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Partner Onboarding and Offboarding Process

Purpose

This process defines how partners enter, become active, stay useful, or are removed from the Eprenz ecosystem.

Partner onboarding is not only collecting a logo or affiliate link.

A partner is onboarded only when Eprenz knows:

  • what founder problem the partner solves
  • which founder stage the partner supports
  • which country or region the partner serves
  • where the partner should appear
  • how member engagement will be tracked
  • how revenue or referral value will be tracked
  • who owns the relationship
  • whether the partner is ready for OS placement

Core Principle

Partners should be onboarded around founder problems, not around vendor categories.

The process should answer:

Founder problem
→ partner fit
→ required data
→ agreement or tracking setup
→ placement surface
→ activation
→ results review
→ continue, improve, or offboard

Partner Lifecycle

flowchart TD
  A[Partner Identified] --> B[Fit Review]
  B --> C[Onboarding]
  C --> D[OS Ready Check]
  D --> E[Placement]
  E --> F[Activation]
  F --> G[Results Tracking]
  G --> H{Review}
  H --> I[Continue]
  H --> J[Improve]
  H --> K[Offboard]

Partner Statuses

Status Meaning
Identified Partner is known but not reviewed yet
Researching Team is checking fit, program, terms, and relevance
Applied Eprenz has applied to partner program or started outreach
Pending Waiting for partner response or approval
Approved Partner has approved Eprenz or agreed to participate
Active Partner is live and can be shown to members
OS Ready Partner has enough data to be placed inside the OS
Needs Review Partner is incomplete, outdated, unclear, or not yet usable
Paused Partner is temporarily hidden or not being promoted
Offboarded Partner is removed from active use
Rejected Partner declined, application failed, or partner is not suitable

Onboarding Types

There are different partner entry paths.

Type Description Example
New affiliate partner A partner Eprenz applies to or joins through an affiliate program software, SaaS, platform
Solution partner A service provider or expert who solves founder problems legal, finance, marketing
Global partner A strategic ecosystem partner with broader relationship value major platform or institution
Sponsor A company supporting GFIS or other Eprenz events event sponsor
Advisor partner A person or firm providing expert support CFO, legal, exit advisor
Existing partner cleanup A partner already in the sheet but not fully verified old affiliate, partial signup

When to Onboard a Partner

A partner should be onboarded when at least one of these is true:

  • founder demand is repeated
  • the partner solves a recognized founder problem
  • the partner fills a gap in Start, Grow, Profit, or Exit
  • the partner supports an important country or region
  • the partner can be placed in knowledge, events, network, or OS surfaces
  • the partner has a clear affiliate, referral, sponsor, or strategic value
  • the partner improves the founder experience

A partner should not be onboarded only because a program exists.

Onboarding Process

Step 1, Identify the Need

Start from the founder problem.

Examples:

Founder need Possible partner category
I need a website website builder, hosting, domain
I need payments payment processor, checkout tool
I need a business bank account banking, fintech
I need more customers CRM, email marketing, sales tool
I need legal protection legal service, IP advisor
I need cash flow clarity accounting, bookkeeping, CFO
I need networking event partner, community partner
I need funding lender, investor network, funding readiness advisor

Step 2, Check Existing Partner Coverage

Before finding a new partner, check the current partner or affiliate sheet.

Ask:

  • Do we already have a partner for this problem?
  • Is the partner active?
  • Is the partner still relevant?
  • Does the partner support the founder country?
  • Is tracking available?
  • Is the partner ready to be shown inside the OS?
  • Is there a better alternative?

Step 3, Review Partner Fit

Use these criteria:

Criteria Question
Problem fit What founder problem does this partner solve?
Stage fit Does this support Start, Grow, Profit, Exit, or multiple stages?
Country fit Which countries or regions does this partner support?
Trust fit Is this partner credible enough for Eprenz to present?
Content fit Can this partner support a guide, checklist, event, or knowledge page?
Tracking fit Can engagement, referral, or revenue be tracked?
Revenue fit Is there affiliate, referral, sponsor, or strategic value?
Brand fit Does the partner support Eprenz positioning without confusing it?

Step 4, Collect Required Partner Data

Every active partner should have these fields.

