The Difference Between a Partner Program and an Ecosystem with Bryn Jones

The Difference Between a Partner Program and an Ecosystem with Bryn Jones

What actually separates a partner program from a partner ecosystem? Why does discovery now happen inside an LLM instead of a review site? And why do referral programs get so much credit for revenue they're not actually driving? Bryn Jones [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryn-jones/], co-founder of PartnerStack [https://partnerstack.com/], breaks down how partnerships evolved from channel deals into full ecosystem orchestration, and why the companies winning at it treat every partner like part of the team. He shares the two questions that decide which partner types fit your business, why alignment with your executive team matters more than headcount, and the exact way to go from zero partners to a program that scales. Bryn also gets into the 80/20 rule of activated partners, why software attribution is getting harder instead of easier, and the rookie mistake that ends new partner managers' careers by day 50. Jump into the action:  (00:00) Bryn on why partners who feel like part of your team will drive revenue for you  (00:29) Mark and Natalie catch up from Maine and New York City  (04:00) The mom-and-pop SaaS debate and what it means for mid-market software  (10:30) Meet Bryn Jones, co-founder of PartnerStack  (14:25) Why "partner program" and "partner ecosystem" aren't the same thing  (21:20) The two factors that decide which partner types fit your business  (25:16) How many partners you actually need to start (it's not 50)  (29:34) Why software-based attribution is getting harder, not easier  (35:03) Why refer-a-friend programs are a source of learning, not revenue  (38:53) Using customers as a source of partner references  (40:12) Tactical tips for starting outbound partner recruitment  (41:49) The rookie mistake that gets new partner managers fired by day 50 Connect with Bryn Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryn-jones/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryn-jones/] Check out PartnerStack: https://www.partnerstack.com/ [https://www.partnerstack.com/] Read The Mom-and-Pop SaaS era has arrived by Elena Verna: https://www.elenaverna.com/p/the-mom-and-pop-saas-era-has-arrived [https://www.elenaverna.com/p/the-mom-and-pop-saas-era-has-arrived] Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ [https://shareyourgenius.com/]

The Go-to-Market Operating Model Built for Scale with Greg Leach

What happens when your GTM team grows fast but your operating model doesn't keep up? Who owns the funnel when marketing, sales, product, and CS are all pulling in different directions? And why does expansion revenue keep getting treated like an afterthought? Greg Leach [https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-leach-87234128/], GM & Product-Led SaaS Operator at 7shifts [https://www.7shifts.com/], has built a cross-functional pod structure that puts a single-threaded owner over every stage of the funnel. He breaks down exactly how it works, from new business to expansion, and why org design and operational rigor might be the most underrated competitive advantages at the scale-up stage. Greg also shares how PLG drives the majority of 7shifts' expansion revenue, why the first 30 days with a customer should never involve a sales pitch, and how to think about fit, intent, and revenue potential as a framework for knowing when to sell and when to nurture. Jump into the action: (00:00) How 7shifts structures GTM accountability across the entire funnel (02:15) Why only 15–20% of people use AI daily (05:08) Comparing AI to the Industrial Revolution misses the point (09:42) Why most things being called "agents" are really just workflows (13:11) How Greg Leach went from growth PM to owning expansion revenue at 7shifts (15:31) Why expansion revenue gets neglected and who should actually own it (17:39) How single-threaded pod ownership eliminates GTM finger-pointing (22:00) Why optimizing for lead quality beats optimizing for lead volume (25:20) How 7shifts divides its GTM motion across three distinct pods (27:22) The first 30 days post-conversion should focus on activation, not selling (29:00) How 7shifts uses fit, intent, and revenue potential to prioritize expansion accounts (36:46) How feature paywalls and plan trials power self-serve expansion (46:14) The reason why org design and operational rigor matter more as you scale Connect with Greg Leach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%5Bgregleach%5D/https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-leach-87234128/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-leach-87234128/]  Learn more about 7shifts: https://www.7shifts.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/7shifts/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/7shifts/] Read the full article, Am I An Agent?: https://adventuresinclaude.ai/posts/am-i-an-agent/ [https://adventuresinclaude.ai/posts/am-i-an-agent/] Watch The most rational take on AI you’ll hear this year with Lenny Rachitsky:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD3vLtWhT5A [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD3vLtWhT5A] Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ [https://shareyourgenius.com/]

