Existing Partner Strategy
2. Existing Partner Review and Sorting Logic
2.1 What to Do With the Existing 60 to 80 Partners
The existing partner list should be reviewed before more partner outreach happens.
This includes:
- affiliates
- solution partners
- global partners
- GFIS sponsors
- event partners
- advisor relationships
- partially completed partnerships
Each partner should receive one decision:
| Decision | Use When |
|---|---|
| Keep | Partner is relevant, active, and useful now |
| Complete | Partner is useful but onboarding, approval, tracking, or agreement setup is unfinished |
| Update | Partner is useful but missing key data in the sheet |
| Convert | Partner should become a stronger relationship, such as Solution Partner, Global Partner, GFIS sponsor, event partner, or knowledge partner |
| Pause | Partner should be hidden until fit, tracking, country, or agreement details are clear |
| Offboard | Partner is no longer relevant, inactive, rejected, broken, or not useful to founders |
Review Flow
flowchart TD
A[Existing Partner] --> B[Data Check]
B --> C[Founder Problem Fit]
C --> D[Stage Fit]
D --> E[Country Fit]
E --> F[Tracking and Agreement Check]
F --> G[Placement Fit]
G --> H{Decision}
H --> I[Keep]
H --> J[Complete]
H --> K[Update]
H --> L[Convert]
H --> M[Pause]
H --> N[Offboard]Review Criteria
| Area | Question |
|---|---|
| Founder problem | What problem does this partner solve? |
| Stage fit | Does this support Start, Grow, Profit, Exit, or multiple stages? |
| Relevance | Is this partner useful for Eprenz founders now? |
| Country fit | Which countries or regions does this partner support? |
| Partner type | Is this an affiliate, Solution Partner, Global Partner, sponsor, advisor, or event partner? |
| Status | Is it active, pending, partially complete, rejected, paused, or unknown? |
| Tracking | Do we have a link, code, dashboard, manual tracking method, or nothing? |
| Agreement | Do we have standard terms, partner terms, custom agreement, missing agreement, or no agreement needed? |
| Placement | Where could this partner appear? |
| Owner | Who owns this relationship inside Eprenz? |
| Next action | What needs to happen next? |
2.2 Founder Problem Definitions
Partner sorting should start with founder problems from the survey.
Use a controlled problem list so the sheet does not become inconsistent.
| Founder Problem | Clean Founder Language | Example Partner Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | I need more customers | CRM, lead generation, sales tools, email marketing |
| Marketing and visibility | I need people to know I exist | SEO, content tools, ads, PR, social media |
| Sales process | I need to manage leads and sales better | CRM, sales pipeline, quoting, automation |
| Networking and partnerships | I need the right relationships | communities, events, introductions, partner rooms |
| Mentorship and advisory | I need expert guidance | advisors, coaches, expert office hours |
| Funding and capital | I need money to grow | lending, grants, investor networks, funding readiness |
| Finance and cash flow | I need financial control | accounting, bookkeeping, CFO, dashboards |
| Technology implementation | I need help choosing or using technology | SaaS tools, automation, software setup |
| Operations and systems | I need better systems | project management, automation, productivity, operations tools |
| Product or service development | I need to improve what I offer | product tools, research tools, service design, testing support |
| Legal structure and protection | I need legal structure or protection | formation, contracts, IP, compliance, legal services |
| Team, hiring, and HR | I need people or leadership support | HR, payroll, recruiting, freelancer platforms |
| Service providers | I need trusted help | consultants, agencies, implementation partners |
| Direction and learning | I need to know what to do next | learning, assessment, coaching, roadmap support |
| Exit and succession | I need to build value or prepare for exit | valuation, M&A, tax, legal, CFO, succession |
| Job or opportunity | I need work, experience, or opportunity | hiring partners, internship partners, talent networks |
| Other or unclear | I need help, but my problem needs clarification | advisor review, Atlas AI, guided diagnosis |
2.3 Implementation-Level Problems
Some partner opportunities will come from practical implementation needs inside the knowledge layer.
These should sit under the larger founder problem categories.
| Implementation Problem | Parent Problem Category | Example Partner Category |
|---|---|---|
| Choose a domain name | Marketing and visibility, technology implementation | domain registrar |
| Build a website | Marketing and visibility, technology implementation | website builder, hosting, web design |
| Choose website hosting | Technology implementation | hosting, infrastructure |
| Open a business bank account | Finance and cash flow | banking, fintech |
| Accept payments | Finance and cash flow, technology implementation | payment processor, checkout, invoicing |
| Set up accounting | Finance and cash flow | accounting software, bookkeeping |
| Choose a CRM | Sales process, customers | CRM, sales pipeline |
| Set up email marketing | Marketing and visibility, customers | email marketing, automation |
| Create legal structure | Legal structure and protection | formation, legal services |
| Protect intellectual property | Legal structure and protection | IP services, legal advisor |
| Hire contractors or employees | Team, hiring, and HR | HR, payroll, freelancer platforms |
| Improve operations | Operations and systems | project management, automation, productivity |
| Prepare for funding | Funding and capital | funding readiness, lenders, investor networks |
| Prepare for exit | Exit and succession | valuation, CFO, legal, M&A |
2.4 How Partners Should Be Sorted
Partners should not be sorted only by company name, affiliate status, or vendor category.