Field Required? Purpose
Partner name Yes identify the partner
Website Yes source and user destination
Partner type Yes affiliate, solution partner, sponsor, advisor, global partner
Partner category Yes banking, payments, legal, website, CRM, etc.
Founder problem solved Yes problem-first placement
Stage fit Yes Start, Grow, Profit, Exit
Supported countries Yes country routing
Primary market Yes strongest region
Partner program link If applicable affiliate or referral setup
Tracking link or code If applicable engagement and revenue tracking
Agreement status Yes standard terms, custom, missing, not needed
Agreement location If applicable where terms are stored
Contact person Yes relationship owner or partner contact
Internal owner Yes Eprenz owner
Placement surface Yes OS, Mighty, events, network, email, partner page
User-facing rationale Yes why this partner is shown
Status Yes active, pending, paused, offboarded
Notes Optional context and next action

Step 5, Set Up Agreement and Tracking

Before a partner is active, define:

  • whether standard affiliate terms are enough
  • whether a custom agreement is required
  • who accepted the terms
  • where the agreement or terms are stored
  • which link, code, or dashboard tracks referrals
  • how revenue will be reported
  • who checks results

If tracking does not exist, the partner can still be useful, but it should be marked clearly.

Step 6, Decide Placement

A partner should be placed where it helps the founder act.

Placement Surface When to use
Partner page when founder is searching for providers
Home page when the partner supports a priority next action
Compass result when the problem is detected directly
Mighty knowledge layer when the partner supports a guide or lesson
Learning content after a checklist, guide, or decision page
Event when partner can teach or activate a topic
Network when partner supports relationships, rooms, or introductions
Advisor follow-up when human judgment is needed before recommendation
Email follow-up when the user expressed a specific survey or Compass need

Step 7, Mark OS Readiness

A partner is OS ready only when the following are clear:

  • problem solved
  • stage fit
  • country fit
  • placement surface
  • tracking method
  • status
  • agreement status
  • owner
  • user-facing rationale

If any of these are missing, mark the partner as Needs Review.

Step 8, Activate the Partner

Activation can happen through:

  • partner page listing
  • knowledge page placement
  • comparison chart
  • checklist recommendation
  • event or workshop
  • network room
  • email follow-up
  • co-announcement
  • advisor referral
  • Compass result

Activation should always connect back to a founder problem.

Offboarding Process

Offboarding means removing, pausing, or hiding a partner from active Eprenz placement.

A partner should be offboarded or paused when:

  • the partner no longer solves a relevant founder problem
  • the partner program is inactive
  • the partner link is broken
  • tracking no longer works
  • the partner does not support the claimed country or market
  • the partner creates poor member experience
  • the partner conflicts with Eprenz positioning
  • agreement terms are unclear or unacceptable
  • the partner is replaced by a better option
  • the partner requests removal
  • the relationship is inactive and not worth maintaining

Offboarding Steps

flowchart TD
  A[Issue Found] --> B[Review Partner]
  B --> C{Keep, Pause, or Remove?}
  C --> D[Keep and Update]
  C --> E[Pause Placement]
  C --> F[Offboard]
  E --> G[Hide from OS Surfaces]
  F --> G
  G --> H[Update Sheet]
  H --> I[Record Reason]

Step 1, Identify the Issue

The issue may come from:

  • broken link
  • no engagement
  • no revenue
  • poor member feedback
  • outdated offer
  • unsupported country
  • rejected application
  • unclear ownership
  • partner no longer aligned

Step 2, Decide Status

Decision Meaning
Keep partner remains active
Improve partner stays active but needs updates
Pause partner is hidden temporarily
Offboard partner is removed from active use
Replace partner is replaced by a better option

Step 3, Remove or Pause Placement

Update every location where the partner appears:

  • Partner page
  • Compass results
  • Home page
  • Mighty content
  • Learning content
  • Events
  • Network
  • Email templates
  • Advisor notes
  • Comparison charts

Step 4, Update Records

The affiliate or partner sheet should record:

  • new status
  • reason for offboarding
  • date removed or paused
  • owner
  • replacement partner, if any
  • notes for future review

Current Partner Cleanup

Existing partners and partially completed partnerships should go through the same lifecycle.

For each current partner, ask:

Question Outcome
What problem does this partner solve? problem tag
Which stage does this partner fit? stage tag
Which countries does it support? country tag
Is the partner active? status
Do we have tracking? tracking status
Do we have agreement or terms? agreement status
Where should it appear? placement surface
Is it OS ready? ready, needs review, not ready

Phase 3 Output

This page should produce:

  • partner lifecycle statuses
  • onboarding process
  • offboarding process
  • partner data requirements
  • OS readiness criteria
  • current partner cleanup logic
  • clear boundary for what gets tracked

Open Questions

  • Who owns partner onboarding internally?
  • Who owns partner offboarding decisions?
  • Where are agreements stored?
  • Where are affiliate logins stored?
  • Who checks broken links and inactive partners?
  • How often should partners be reviewed?
  • What revenue threshold makes a partner worth keeping?
  • Should all partners be shown publicly or only after Compass?
  • Should low-confidence partners be hidden from users?
  • Who approves a partner as OS ready?