First Principles Drive Modern Partner Ecosystem Success
In this insightful episode, Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, sits down with Nelson Wang, Founder of Partner Principles, to discuss the critical evolution of the partnerships landscape. Nelson Wang, who brings over 20 years of operating experience at fast-growth and large public companies, explains why today's Partner Leaders need to move beyond old playbooks and embrace First Principles Thinking. The conversation highlights that the modern Partner Ecosystem is more nuanced and complex, requiring a customer-centric view and strong cross-functional alignment to drive successful business outcomes. The discussion also covers the essential need for Data-Driven Partnering and Automation with AI to Simplify Complex Workflows and Achieve Massive Productivity Gains.
Key Takeaways include understanding how to apply core principles, such as customer centricity and "one team," across any organization, as well as the essential need for data-driven orchestration and automation with AI. The discussion contrasts the channel-heavy hardware approach of two decades ago with the multi-touch, complex nature of B2B SaaS and AI partnerships today.
Listen now to gain the strategic frameworks needed to lead a thriving Partner Ecosystem.











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Video Podcast: First Principles Drive Modern Partner Ecosystem Success

Chapter 1: The Critical Shift to First Principles Thinking in the Partner Ecosystem


Nelson Wang founded his consulting business, Partner Principles, to ensure Partner Leaders have the lessons, principles, and frameworks they need to be successful. He observed that many leaders rely on tactics and playbooks that often fail to translate successfully from one company to the next. The significant "light bulb moment" for him came from mentors who taught him about First Principles Thinking and frameworks, which radically improved the quality and outcomes of his work. This approach allows leaders to apply universal principles to any company, regardless of the ideal customer or partner profile. The core goal is to share lessons from 20 years of operating in partnerships, enabling people to achieve success more quickly and effectively, ultimately reducing stress and long hours.

The most important of these first principles is Customer Centricity. When consulting, Wang anchors companies on the customer by asking critical questions: Who is your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)? What is their customer journey? What specific pain are you solving, and what are the business implications of not solving that pain? Only by deeply understanding the customer problem can a company then determine the right partner types and strategy to put in place. A customer-centric view provides a clear focus on where to go, what resources to allocate, and where to invest energy,

Building a Partner Ecosystem for Digital & Agentic Transformation
This episode features a discussion between Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, and guest Alex Richards, VP of Partnerships at Quantum Metric. They explore the strategic shift required to build a modern Partner Ecosystem for digital success. Alex shares his experience from companies like Medallia and SurveyMonkey, emphasizing that a successful go-to-market strategy must move beyond just tracking the pipeline. The conversation highlights how Quantum Metric's Behavioral Analytics and Customer Journey Orchestration platform helps enterprise clients solve friction points across websites, apps, and kiosks. They detail a strategic co-sell and Co-Keep model with ISVs, GSIs, and agencies. Key takeaways include the substantial services opportunity for partners (40-45% of the deal value) and the future role of Agentic Capabilities in fixing fragmented tech stacks and accelerating Digital Transformation. Listen now to learn how to partner for genuine impact.











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Video Podcast: Building a Partner Ecosystem for Digital & Agentic Transformation