The sorting logic should be:
Founder Problem → Stage Fit → Relevance → Country Fit → Placement Surface → Readiness
flowchart TD
A[Partner] --> B[Founder Problem]
B --> C[Stage Fit]
C --> D[Relevance]
D --> E[Country Fit]
E --> F[Placement Surface]
F --> G[Readiness]Sorting Layers
| Sorting Layer | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Founder problem | Identifies what need the partner solves |
| Stage fit | Identifies whether the partner supports Start, Grow, Profit, Exit, or multiple stages |
| Relevance | Identifies how useful the partner is to Eprenz founders now |
| Country fit | Identifies where the partner can actually serve members |
| Placement surface | Identifies where the partner should appear |
| Readiness | Identifies whether the partner can be used now or needs work |
Stage Fit
Partners are not locked to one stage.
A partner can support multiple stages, but the use case should be clear.
| Stage | Partner Fit Examples |
|---|---|
| Start | domains, website, formation, banking, payments, basic accounting |
| Grow | CRM, marketing, hiring, automation, sales systems, operations |
| Profit | CFO, dashboards, cash flow, process improvement, leadership systems |
| Exit | valuation, legal, tax, M&A, succession, wealth planning |
Relevance Levels
| Relevance | Meaning |
|---|---|
| High | Solves a common founder problem and can be placed soon |
| Medium | Useful, but not urgent or missing some details |
| Low | Limited founder demand or weak fit |
| Unknown | Needs research before deciding |
| Remove | Not relevant or no longer usable |
Country Fit
Country fit should be required for categories where availability or regulation changes by location.
This includes:
- banking
- payments
- lending
- legal
- tax
- payroll
- formation
- insurance
- compliance
| Country Fit | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Global | Broadly available across countries |
| Country-specific | Available only in selected countries |
| Region-specific | Available in regions such as North America, EU, India, etc. |
| Unknown | Needs verification |
| Not applicable | Country does not strongly affect use |
2.5 Placement Surfaces
Each partner should be tagged with where it can appear.
| Placement Surface | Use Case |
|---|---|
| OS Home | Priority recommendation or next action |
| Partner Page | Searchable partner listing |
| Mighty Knowledge Layer | Partner appears inside educational content |
| Learning Content | Partner appears after a guide, checklist, or module |
| Events | Partner teaches, hosts, sponsors, or activates a topic |
| Network | Partner supports introductions, rooms, or community discussions |
| GFIS | Partner appears as sponsor, speaker, or summit activation |
| Social Media | Partner appears through co-announcement or educational post |
| Email Follow-up | Partner appears after survey or Compass response |
| Advisor Follow-up | Partner is recommended after human review |
2.6 Sorting View for the Affiliate Sheet
| Founder Problem | Stage Fit | Relevance | Partner Category | Partner | Country Fit | Placement Surface | Readiness | Decision | Next Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I need a website | Start, Grow | High | Website, hosting, domain | Example Partner | USA, Global | Mighty, OS, Partner page | Needs Update | Update | Add problem tag and tracking |
| I need payments | Start, Grow | High | Payments, checkout | Example Partner | Country-specific | Knowledge, OS, Partner page | Needs Country Review | Update | Verify supported countries |
| I need more customers | Grow | High | CRM, sales, marketing | Example Partner | USA | Sales Pipeline, event | Ready | Keep | Place in sales route |
| I need money to grow | Grow, Profit | Medium | Lending, funding readiness | Example Partner | USA | Advisor, event, Partner page | Needs Review | Convert | Review for event or GFIS fit |
| I need legal structure | Start, Grow | High | Legal, contracts, formation | Example Partner | Country-specific | Mighty, Partner page, advisor | Needs Agreement Review | Complete | Confirm terms and tracking |
2.7 Review Priority
Review the current 60 to 80 partners in this order:
- Active or nearly active partners
- Partners tied to high-demand founder problems
- GFIS sponsors, Global Partners, and strategic relationships
- Partners with tracking or revenue potential
- Partially completed partnerships
- Unclear or low-relevance partners
2.8 Required Output
Every existing partner should end with:
| Field | Required Output |
|---|---|
| Decision | Keep, Complete, Update, Convert, Pause, or Offboard |
| Primary problem tag | Main founder problem solved |
| Secondary problem tag | Optional related problem |
| Stage tag | Start, Grow, Profit, Exit, or multiple |
| Country tag | Countries or regions supported |
| Placement tag | Where the partner can appear |
| Tracking status | Ready, missing, manual, or not applicable |
| Readiness status | Ready, needs update, needs tracking, needs country review, paused, or offboard |
| Next action | Clear next step |
| Owner | Internal person responsible |
Final Rule
Every partner should be sorted by the founder problem it solves first.
Category comes second.
Affiliate status comes later.
The founder should not experience this as a vendor directory.
They should experience it as:
“I have this problem. Eprenz is showing me useful next steps, trusted options, and the right support.”