Partnership Strategy for Small Startups: Lessons from CKBK's Multi-Channel Approach

Running a small startup while managing relationships with publishers, smart appliance makers, culinary schools, and complementary apps sounds overwhelming. But CKBK founder Matthew Cockerill has built a thriving partnership ecosystem that drives growth across multiple channels while operating with a lean team.

On the Levels Podcast, Matthew shared how he manages diverse partnerships simultaneously and the systems that make complex relationship management sustainable for small startups. His approach offers a roadmap for founders looking to scale through partnerships rather than just paid acquisition.

The Partnership-First Growth Strategy

Rather than relying solely on paid marketing, CKBK built growth around strategic partnerships that provide mutual value. This approach requires more relationship management but creates sustainable competitive advantages.

"Relationships is a big part of it because at some level with the platform itself, have, you know, we do marketing through Meta and Facebook and we have to kind of keep refreshing that. But in a certain sense, that side of things, you know, turns over and the two things we have to keep doing are extending that, increasing the quality and range of the content."

Partnerships provide stability that paid marketing channels can't match, especially as advertising costs increase and effectiveness decreases over time.

Systematic Relationship Management

Matthew manages partnership complexity through systematic approaches that allow him to maintain multiple high-value relationships without getting overwhelmed.

The key is treating partnership management as a core business function rather than an add-on activity, with dedicated time and structured processes.

Content Partnership Strategy

Publisher relationships form CKBK's content foundation, requiring ongoing relationship maintenance and new deal development.

"Building new channels through partnerships that will get us in front of more people. And then also as institutional sales has become more important, both doing the direct approaches to current educational institutions and other percent, corporates, others who could benefit from access."

These content partnerships require balancing existing publisher needs with new content acquisition to keep the platform fresh and comprehensive.

Technology Integration Partnerships

The smart appliance integration with BSH demonstrates how technical partnerships can create unique value propositions while providing ongoing marketing channels.

"So we're continuing to this day to be rolling out as one of the Home Connect partners promotional campaigns, emailings to VSH customers, showing them how they can make the most of their oven with this really high quality content from WellKnownX."

These technical integrations require significant upfront development but create lasting competitive moats that are difficult for competitors to replicate.

Geographic Expansion Through Partners

Rather than trying to enter new markets independently, CKBK uses local partners who understand regional markets and have established relationships.

"We've recently started working in South America with a very well-connected pastry chef called Luciano Carrera, has been both doing, well actually creating lots of video content for Cookbook, but also doing some great outreach work with the huge number of educational institutions training tens of thousands of cooks in Brazil."

This approach reduces market entry costs while providing local credibility and cultural knowledge that would be expensive to develop internally.

Complementary Platform Partnerships

CKBK partners with other platforms that serve similar audiences but provide different functionality, creating mutual referral opportunities.

"We work with Eat Your Books, which is another website, and what they are is an index. They don't have the content of any books, but they index pretty much every cookbook ever. And some people subscribe to that."

These partnerships expand value for users of both platforms while providing new customer acquisition channels.

Scaling Partnership Development

As partnership opportunities multiply, Matthew uses intermediaries and regional partners to scale relationship development beyond what he could handle personally.

"And then where possible, also scaling that by finding ways to work with intermediaries who can help us to reach more of those institutional sales."

This scaling approach allows small teams to manage large partnership networks by leveraging other organizations' relationship management capabilities.

Partnership ROI Measurement

Successful partnership management requires clear metrics about which relationships drive the most value and deserve continued investment.

CKBK tracks user acquisition, revenue, and engagement metrics from different partnership channels to optimize their relationship portfolio.

The Virtual Team Approach

Rather than hiring full-time business development staff, CKBK uses freelancers and contractors who specialize in specific partnership categories.

"There's a lot to do on all this relationship management and partnership building, but we are gradually, in a kind of the virtual way, we don't have many people on payroll, but we do work with freelance contributors on a number of fronts."

This flexible approach allows access to specialized expertise without fixed overhead costs.

Content Creation Partnerships

Beyond content licensing, CKBK partners with contributors who create editorial content that helps users discover and engage with recipes.

"Some of that is content contribution, because we have a whole features section which helps to guide people in to discover the best content and we have a whole string of freelancers that contribute to that."

These content partnerships provide fresh editorial material while showcasing licensed cookbook content effectively.

Regional Partner Development

International expansion requires local partners who understand regional cooking preferences, measurement systems, and cultural factors.

The Brazil partnership exemplifies how one well-connected local partner can provide access to entire educational networks that would be impossible to reach through direct sales efforts.

Technical Integration Complexity

Hardware partnerships require significant technical development but create unique value propositions that justify the investment.

The smart oven integration took months to develop but continues providing marketing value and user differentiation years later.

Partnership Maintenance Systems

Successful partnerships require ongoing attention to remain valuable for both parties. CKBK has developed systems for regular communication and mutual value creation.

This includes quarterly business reviews, joint marketing planning, and collaborative product development discussions.

Cross-Partnership Synergies

The most successful partnerships create synergies with other relationships rather than operating in isolation.

For example, educational partnerships in Brazil benefit from content partnerships with international publishers and technical partnerships that enable mobile access for students.

Partnership Evolution

Relationships that start in one area often expand into others as trust and collaboration develop.

The BSH relationship began as an accelerator program but evolved into ongoing technical integration and marketing partnerships.

Resource Allocation Balance

Matthew balances time between partnership development and other critical startup activities through careful prioritization and delegation.

"So the meta outside of things, we have a chief operating officer, Jason, who takes care of a lot of the more marketing and finance things, including the budget and the approaches and all the sort of metrics we're looking at."

This delegation allows focus on high-value partnership activities while ensuring other business functions continue operating effectively.

Partnership Success Metrics

Beyond immediate revenue impact, successful partnerships provide strategic value through market access, competitive differentiation, and brand credibility.

These broader benefits often justify partnership investments that might not show immediate ROI but create long-term competitive advantages.

Key Takeaways

• Treat partnerships as core business functions: Systematic relationship management enables sustainable growth beyond paid acquisition
• Use intermediaries to scale relationship development: Local partners and specialized contractors can manage relationships more efficiently than internal teams
• Focus on mutual value creation: Successful partnerships provide clear benefits for both parties rather than one-sided arrangements
• Build technical integrations strategically: Hardware partnerships require significant investment but create lasting competitive moats
• Measure both direct and strategic value: Partnership ROI includes immediate revenue plus long-term market access and differentiation benefits

Matthew's partnership approach demonstrates how small startups can compete with larger companies by building relationship networks that provide access to markets, technology, and capabilities that would be expensive to develop internally.

Listen to the full conversation with Matthew Cockerill on the Levels Podcast to learn more about building and managing partnership ecosystems that drive sustainable startup growth.