Chapter 1: Ecosystem Strategy: Moving Beyond Pipeline Measurement


Alex Richards explains why he chose the "hard path" of an ecosystem-based go-to-market strategy over traditional direct sales and marketing. He characterizes the Partner Ecosystem approach as a relationship-driven world that offers a strategic advantage by working with adjacent technologies. This collaboration allows companies to essentially "hack the path to success" rather than operating as a lone wolf, saying, "We're the best". For Alex, this strategy is exciting because it is go-to-market led and focuses on leveraging multiple touchpoints to drive sales, marketing, and audience improvements, moving beyond the transactional nature of purely direct sales. The Partner Ecosystem approach is viewed as a means to create a unified value proposition that is significantly stronger and more appealing to enterprise customers.
When evaluating a Partner Ecosystem, Alex insists that companies must look beyond simply generating pipeline efforts. Focusing purely on the pipeline is too narrow and misses significant opportunities for impact. A broader perspective involves leveraging partners to improve marketing activities, reach specific audiences, and build deeper integrations that enhance customer adoption. By telling a "better together story, Quantum Metric and its partners demonstrate how their combined solutions benefit customers and drive key performance indicators (KPIs), which is a much more compelling and strategic approach than just selling a single product. This strategy is particularly crucial when dealing with different geographic regions and specialized ecosystems. The effectiveness of a true Partner Ecosystem is measured by its comprehensive impact across all company functions.

HP Reinventing the Future of Work through AI & Partnerships
This compelling discussion delves deeply into HP's channel strategy and how it is adapting to the future of work, driven by AI and evolving customer demands. Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, speaks with Meg Brennan (of HP Inc.) about her extensive journey from the early days of the software "channel" business to leading a modern, complex partner ecosystem.
Meg Brennan provides key insights into how HP is leveraging its partners to launch the new AI PC, transforming hardware sales into solution bundles that include security and observability software. The conversation explores the massive changes in supply chain management and the shift from transactional metrics to a more strategic measurement philosophy, which Meg calls the "Artistry of ROI." Listen now to understand how the voice of the partner drives product design and go-to-market motions in a genuinely global, multi-segment enterprise.











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Video Podcast: HP Reinventing the Future of Work through AI & Partnerships

Chapter 1: The Evolution of Partnering: From Channel to Ecosystem


The foundation of modern partnering has fundamentally shifted from the simple definition of a "channel" to the complexity of a cohesive "ecosystem". Meg Brennan recalls her early career in the nineties, where the channel was merely a sales route—a way to reach customers by selling physical, shrink-wrapped software. This transactional approach was based on the strongest distributors and resellers. Today, however, the concept is entirely different; a partner ecosystem is built around adding value. For a technology company like HP, this means relying on partners to add value in diverse ways, from selling products to designing software that works best on AI PCs. The modern ecosystem now includes ISV partnerships, MSPs, GSIs, and service partnerships, going far beyond the traditional reseller model. The core driving force behind this change is a dramatically increased focus on the end customer. Understanding who the customer is and how to reach them is paramount, requiring vendors to ensure they are present everywhere the customer is researching solutions—not just on their own site, but also robustly represented on partner and retailer sites.
The speed of change in go-to-market motions has accelerated rapidly over the last decade, necessitating a corresponding change in how a global company like HP coordinates content delivery and campaign execution. While HP is a channel-centric company where over 80% of business goes through partners, the process still requires designing the direct content first and then adapting it for the channel. The modern toolset, particularly with advancements in AI, enables content localization and distribution to occur much faster than ever before. A significant part of the hardware world has also adapted,

The Channel's Shift to Partner-Led With AI
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal Founder & CEO of ZINFI, sits down with Raegan Wilson, VP of Ecosystem Innovation and Solutions at Spur Reply. They delve into the dramatic transformation of the channel ecosystem over the last two decades. The discussion focuses on how the traditional model of "box builders" has given way to a partner-led approach, where partners now drive the go-to-market strategy for vendors. Reagan shares her unique perspective, having been in the channel for over 20 years, and offers insights into how new technologies, including AI, are further changing the landscape. The conversation touches on the importance of readiness and maturity for brands looking to build an ecosystem and the key role of automation in making the process more efficient.











