The Power of Collaboration

This book is a guide and a celebration. It is a guide to help any business owner understand how to design, develop and manage a Business Peer Group. it is a celebration of the 20 year history of one such group. That group, The Southern California Manufacturing Group, as co-authors, shares their history of accomplishment and wisdom gained from membership in the group.

This is a book on how collaboration is more powerful than competition in terms of return on investment. The time and effort invested in collaborating with industry peers is far more beneficial than competing with them. A collaborative effort seeks to increase productivity with growth. Through collaboration you increase profits as a result of improved productivity. This is counter to most business experience of flat or decreasing productivity with growth. The collaborative approach, of a peer group, is also important from the point of view of accountability. Without someone to report to the owner of a business has no one to hold him or her accountable. A peer group will do that and make sure that any commitments made to the group will be fulfilled. Overall there is no other way to achieve the performance that a collaborative entity like a business peer group provides. It is an investment in improved sustainable performance and not a cost!

Jim Hull founded the J.R. Hull Co., Inc. in 1980 as a consulting practice focused on developing value in privately held businesses. His consulting model was to work with small to medium businesses, usually family held, over an extended period of time to increase profitably and build business value. In order to achieve these objectives he focused on increasing business productivity and growth. His practice was general in nature and addressed the whole of the business instead of parts. His solutions to specific business problems, developed over 44 years, were all positive sum solutions. This was and is a hallmark of his approach to building business asset value. He has also been a speaker for local and national organizations on the topic or creative approaches to business planning and development. He has a BA and MBA from Pepperdine University.