What if everything you know about scaling is wrong?
In this eye-opening episode, we sit down with channel sales expert Aidan Sowa, who reveals why 73% of channel partners take six months to generate meaningful revenue—and how to beat those odds. Discover the unconventional strategies that can accelerate your partner onboarding, the biggest mistakes founders make when building channel relationships, and why indirect sales might be your secret weapon for breaking into enterprise markets. This isn't your typical partnership playbook—it's the insider knowledge that separates scaling winners from struggling startups.
Most founders approach channel partnerships backward. They think they need to have everything figured out—perfect pricing, polished product, bulletproof strategy—before approaching potential partners. The reality is far different. Channel partners can become your most valuable source of honest feedback, helping you refine your offering while simultaneously opening doors to enterprise customers you could never reach alone.
The key insight that changes everything? Stop thinking of channel partners as another sales channel and start treating them as customers. They have their own agenda, their own pressures, their own definition of success. When you understand what drives them—whether it's differentiation in competitive deals or solving specific client pain points—you can position your solution as the answer to their problems, not just another product to push.
Smart founders also embrace the "minimal viable channel" approach. Instead of building a massive direct sales team and hoping for the best, they disprove that channel partnerships won't work before investing in expensive internal resources. This strategy becomes even more critical in B2B markets where procurement hurdles and risk-averse buying behaviors make direct sales incredibly challenging for unknown startups.
The partnership game isn't just about finding any willing collaborator—it's about finding the right ones. Look for partners who share your values, serve your target customers, and have skin in the game. The best partnerships emerge when both parties see clear, mutual benefit and can communicate openly about roadblocks and opportunities.
Watch the Full Episode on Developing a Channel Sales Strategy with expert Aidan Sowa below:
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