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Video Podcast: The Channel's Shift to Partner-Led With AI

Chapter 1: The Evolution of the Partner Ecosystem: From Box Builders to Partner-Led


Raegan Wilson describes her experience with the evolution of the channel over more than two decades, starting from the era of "Box Builders". Back then, partners were primarily value-added resellers who would build computers and servers by assembling various components. Raegan recalls visiting partner offices and seeing their framed certifications and branded swag from different vendors. This was when vendors were in the driver's seat, pulling partners along, and partners were seen as an extension of the vendor’s go-to-market efforts. The market has changed dramatically since then. Partners who failed to adapt to new technologies, like wireless networking, often went out of business. This shift highlights a critical lesson in the channel's history: partners must continuously morph their business models to survive and thrive. This same pressure appeared with the change to cloud services and is now a factor with AI. The most significant change Raegan notes is the shift in power, with partners now driving the solution for the end customer. Instead of vendors leading, the partner-led model puts the partner in the proverbial driver's seat, loading up their solution with vendors that fit the tech stack. This fundamental shift requires brands to change how they engage with their channel, acknowledging the partner's central role in the solution delivery.
The modern channel is more complex than ever, moving beyond traditional reseller models to include various services, solutions, and integrations. The days of simply building a box are replaced by a focus on value-added services that solve complex customer problems. Raegan points out that this evolution has led to a higher barrier to entry for entrepreneurs in this space, as the risks and necessary security checks are much steeper than they were in the past. She also notes a trend towards consolidation, with larger organizations growing even bigger as they deliver value acr...

AI-Ready Enterprise: Scaling Your People Stack
The cybersecurity landscape has undergone significant changes over the last three decades, evolving from hardware-based systems to complex, cloud-centric solutions. This evolution demands a new kind of leadership and a redefined channel strategy.
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal Founder & CEO of ZINFI, sits down with Joe Sykora, CEO of Coro Cybersecurity—a proven channel veteran and former founder—to unpack this shift. They discuss Coro's modern cybersecurity solution, which brings simplicity and automation to lean IT teams. A core focus is Joe’s philosophy on the People Stack: why strong, loyal, entrepreneurial teams are the valid key to scaling high-growth companies and how he builds this crucial advantage. The conversation also addresses the harsh reality of MSP consolidation, career pivots, and why personal relationships remain the most important.
Listen now to gain deep insights into what it takes to lead and succeed in the next era of cybersecurity.











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Video Podcast: AI-Ready Enterprise: Scaling Your People Stack

Chapter 1: The Channel’s Three-Decade Pivot: From White Box to AI-Ready Cybersecurity


The cybersecurity channel strategy has undergone a fundamental transformation over the last 30 years. Early on, businesses relied on basic white box server reselling and physical, hardware-based firewalls. Partners operated through distribution channels, focusing on pick, pack, and ship logistics. The primary challenges were less about digital threat detection and more about network connectivity through expensive ISDN or T1 lines. This period was characterized by high hardware margins and a regional approach to business, where face-to-face relationships and physical stores were the primary channels for customer acquisition.
As the internet and bandwidth expanded, the channel shifted its focus toward managed services and security appliances. The modern reality of cybersecurity is one of overwhelming data and complexity, even with the aid of AI. Coro Cybersecurity, Joe Sykora’s current company, embodies this shift by offering an AI-Ready Enterprise solution: an all-in-one platform for lean IT teams who lack large budgets or deep staff. By building their own technology, they achieve a true single pane of glass, eliminating complicated API integrations and simplifying operations for both end-users and MSP partners.
This dramatic shift from tangible hardware sales to cloud-based subscriptions and specialized services has significantly impacted the margins and viability of new partners. Starting a new partner business is harder today because the switching costs and risks are higher in established markets compared to the greenfield opportunities of the past. The need for deep expertise, coupled with shrinking margins and intense price pressure on managed services, has fueled a wave of partner consolidation.

