Episode 1
The Origin of Grand Connection and the Power of Collaboration | 001
If you feel like you’re running hard in your business but not getting anywhere, you’ll relate to Susan’s story of late nights with her daughter’s hamster Nibbles and how that moment sparked a shift toward connection instead of overwhelm. She shares the unexpected Grand Canyon moment in March 2020 that inspired the creation of Grand Connection and explains what collaboration truly is in a way that feels simple and doable. You learn how collaboration shows up in nature, why it helps you go farther with less effort, and how it grows from small acts of support to full partnerships. Susan closes by encouraging you to reach out to just one person this week, reminding you that big momentum starts with small, genuine conversations.
Highlights:
- Why Collaboration Beats the Hamster Wheel – See how working alone creates unnecessary pressure and why shared support leads to steadier progress.
- The Moment That Sparked Grand Connection – Explore how a single conversation at the Grand Canyon became the turning point for a new kind of business community.
- What Collaboration Really Looks Like – Get a simple, relatable picture of collaboration through examples from nature, music and everyday life.
- The Different Sizes of Collaboration – Understand how partnerships can grow from small acts of generosity to larger creative alliances that expand impact.
- How to Find Aligned Collaborators – Learn what qualities matter most in a great partner and how one small action can start a meaningful connection.
Meet the Host: Susan Jarema
Susan has been an entrepreneur all her life. Since her first lemonade stand, she has completed two marketing degrees, built from scratch several businesses and helped in the launch of hundreds of new ventures. She has been training entrepreneurs and selling online since 1995, much before google! … and has seen it all. As president of New Earth Marketing, she has built hundreds of websites. Susan, an expert in marketing strategy, branding, SEO & conversions, calls herself an internetologist and now helps entrepreneurs and companies succeed online through her Brand Alignment Framework and running collaborative marketing campaigns for the Grand Connection. Susan is passionate about the power of collaboration to leverage success.
Connect with Susan and the Grand Connection Community:
Website: https://grandconnection.ca/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/grand.connection
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrandConnectionCommunity
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grandconnection.ca/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/66749100
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxq03yde7nb57HKV1hhztYA
Access your Grand Growth Bundle and Free Guest Pass: https://grandconnection.ca/gifts
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Transcript
That's a common theme around here. We're all working towards
Speaker:having a little less effort get off the hamster wheel. These
Speaker:examples remind us that collaboration is natural. It
Speaker:makes life easier and it makes outcomes better, and it helps
Speaker:everyone go farther together at the Grand Connection.
Speaker:Collaboration means generosity, trust, openness and celebration.
Speaker:It means connecting with people who share your values and
Speaker:complement your strengths. It means being open and fair and
Speaker:finding the path that feels win win for everyone. It means
Speaker:supporting each other towards a common purpose and creating
Speaker:something that becomes more than the sum of its parts. And
Speaker:collaboration comes in many levels. Collaboration can start
Speaker:with a simple moment of connection. Maybe you meet in a
Speaker:zoom breakout room at a grand mixer. Maybe somebody sends you
Speaker:an introduction through a referral app. Maybe you cross
Speaker:paths inside a grand group, or maybe you meet and have your
Speaker:first one on one at Starbucks sipping your favorite coffee
Speaker:that first hello is where collaboration begins, and it's
Speaker:the start of the relationship. And just like coffee sizes,
Speaker:collaboration grows in levels, small, medium, large or venti,
Speaker:okay, yes, I'm going to need to check this out. I'm still trying
Speaker:to understand why vente is bigger than tall. So I looked it
Speaker:up, and there's actually more than just small, medium and
Speaker:large. There's a whole bunch of them. So there's starts off with
Speaker:Demi, which is three ounces short, is eight tall, is 12.
Speaker:Grande is 16 ounces vente. There's the vente is 20. So it's
Speaker:bigger than tall, and it's different for hot and cold. So
Speaker:there's 20 ounces for hot and 24 for cold. So I guess the cups
Speaker:were just different in sizes. And then there's trenta that
Speaker:comes for 30 ounces. I've never even seen that one. That's a lot
Speaker:of coffee. Anyways, I've digressed here, but let's talk
Speaker:about small collaborations, and that would be, I guess, tall,
Speaker:according to Starbucks, but you get the point. So these small
Speaker:steps help build, know, like and trust. Small looks like things
Speaker:like sharing a resource, giving a lead, offering a tip to
Speaker:somebody, liking and sharing a post, sending a supportive
Speaker:message to cheer somebody up, maybe it's giving a testimonial
Speaker:or showing up and supporting them at an event. Then there's
Speaker:medium collaborations, grande size and of course, that's the
Speaker:one I always order, because everything is grand around here.
Speaker:Medium collaborations help you test the fit.
Speaker:They build momentum medium kind of looks like sharing content,
Speaker:podcast swaps, speaking on a summit, maybe doing a Facebook
Speaker:live together. You get to know each other, joining a panel or
Speaker:becoming an affiliate or a referral partner, as you get to
Speaker:know them better. And then there's those larger
Speaker:collaborations, the venti size ones, large. Collaborations
Speaker:happen when alignment is strong and you build the know, like and
Speaker:trust. You don't start off right away. You know, marrying the
Speaker:first person you meet, right? You get to know them so large
Speaker:looks like, you know, co creating a master class,
Speaker:building a program, co authoring a book, partnering on a launch,
Speaker:starting something new together. Maybe it's a joint venture,
Speaker:maybe it's a new business. Let collaboration grow at its own
Speaker:pace. It should unfold naturally and feel supportive, aligned and
Speaker:easy every step of the way. So you may be wondering who makes
Speaker:great collaboration partners. Great collaborators share
Speaker:values, they share intentions and they share energy. They also
Speaker:bring different strengths together. You are stronger than
Speaker:you are alone, so the things to look for are shared values,
Speaker:align goals, complementary strengths, uplifting energy.
Speaker:That's always a good one. Open communication and people who are
Speaker:authentic that you really can get to know like and trust.
Speaker:We will explore all of this more in upcoming episodes and learn
Speaker:from our community through their successes. Before we wrap up.
Speaker:Here is one simple step you can take this week. Reach out to one
Speaker:person, just one start a genuine conversation and ask how you can
Speaker:support them. A quick reminder you do not need to leap the
Speaker:whole Grand Canyon this week, one simple hello is plenty. One
Speaker:connection can lead to something grand. In upcoming episodes,
Speaker:you'll learn how to create your grand intro, how to make a grand
Speaker:ask, how to find great collaboration partners and how
Speaker:the grand growth blueprint can support your journey. You will
Speaker:also meet some amazing members and leaders and hear how they
Speaker:have used collaboration to create big results. I use the
Speaker:word big instead. I couldn't do grad everywhere. I cannot wait
Speaker:for you to meet them, and one day that leader could be you.
Speaker:Thank you for joining me. We're going to have a lot of fun.
Speaker:Let's connect, create and collaborate together.
