Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much!
Togetherness and collaboration compounds infinitely when we share the same goals and have the same perception of what we want to achieve and it is pivotal to making any business venture a success. In recent years, the growth of partnerships and the concept of onboarding external partners has caught on and it has accelerated business prospects which are driven by the benefits of risk sharing and resource pooling. Building business relationships with partners who share the same vision can help with boosting the overall brand equity like never before. It has also been observed that working with like-minded people increases the enthusiasm within a team while adding a perspective of diversity and inclusion. That’s why, we at GeekyAnts, came up with the Partner Program to build successful business partnerships.
What is the GeekyAnts Partner Program?
The GeekyAnts Partner Program is a network of like minded people who want to uplift the dev community by coming together to research, build and collaborate to deliver cutting-edge digital solutions which are truly unique. The idea behind the program was to expand our community and work with people sharing the same goals to provide innovative solutions for our partners. The ecosystem of strategic partnerships at GeekyAnts is driven by networking with passionate people, exploring the tech community and giving back to the community through our products and services which also include some open source creations. Assessing and selecting the right partner is very critical for the success of any business venture and at GeekyAnts, we have adopted the SSS model to streamline the process of onboarding partners.
So, what is the SSS model all about?
It is an innovative model which follows the policy of searching, screening and selecting to find partners who share the same passion and enthusiasm as us for all things dev. The search phase includes a discovery call to understand the partner’s business model by collecting some data points while screening is the process of judging the cultural, legal, functional and operational fit of our partner to see how it aligns with our values. Once we evaluate our prospective partner, we then mutually agree to work together for common goals which concludes the final process of selecting.
Benefits of channel partners
Here are some major benefits that having a channel partner can have on a project:
- Access to new markets and customer segments
- Community reach and a sense of connectedness
- Creating brand value and trust with clients
- Increased opportunities to work on end-to-end product solutions
- Faster access to the required talent and client onboarding
The entire ecosystem of strategic partnerships is dependent on the selection of the right partner and how well we collaborate together. One of the most important factors we should always consider is understanding the culture of your partner and how each party accommodates its original position and culture in order to collaborate and work together When we onboard a partner at GeekyAnts, our first criteria is to analyse the cultural fit to see how well we can fit in our partner’s requirements. Finding a culturally aligned partner is far more important than increasing the number of engagements and it plays a huge role in the seamless integration of business processes and operations during a collaboration.
Challenges of working with partners
Now that we have discussed the many advantages that working with partners can have for a project, let’s look at the other side of it :
- Bridging the gap between two cultures and setting a common goal is very important when two diverse teams work together. Ensure people who are working on your project are functioning like a well-oiled engine.
- When you work remotely, it sometimes becomes hard to build a rapport considering you aren’t meeting in person regularly. In such scenarios, it’s critical for the two teams to plan and effectively communicate to ensure that the development phase is going smoothly.
- Take calculated risks when connecting your partners with end-clients. There might be possibilities of partners’ underperforming and your relationship with clients can be hampered. To avoid this, due diligence and background checks are significantly important.
Last, but not the least!
Strategic alliances to increase your community is one of the best ways of moving forward. It’s always worth spending a substantial amount of time to evaluate what value a partner can bring to your brand and how this collaboration can be beneficial for both parties. Building the right partnership framework where you interact with different stakeholders (external and internal) is crucial for sustainability and we hope to establish it through the GeekyAnts Partner Program. If you or your company have a passion for technology & want to collaborate, let's build solutions together.