Tech Mahindra's Ecosystem: Driving Outcome-Driven AI Transformations
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal Founder & CEO of ZINFI, sits down with Mayank Shekhar Choudhary, Senior Vice President of the Partner Ecosystem at Tech Mahindra in Europe. They discuss how Tech Mahindra is revolutionizing industries with its unique approach to digital and AI transformations. The conversation highlights the company's focus on building a strong ecosystem of partners and delivering outcome-driven solutions rather than just focusing on traditional IT metrics. Mayank shares compelling examples from the manufacturing, telecom, and banking sectors, detailing how this strategy helps customers modernize legacy systems, reduce capital expenditure, and free up resources for further innovation. This discussion provides valuable insights into the power of collaborative ecosystems and the strategic use of technology to drive real business value.











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Video Podcast: Tech Mahindra's Ecosystem: Driving Outcome-Driven AI Transformations

Chapter 1: The Converged IT, OT, and Network Environment


Mayank explains that Tech Mahindra’s services go beyond traditional IT and Operations Technology (OT) to create a converged environment that includes the network. He emphasizes that this three-pronged approach is crucial for achieving seamless digital transformation. Tech Mahindra works across various verticals as a system integrator, with a strong focus on telecom, banking and financial services, and manufacturing. The company aims to be a trusted, consultative partner in the manufacturing sector, providing an end-to-end journey from creating a future roadmap to real-world execution. The ultimate goal is to evolve the customer’s landscape while keeping the end customer at the center of every decision.

This comprehensive strategy is exemplified by Tech Mahindra’s work with a global chemical manufacturer, BASF, where they are transforming the company's enterprise network across 600 sites in 72 countries. They implemented a "network as a service" model to achieve this massive project without disrupting business. This model allows the customer to pay for the service they consume rather than making a substantial upfront capital investment, a significant industry trend. By utilizing an ecosystem of partners, Tech Mahindra successfully re-engineered processes, managed people, and brought new technologies to transform the client's infrastructure. This focus on outcome-driven solutions ensures that the customer realizes tangible business benefits.
The concept of a converged environment extends to the telecom space, where Tech Mahindra is helping a premier Dutch telco, KPN, to achieve autonomous operations. By bringing in process changes and innovative technology, the objective is to take the telco from a level three to a level five of autonomy.

Building a Partner Ecosystem-First Sales Strategy
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, sits down with Matt Green, the co-founder and CRO of Sales Assembly. Matt shares his journey from finance to leading go-to-market teams in the B2B tech sector. The conversation dives deep into the power of a community-first approach and how a strong partner ecosystem can drive growth through word-of-mouth and referrals. They discuss the critical skills modern sales professionals need, contrasting product-led and sales-led growth motions. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to build a resilient and effective sales strategy in today's fast-changing market.











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Video Podcast: Building a Partner Ecosystem-First Sales Strategy

Chapter 1: The Journey from Finance to an Ecosystem-First Approach


Matt Green's career path is far from typical. He describes his transition from finance to tech sales as a "Forrest Gump" theme, where he simply bumped into opportunities that shaped his professional life. A key thread throughout his entire career has been his role in a client-facing or sales capacity. His decision to leave finance and enter the tech world was a conscious choice he made despite facing unemployment at the time. The inspiration for Sales Assembly came from hosting monthly coffee meetings with other sales leaders in the Chicago tech scene. They discovered that the leaders faced the same common problems regardless of their companies' products. This insight was the genesis for Sales Assembly, which was initially built as a community-first model that offered little training.

The network became the core product, allowing revenue leaders to exchange ideas, best practices, and troubleshoot problems. This community-driven approach is deeply embedded in the company's DNA and has been a key driver of its growth. As a bootstrapped organization, Sales Assembly relies heavily on referrals, introductions, and word-of-mouth from its network. The success of this model proves that a strong community and partner ecosystem can be a powerful engine for growth, even without extensive outbound sales efforts. This strategy resonates with the modern B2B landscape, where building a valuable network is often more effective than traditional selling methods.

