As media folks immersed in social media and technology, our skills are always being invited to be honed.

And for freelancers looking to expand their reach into other areas such as blogging into vlogging or designing sites into managing social media accounts, we’re accustomed to thinking outside the cubicle. The combination may sometimes lead to a one-two fist punch to bigger endeavors!

Well, according to a piece in today’s New York Post, there are a few ways to expand one’s business while keeping a few key pointers in mind.

1. Shrewdly select business partners. For instance, in the piece, three proprietors of the Cobra Club, a hybrid yoga studio and bar (sure, it’s a different biz altogether but essentially the same principles apply to collaborations regardless of the industry) worked with former partners and are no longer pals with them.

Learning from past experiences, they decided to have honest conversations about strengths and expectations up front. Dana Bushman explained to the paper, “You have to get the ugly stuff out of the way first. It’s like writing a will. No one wants to think about it. Set yourself up legally, financially from the get-go, and you stay friends.”

3.  Be flexible. This includes timing, setbacks, and collaborations in general. Let’s say you’re co-writing a book with another author, maybe you don’t see eye to eye at first? Stick to your guns and pick your battles but also be open to new ideas which technically is the beauty of expanding and growing.