I was chatting with a founder yesterday about growth strategy, and something he said stuck with me: "We can't afford big partnerships yet."

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Here's the thing - partnerships aren't just for the big players with massive budgets. They're one of the most powerful (and often underutilised) growth levers available to businesses at any stage.

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And I should know. I've worked on partnerships ranging from simple social media collaborations to filming Joe Biden in the White House to support families affected by the Dreamers Legislation through Skype video messages (back when video messages weren't something we did daily or in fact ever).

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Partnerships work at every scale - you just need to match the approach to your stage

The important part to remember is that a partnership offers immediate trust (and we all know the hardest thing to build right now is trust) The trust someone has in the partner immediately rubs off on your business.

In the same way as referrals, a lead brought in through a partnership is more likely to convert to a customer and more likely to refer on further down the line. Winning.

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Starting out? Focus on mutual value

When you're early stage, forget trying to partner with household names. Instead, look for businesses serving the same audience but offering complementary products or services.

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The best early partnerships are:

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• Other startups in your ecosystem where you can cross-promote
• Content collaborations (guest blogs, podcast appearances, joint webinars)
• Simple social shout-outs that expose you to new audiences
• Referral arrangements with aligned businesses

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I've seen startups double their audience reach in weeks through smart, low-cost partnerships with peers. 

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Scaling up? Dance on other people's dancefloors

Remember Biscoff? That humble coffee biscuit that transformed into a cultural phenomenon? They didn't do it alone.

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Their strategic partnerships with Ben & Jerry's, KitKat, Krispy Kreme, and Starbucks positioned them in the premium indulgence category, far from their origins as a free coffee accompaniment. Each partnership gave them access to established audiences who already had positive associations with quality brands.

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This is what I call "dancing on other people's dancefloors" - leveraging existing platforms and audiences rather than building everything from scratch. It's faster, often cheaper, and comes with borrowed credibility.

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At scale? Think ecosystem

Once you've got momentum, partnerships become about creating an ecosystem around your product. Things like this can be so powerful:

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• Integration partnerships (being where your customers already work)
• Channel partnerships (others selling your product)
• Co-innovation partnerships (building something new together)

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But here's what most people get wrong about partnerships: they think bigger is always better. It's not. The best partnerships are the ones where there's clear, mutual value - regardless of company size.

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Making partnerships actually work

From my experience (both succeeding and failing at this), here's what separates partnerships that drive real growth from ones that fizzle out:

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Be specific about what you bring - "exposure" isn't enough. What's the tangible value for your partner?

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Start with a small test - don't commit to a year-long partnership. Run a sprint, measure results, then decide whether to scale

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Make it stupidly easy for them - provide assets, clear briefs, and handle most of the heavy lifting initially. Never be lazy and say "hey let’s partner together" - do your homework, work out what they need and offer it to them on a plate.

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Track and share results - if something works, shout about it. Good results make partners want to do more

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Think long-term - the best partnerships compound over time as you build trust and understand each other's audiences

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Where to start

If you're thinking about partnerships but haven't acted on it yet, here's your homework:

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List 10 businesses that serve your target audience but don't compete with you directly. Pick one and reach out with a specific, low-commitment collaboration idea. See what happens.

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The White House partnership I mentioned? It started with a much smaller conversation about how we could genuinely help families stay connected during a difficult time. The scale followed because the value was clear.

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Partnerships don't need to be complicated or expensive to work. They just need to create genuine value for everyone involved.

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What partnerships have worked well for your business? Let me know - I'm always curious to hear what's working.

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P.S. If you want to dig deeper into partnership strategy, PR guru, Pippa Goulden and I spoke about this on her podcast

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