Matt argues that a community is valuable for any SaaS company, regardless of its product or target audience. He recommends that companies find existing communities of their buyers and get heavily involved. Adding value to these sub-ecosystems allows a startup to break through the noise and differentiate itself from larger competitors. This approach of being a part of the ecosystem, rather than just selling to it, allows for a more authentic and impactful presence in the market. It's not about a well-thought-out plan but about recognizing and acting on the opportunities that arise from actively parti...

Storytelling: The Heart of Partner Ecosystem Marketing
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal, Founder & CEO of ZINFI, is joined by Ffjorren Zolfaghar, VP of Alliances at IDMWORKS. Ffjorren shares her unique career journey from journalism to the forefront of technology alliances, highlighting how the art of storytelling remains a critical skill in B2B marketing. The discussion explores the rapidly evolving identity management landscape, the role of partners in navigating complex cybersecurity challenges, and the criteria for building successful, trust-based technology alliances. Listeners will better understand why focusing on business outcomes over technical specifications is key to engaging customers and partners. Tune in to learn how to cut through the noise and create a partner marketing strategy that resonates, drives value, and builds lasting relationships in a dynamic tech ecosystem.











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Video Podcast: Storytelling: The Heart of Partner Ecosystem Marketing

Chapter 1: The Journey from Journalism to Tech Alliances


Ffjorren Zolfaghar begins the conversation by introducing herself as the VP of Alliances for IDMWORKS, a services-led organization that handles reselling and managed services. She reveals that her tech career spans over a decade and is actually a second career. Her first was in journalism, a field she entered after studying at the University of Minnesota. She started in radio, TV, and newspaper, covering general news with an initial aspiration to become a reporter for the nightly news. Her journey then took a different turn, leading her to become a content editor and director for a publishing house, where she focused on alternative healthcare and lifestyle topics.
The transition into technology was initially driven by a practical need for a more lucrative career, a decision influenced by her younger brother, who made key introductions for her. Ffjorren acknowledges the irony of her current role. As a self-proclaimed lover of pen and paper who enjoys unplugging from all devices, she admits that many people would find her unlikely to work in the technology sector. Despite this, she quickly rose, leveraging her foundational skills. She believes that the communication and writing skills honed in journalism are a "lost art" that has been tremendously helpful in her career, first in marketing and then in partner sales and management. This unique background gives her a distinctive perspective on the power of clear and compelling communication in a technical and often jargon-filled industry.
She discusses the core principle that connects her two careers: storytelling. She explains that the objective remained the same whether she was writing a news story for an audience or creating marketing content for a consumer. The goal is to gain attention, provide information, and make the content relatable and digestible so the audience understands the mess...

Industry 4.0 Roadmap: Modernize, Optimize, Transform
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal Founder & CEO of ZINFI, is joined by Jeff Winter, Vice President of Business Strategy for Critical Manufacturing and a leading Industry 4.0 influencer. They dive deep into the core of the Industry 4.0 transformation, moving beyond the hype to discuss practical realities. Jeff explains that this new industrial revolution is not just about technology but requires a fundamental shift in people, culture, and leadership. Listeners will gain a clear understanding of what makes this era unique, with a focus on bridging the long-standing gap between IT and OT teams. The discussion explores the real-world application of AI and IoT in manufacturing. It provides a clear roadmap for any organization looking to navigate its digital transformation journey through the essential steps of modernizing, optimizing, and ultimately achieving true business transformation. Tune in to learn how to build a resilient and agile operation for the future.











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Video Podcast: Industry 4.0 Roadmap: Modernize, Optimize, Transform