Your Website Is Committing Conversion Crimes with Sahil Patel

Why do so many B2B homepages look identical? Why does showing your product add 19% to conversion rates, and why is almost nobody doing it? And what does getting people to show up to a dinner have in common with getting people to click your CTA? Sahil Patel [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahilpatel/], founder of Spiralyze [https://spiralyze.com/] and host of CRO Crimes [https://www.youtube.com/@CROCrimes], makes the case that brand and conversion aren't opposites — they're flip sides of the same coin. He walks through the most common, most fixable mistakes B2B marketers make on their websites, why animation almost always cannibalizes your primary CTA, and the dead-simple one-second test that can settle a homepage debate faster than any internal deck. Sahil also shares what he learned building Above the Fold, his first conference, including why you should draft off five other people's events before you ever try to throw your own. Jump into the action: (00:00) AI-powered on everything? Only if it actually works  (00:30) Would you run this: prospect dinners in the age of event saturation  (03:10) The real show rate math and why you need to invite way more people than you think  (04:25) Why conference co-located dinners only work with a 1:1 sales motion  (11:06) Meet Sahil Patel, founder of Spiralyze and host of CRO Crimes  (13:37) Event drafting: how Sahil built Above the Fold next door to Spring  (15:37) Good events are back but "if you build it, they will come" is over  (19:33) Why a CRO agency invested in brand, events, and community  (23:16) Brand vs. conversion: diametrically opposed or flip sides of the same coin?  (25:35) Mark's live A/B test question: monthly vs. annual pricing on the pricing page  (30:29) The #1 CRO mistake: not showing the product (and it adds 19% conversion)  (38:31) The one-second test and the competitor headline swap  (41:34) How AI and customer voice can actually win the internal headline fight  (46:00) Why everyone should be using Winter to get ICP feedback on their copy  (47:40) Let the customer quotes do the work in the room Connect with Sahil Patel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahilpatel/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahilpatel/] Check out Spiralyze: https://spiralyze.com/ [https://spiralyze.com/] Check out CRO Crimes: https://www.youtube.com/@CROCrimes [https://www.youtube.com/@CROCrimes] Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ [https://shareyourgenius.com/]

The Onboarding Framework That Still Works in the Age of AI with Ramli John

What happens when you skip the "why" and go straight to the build? What does AI fatigue actually feel like from inside a product team? And why does the best user onboarding still start with a human conversation, not a vibe-coded prototype? Ramli John [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramlijohn/], founder of DelightPath [https://www.delightpath.com/] and author of Eureka, pushes back on the ship-it-and-see mindset sweeping through B2B. He explains why reducing time-to-value too aggressively can wreck week-one retention, how friction is actually necessary for learning, and why the teams winning with AI right now are the ones going deep on one thing, not wide on twenty. Ramli also shares a first look at his upcoming book, Delightful Intelligence, and why the principles behind great onboarding haven't changed just because there's a chat box on the screen. Jump into the action: (00:00) Why AI acts like an eager intern who agrees with everything (02:37) Pew Research: More US adults concerned about AI than excited  (04:16) AI fatigue is real—news cycles, layoffs, and broken efficiency promises (08:27) The shortcut mindset AI is creating inside teams (12:24) What the best AI models look like  (17:10) Meet Ramli John, founder of DelightPath (19:59) Why great onboarding in the AI era still starts with core principles (25:32) The EUREKA framework: a cross-functional approach to onboarding (30:12) Why friction is not the enemy in user onboarding (35:00) Chat interfaces vs. MCPs: What actually reduces onboarding friction (40:44) The blank page problem and why "it can do anything" is terrible UX (43:32) How many product updates can your users actually absorb? (45:49) The right way to roll out a navigation change (49:45) Why human conversations matter more than ever in a vibe-coded world (52:16) Why Claude is beating OpenAI by playing the long game Connect with Ramli John:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramlijohn/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramlijohn/] Check out DelightPath:  https://delightpath.com/ [https://delightpath.com/] Get Eureka: The Product Onboarding Playbook for High-Growth B2B Companies: https://www.damngravity.com/products/eureka-by-ramli-john [https://www.damngravity.com/products/eureka-by-ramli-john]  Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius:  https://shareyourgenius.com/ [https://shareyourgenius.com/] Resources: Key findings about how Americans view AI:  https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/12/key-findings-about-how-americans-view-artificial-intelligence/ [https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/12/key-findings-about-how-americans-view-artificial-intelligence/] The 2026 AI Index Report: https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2026-ai-index-report [https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2026-ai-index-report]

Redefining Pricing in the Age of AI with Roee Hartuv

How do you align your pricing strategy with customer needs while balancing complexity and simplicity? What’s the secret to designing pricing models that not only appeal to customers but also drive business growth? And how do you integrate the unique challenges of AI-driven products into your pricing structure? Roee Hartuv, [https://www.linkedin.com/in/roeehartuv/] founder of Willingness to Pay [https://www.willingnesstopay.com/], uncovers the truth about pricing and packaging in today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape. Roee explains why the old “good, better, best” model may no longer cut it and how the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework offers a more customer-centric approach. He goes into how businesses can transition to more dynamic pricing models, including credit and usage-based strategies, to meet the growing demands of AI-powered solutions. He discusses real-world examples from his work with SaaS and AI-driven companies, offering practical insights on how to keep margins healthy without sacrificing value or transparency. Roee gives us a look at how AI integration is reshaping the pricing landscape and why businesses need to rethink traditional models to avoid margin erosion. Jump into the action: (00:00) Why pricing models are more than just numbers (03:09) AI products need a new pricing strategy (14:37) What Jobs to Be Done reveals about pricing and value (15:22) The "good, better, best" model isn't enough anymore (22:39) Should AI-driven businesses always adopt value-based pricing? (23:33) How AI pricing examples are shaping future business models (24:58) How AI is challenging traditional pricing models (34:46) Pricing for enterprise and smaller customers without sacrificing simplicity (37:27) The importance of transparency in pricing (39:38) Why customer journeys are key to the right pricing structure (43:46) Roee's tips on testing and refining your pricing models Connect with Roee Hartuv: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roeehartuv/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/roeehartuv/]  Check out: https://www.willingnesstopay.com/ [https://www.willingnesstopay.com/]  Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius: https://shareyourgenius.com/ [https://shareyourgenius.com/]