’ve been able to impact over 24,400 children and mobilise extensive volunteer networks, all without the burnout or donor fatigue that plagues so many organisations.
Here is why community-centred models are the future of sustainable business, and how you can apply these lessons to your own enterprise.
Lessons from the Land
If you look at regional Australia, particularly our farming communities, you see the original collaborative business model in action.
Farmers understand a fundamental truth: if a neighbour’s fence is down, or a fire is approaching, you don’t ask for permission or expect to sign a partnership agreement – you show up with your ute and your tools. This isn’t just altruism; it is a survival strategy. Farming folk know that the health of the individual farm is intrinsically linked to the health of the wider ecosystem.
In the entrepreneurial world, we often lose sight of this. We operate in silos. However, a collaborative business recognises that we are part of a bigger ecosystem. When I started JDF, I looked at the charity sector and saw incredible organisations like The Compassionate Friends Victoria and Feel the Magic doing vital work but struggling for resources.
I had a choice: I could start a collaborative business structure that supported them, or I could set up a competing charity and fight them for the same donation dollars.
I chose the “barn raising” approach. Just like a group of people gets together to combine skills and resources to build a barn, we decided to act as a funding and volunteer arm for these existing experts. We didn’t need to reinvent the wheel; we just needed to help the wagon move faster.
The Efficiency of the Peaceful Warrior
The old way of doing business was about extraction (taking from the market), and the new model is about contribution (adding value to the ecosystem). Paradoxically, those who contribute the most now end up winning the biggest. But adopting a collaborative business approach requires a shift in mindset. I call it becoming a “Peaceful Warrior.”
In business, there is a glorification of being busy. We think that if we aren’t frantic, we aren’t productive. But frantic energy rarely leads to sustainable results. The Peaceful Warrior is grounded, reliable, and strategic.
By partnering with other organisations, JDF operates with incredible efficiency. We don’t have to pay for the infrastructure to run grief camps because Feel the Magic already does that brilliantly. Instead, we fund the camp and provide the volunteers. This means every dollar we raise goes further.
For your business, this might mean looking for partners who complement your weaknesses rather than trying to master everything yourself. A collaborative business identifies gaps in the market and fills them through partnership, not just acquisition.
This might be partnering with a supplier or a non-competing business further up or down the food chain in your shared customers’ lives. Or creating opportunities for shared resources or training development for your teams.
Once you’ve mastered a collaborative business approach, one of the next partnership challenges is making a bigger impact by collaborating with a charitable event or sponsorship, and many aren’t sure how to approach this.
Do’s and Don’ts for Choosing a Charity Partner
Many business owners I speak to want to give back. They want to embed social impact into their brand, but they are paralysed by choice or fear of doing it wrong.
Building a collaborative business relationship with a charity is different from just writing a cheque. It is about alignment. Here are my tips for getting it right:
The Do’s:
- Do look for alignment in values. Does the charity’s mission resonate with your team and your customers? Authenticity matters more than size.
- Do look for transparency. A collaborative business partnership requires trust. Ensure they can show you exactly where the money or time goes. For example, at JDF, we can show that our funding increased children’s grief coping skills by 12%. Tangible results matter.
- Do get your team involved. Cultural impact happens when your staff can see the difference they are making. Whether it’s a volunteer day or a skills-share, participation builds pride.
The Don’ts:
- Don’t just focus on the Big Guys. Large charities have machines behind them. Often, smaller, local organisations can offer a more tangible connection to your community where you can see the ripple effect of your support.
- Don’t treat it as a transaction. A true collaborative business relationship is a partnership. Ask them what they actually need. It might not be money; it might be your expertise, your venue, products, services, or access to your network.
- Don’t expect instant PR. Do it for the right reasons. The reputation and profile building will come as a natural byproduct of doing good work consistently.
Why Now is the Time to Collaborate
When I speak at events, I use the visual aid of a massive hourglass to explain my motivation. The top of the glass is the future – blocked out, because we don’t know how much time we have left. The bottom is in the past, it’s gone, and we can’t get it back. The only thing we control is the neck of the hourglass, where the sand is flowing right now.
Transitioning to a collaborative business model isn’t something to put on your five-year plan; it’s something you can have an impact with now. The market is changing. Consumers are savvy; they want to buy from businesses that are woven into the fabric of their communities.
By moving from a scarcity mindset that focuses on the competition to an abundance mindset firmly embedded in collaboration, you don’t just secure your business’s future; you help secure the future of your community.
Whether you are a sole trader or a CEO, I encourage you to look at your industry. Who could you help? Who could help you? Where can you tear down a fence and build a longer table?
The most successful businesses of tomorrow will be the ones that understand that we rise by lifting others. That is the heart of a collaborative business.
Key Takeaways:
- Collaboration beats competition: Adopting a collaborative business model allows you to leverage existing resources and expertise, creating greater impact with less friction.
- Efficiency through partnership: You don’t need to do everything yourself. Like the JDF model, supporting existing experts can be more effective than trying to reinvent the wheel.
- The Peaceful Warrior approach: Sustainable success comes from calm, strategic action, not frantic busyness. Grounded leadership attracts better partners and results.