Chapter 1: The People-First Mandate for Industry 4.0


The journey into Industry 4.0 is frequently mischaracterized as a purely technological endeavor. While advanced tools are a catalyst, the ultimate success of this industrial revolution hinges on a more complex and crucial element: people. The most formidable challenge in any digital transformation is not the deployment of new software or the installation of sophisticated sensors; it is the cultivation of a new mindset across the entire organization. Technology can be purchased, but a culture of innovation and adaptability cannot be. This essential cultural evolution must be championed from the highest levels of leadership. Executives must perceive Industry 4.0 not as a series of siloed IT projects but as a comprehensive business evolution that fundamentally reshapes how value is created, delivered, and measured. This strategic imperative shifts the focus from merely proving a technology works to demonstrating how that technology moves the entire business forward, delivering tangible results and a sustainable competitive advantage.
This transformation requires the broader workforce to embrace a new professional paradigm of continuous learning and cross-disciplinary thinking. The very nature of manufacturing work is evolving. An employee's role is no longer confined to the repetitive operation of a single machine. Instead, they are becoming the managers of a connected, data-driven process that is constantly refined and improved. This demands newfound agility and a comfort with ambiguity, as change is the only constant in this new environment. The days of mastering and repeating a single task for years are over; future workers must be adaptable problem-solvers who can leverage data to make informed decisions.

Unlocking Partner Ecosystem-Led Growth
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal Founder & CEO of ZINFI, is joined by Rob Moyer, Head of Partnerships at Gong, to explore the intricacies of building a modern, high-growth partner ecosystem. Rob shares his unique perspective, having built partnership programs at scale with Microsoft and from the ground up at startups like Gong. The discussion provides a detailed strategy guide on creating a successful channel strategy in today’s technology landscape.
Key topics include focusing on boutique partners before scaling, establishing a tactical framework for mutual success through collaboration docs and clear goals, and evolving beyond traditional co-sell models to a more integrated "co-close" approach. This conversation is essential for any business leader looking to drive significant revenue and customer value through strategic partnerships. Listen now to unlock Gong's proven strategies.











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Video Podcast: Unlocking Partner Ecosystem-Led Growth

Chapter 1: The Modern Partner Flywheel: From Boutiques to Scale


The journey to building a scalable partner ecosystem does not begin with casting the widest net possible. Rob Moyer explains that the foundational step is to be highly selective and strategic. Instead of immediately pursuing large distributors or broad marketplaces, the most effective initial strategy is identifying and engaging with boutique partners. These smaller, specialized firms often have deep expertise and trusted relationships within a specific niche that aligns perfectly with your ideal customer profile (ICP) and, just as importantly, your target persona. This focused approach allows a vendor to secure critical early wins, build momentum, and refine its value proposition with deeply invested and aligned partners. It is a process of starting small to build a strong, repeatable model.
Once a successful and repeatable motion is established with these boutique partners, the next phase of the flywheel involves scaling the program. This is where broader platforms like major technology marketplaces and traditional distribution channels become valuable. However, simply being present on these platforms is not a strategy. The early work done with boutique partners provides the proof points, case studies, and refined messaging needed to stand out among the thousands of other vendors on a line card. The success in the initial phase creates the credibility and gravitational pull necessary to attract larger partners and effectively leverage their scale. This methodical, phased approach ensures that growth is built on a solid, validated foundation rather than premature, ineffective bets.
This strategy requires a significant mindset shift for partner managers, who must act more like sales development representatives (SDRs) than traditional relationship managers.

Talent Recruitment for Startup: Missionaries & Mercenaries
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal Founder & CEO of ZINFI sits down with Mark Bartlett, Co-founder and CRO of HireClarity, to explore the powerful parallels between military discipline and startup recruitment. Mark, a former naval officer, shares his unique journey and the transferable skills he gained, from clear communication to decisive leadership. The discussion dives into the critical distinction between hiring "missionaries" driven by purpose and "mercenaries" motivated by financial gain. They discuss how a mission-based approach to building a team can lead to greater success and a stronger company culture. This is essential for any founder looking to make a resilient and dedicated team.











