Share opportunities by joining with one or more partners to exchange resources, share risks, and divide rewards. Use these alliances to fill gaps in your resources and open new markets. Look for markets or products where you are unable to deliver a competitive offer to the marketplace. Identify the deficiencies preventing you from doing so. Then seek out partners to supply what you’re missing. Mix your own core strengths with those of others to create new offers that customers value and accept. Such alliances can take any of a number of forms such as: a strong relationship with a major customer, a partnership with a source of distribution, a relationship with a supplier of innovation or product, or an alliance in pursuit of a common goal. In some instances you may form a new jointly owned company. In others one partner may purchase equity in the other. Most often the relationship will be defined by a contract.