Partnerships & Collaborations

Discover how to build successful long-term relationships with digital agencies through proper vetting, clear communication, and mutual respect. Robert reveals what agencies look for in ideal clients, why some agencies fire problematic clients, and how being your agency's favourite client delivers better outcomes than any contract clause. Learn the uncomfortable questions to ask agency references, how to assess cultural fit beyond portfolios and pricing, and why agencies that claim to do everything brilliantly probably do nothing exceptionally.

This episode provides comprehensive guidance on building co-founder relationships and strategic partnerships for startup success. Listeners discover why having a co-founder matters beyond just sharing workload—including emotional support during challenges, amplifying success during wins, and overcoming imposter syndrome through team strength. Heikki shares practical frameworks for structuring partnerships, including vesting schedules, decision-making authority, and protecting equity whilst building trust over time. The content addresses how to identify potential co-founders, what to look for in partnership compatibility, and how to have structured conversations about shared vision and values.

The episode introduces the Collab Project, where Matt partners with product creators who have strong offerings but need eCommerce expertise. This collaboration model aligns incentives and creates stronger businesses than either party could build alone, offering valuable insights into strategic partnership structures.

Strategic partnerships are positioned as an 'Unlock' strategy for diversifying customer acquisition channels. Matt shares that 72% of companies report lower CAC through partnerships than direct acquisition, using his personal experience with Through Doc's partnership with Elliot Brown watches as a case study. The content explains how partnerships work because you borrow credibility from the referring company, and discusses various partnership types including email list swaps, co-branded bundles, and joint content creation. This approach offers an alternative to rising paid advertising costs while reaching aligned audiences.

Learn Mario's service-first approach that generated partnerships with Google's CEO, Sony, NFL, and CBS Morning Show without paid advertising. Discover how focusing on value delivery rather than extraction creates natural collaboration opportunities and referral networks.

This episode explores the partnership dynamics between retailers and suppliers, revealing how to transform transactional relationships into strategic collaborations. Listeners discover how to build relationship capital through regular communication, mutual understanding of business pressures, and collaborative approaches to growth. The content covers extracting partnership value through co-funded marketing campaigns, gifts with purchase programmes, and growth incentives that benefit both parties. Matt's experience demonstrates the difference between formal transactions and genuine partnerships, showing how investing in supplier relationships creates early warning systems and collaborative problem-solving when challenges arise.

Discover the explosive growth of Amazon specialist agencies and opportunities for traditional digital agencies to add Amazon services. Learn about the agency accreditation opportunities and how to serve enterprise brands and retail clients seeking omnichannel support.

Stephen discusses how acquisition targets are often competitors or complementary businesses in the same space, creating strategic partnerships through ownership. He emphasizes the 'plug and play' advantages when acquiring businesses in familiar verticals and how portfolio growth through systematic acquisitions creates economies of scale.

The episode touches on strategic partnerships as a viable approach for competing in markets dominated by giants like Amazon. Mike discusses how partnerships can enable sharing of risk, capital, and innovation when direct competition isn't feasible. Listeners learn how partnership decisions should align with overall strategy and when collaboration creates more value than trying to build every capability internally, particularly relevant for smaller eCommerce businesses facing well-funded competitors.

The episode includes discussion of Quiet Light's referral programme, which generates 30% of their listings and pays 10% commission to referral sources. Brad explains how strategic acquisition can drive growth (he bought 60 companies in five years), the benefits of buying businesses at 2.5x multiples and selling at 3.5x multiples for arbitrage, and how partnerships with brokers can create value through referrals. Listeners learn practical ways to participate in the M&A ecosystem beyond just buying or selling their own business.