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Video Podcast: Talent Recruitment for Startup: Missionaries & Mercenaries

Chapter 1: The Foundation of Leadership and Military Discipline


The initial segment of the podcast lays the groundwork for Mark Bartlett's unique perspective on leadership, drawing heavily from his 13 years of service in the Australian military. He describes his decision to join the military as an almost whimsical choice made during a period of uncertainty as a university student. This experience, however, proved to be formative, instilling in him skills that are "transferable to the commercial world". His journey from an enlisted soldier to a naval officer gave him a structured environment emphasizing discipline and clear, concise communication. He highlights that military leadership isn't just about giving orders and influencing people to achieve a common goal. This early discussion sets the stage for understanding his core belief that effective leadership is rooted in a structured approach to communication and teamwork.
Mark's military career, particularly his time with the United Nations peacekeeping force in East Timor, is a crucial case study in diverse collaboration. He recounts working at a headquarters with 75 members from 27 countries, forcing him to navigate cultural differences and communication styles. A key anecdote involves an Australian colonel who advised him to slow his speech because only "half the people understood half of what you said". This experience taught him the importance of adapting and embracing different perspectives, a lesson he found invaluable. This segment emphasizes that true partnership and collaboration require more than just clear communication; they demand an understanding of cultural nuances and a willingness to be open-minded.
The discussion transitions to a specific moment of conflict during his last tour, highlighting the importance of a leader's ability to adapt quickly under pressure. He describes a situation where his and his Thai friend's interpretations of the same event differed due to their contextual backgrounds. This experience reinforced his understanding that people see the sa...

Partner Performance: Measure What Matters
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal Founder & CEO of ZINFI, welcomes Chris Messina from QuarkAI in this talk. They discuss how hard it is to measure what partners do. Chris talks about starting QuarkAI to fix this problem of "invisible" partnerships. This episode shows how to look past just leads and money to see the full value partners bring.
Listen to learn how a straightforward way to measure things can change how company leaders see and pay for partner programs.











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Video Podcast: Partner Performance: Measure What Matters

Chapter 1: The Problem: You Can't See What Partners Do


Chris Messina starts by talking about the main problem QuarkAI wants to fix: you can't see what partners do. He says that for 15 years, he built partner programs. They often looked like they failed on paper, even when doing well. It was hard to show his work and prove the value partners added that didn't involve direct sales. He explains that partner teams do many things that don't easily appear in sales numbers. It is hard to get company leaders to trust them and invest more. The challenge is to show all the good things partners do that don't fit into regular reports.
Chris felt this problem strongly. In early 2024, he realized the most significant issue was "nobody believes us". He left his job to solve this problem. At first, he thought about a top-down plan. But then, he saw that AI could help fix the issue from the ground up. The name "QuarkAI" comes from this idea. It means proving value at the smallest level. If they can show value there, they can show all the value that other tools miss. This will help company leaders trust and invest in partner programs.
Chris says partnerships live "inside everybody else's metrics, KPIs, tools". This means partner teams must try to show their value after the fact. Also, since these tools belong to other teams, there's a problem where other teams say, "That's my credit". These tools also set the rules for what success means for those teams. Partner teams don't have their own clear goal. QuarkAI wants to make partnerships visible and create one clear way to measure success that everyone understands. This will give partner leaders the tools to prove their worth and become important company leaders.





Chapter 2: Measuring Partners: Big Companies vs. Small Companies


Chris explains that measuring partners is hard for massive and tiny companies, but in different ways. For big companies that spend billions on partner programs, the problem is knowing what most of their partners are doing. He gives examples: a company with 5,000 partners only knows what 50 are doing. Google has 100,

Debunking the Entrepreneurship Myth: Entrepreneurship's Past, Present, and Future
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal Founder & CEO of ZINFI speak with Michael Gerber, the legendary author of the E-Myth, and Richard Chambers, a channel sales expert, about the foundational principles of business success. The conversation explores the crucial differences between being a technician and an entrepreneur, revealing why 90% of startups fail within ten years. They highlight the universal need for a business system and a compelling vision, regardless of industry or scale. The guests also discuss how timeless principles apply to today's rapidly changing, AI-driven world. Tune in to discover the critical mindset shift required to move from working in your business to working on it.











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Video Podcast: Debunking the Entrepreneurship Myth: Entrepreneurship's Past, Present, and Future

Chapter 1: The Origin Story of the Entrepreneurship Myth


The concept of the E-Myth did not begin as a formal theory but as a practical observation of a real-world problem. Michael Gerber recounts his early experience assisting his brother-in-law, Ace Remus, whose clients could not convert the leads created for them. When Michael met with one of these clients, he discovered that the business owner, a brilliant technician, did not understand what a business was. The client had no "selling system," leading to the realization that many startups are founded by technicians suffering from an entrepreneurial seizure, not true entrepreneurs. This initial discovery led Gerber to uncover the missing piece in the small business picture, culminating in his influential methodology.
Gerber’s exploration revealed a fundamental truth: the business itself is a product that must be designed, built, and launched with a clear system, much like a product or a service. The entrepreneur’s role is to act as the "imagineer," creating the foundational vision and structure for the enterprise. This vision is not just about the product but about creating a predictable and repeatable system that can be replicated successfully. The model for this, as Gerber explains, is a business format franchise, or a prototype, that can scale from a company of one to a company of a thousand. As articulated by the E-Myth, this system-level thinking became the core principle for his business development firm and all his subsequent work.
Richard Chambers’ journey was intertwined with Gerber’s. Richard worked for Gerber’s start-up for 7 years, starting as a technical consultant and ultimately running the client services organization responsible for the customer success of hundreds of small business programs. With a background in psycholinguistics, Richard later went on to start his own company, creating a "selling system" that used a common lang...

Leading Microsoft Ecosystems at Scale in the AI Era
In this episode, Sugata Sanyal the main boss (Founder & CEO) of ZINFI, has a great chat with Nina Harding. Nina is a Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, overseeing how Microsoft works with partners across the Americas region. Nina shares her incredible journey in leadership, showing how partnerships have changed a lot over the years. They talk about how new AI technology has a massive effect on how businesses work and how companies help their customers. Nina explains how Microsoft is helping its many partners get ready for this significant change and thrive through it. You'll learn how flexibility, working together, and focusing on good results make new things happen faster in the Microsoft world. Listen in to find out more about what's next for AI and working with partners.











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Navigating the AI Revolution: A Guide for Partners in the Microsoft Ecosystem
Your Essential Roadmap for Growth and Innovation in the Age of AI
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Video Podcast: Leading Microsoft Ecosystems at Scale in the AI Era

Chapter 1: Nina’s Career Path and Partner Growth


Nina Harding talks about her long career, which includes working at big companies like Oracle, SAP, Google, and twice at Microsoft. Throughout these years, she has always focused on how different companies work together, which she calls "partnerships." She has seen how these partnerships have changed significantly over 30 years. When she started in the early 1990s, she saw how new computer programs and databases were just beginning to be used, and this helped her understand how the digital world would grow. Because she worked for both huge companies and smaller new companies, Nina learned special ways to help partners use big market opportunities and create new things together.
Nina has noticed a significant shift in how companies work with partners. It used to be that companies focused on just a few special partners. The goal is to get a whole "ecosystem" of many different partners to work together and succeed. This raised a question: should companies tell partners exactly what to do, or should they let partners help lead the way? Nina says that at Microsoft, working with partners has always been a key part of how the company works, right from the start. This means that when Microsoft creates new products or sales plans, it always includes partners to ensure customers get what they need.
Microsoft, led by Nina, tries to build strong trust and long-lasting relationships with its partners, not just work with them for quick wins. This commitment shows up in many ways. Microsoft helps partners learn new skills and provides training. They also bring partners into their sales meetings and events. They ensure partners are part of how Microsoft sells its products and services and offer special rewards to help partners do well. This way of working together is based on the idea that "we are better together.