ELMO engaged the Hockey stick team to refine and curate our partnership strategy to enable our partnership team to drive growth, alongside our existing GTM motions. They worked effectively across our teams to ensure we had a market ready plan harnessing their expertise, experience and insights for our team to execute on, and then provided partner marketing services to enable our team to effectively recruit new partners, and enable existing partners to sell ELMO more effectively, extending more value to our customers. ELMO is confident that we can grow with and through our partners, to help them win and add more value to our end customers.

Tractor had emerging partnership opportunities everywhere but we were unsure where to focus our efforts, or how to resource effectively amongst competing priorities. Hockey Stick came in to build us a robust partnerships strategy, and today >30% of our business is generated with or through partners, and we expect this to increase. Additionally, we built out our growth partners amongst our village community of our portfolio companies, ensuring the companies we support have the best operators enabling them to put their funds and limited resourcing to best use. And we know that if our portfolio are thriving, our partners also win, so does Tractor and our growth flywheel can spin faster.

I had the pleasure of working with Pat for several years across his roles in the Xero ecosystem. He was always a pleasure to deal with. Pat is a true asset to anyone he works for, or with. Over the time I worked with Pat in his partnerships role at Xero, his insights, knowledge, and genuine support of our goals enabled us to grow our own partnerships as a significant Go To Market channel for us. Outside of work, Pat is also just a great bloke. I always look forward to catching up with him at Xerocon and Roadshows, and talking about football, family and kids.

Patrick has been one of my favourite people to deal with at Xero. He makes things happen. He's invested in getting app partners like us the help we need. He cares about his work. It's not often you meet someone like Patrick.

In his role at Xero, Patrick was one of the best. Always approachable, always making time to listen and to share his valuable insights. Patrick had a great deal of knowledge about the Xero ecosystem and how it works and he has always willing to help when needed.

Working with Pat was deeply rewarding, and an absolute joy. He's the first person I think of and seek out for partnership/ecosystem inspiration or advice. During our time together in the Xero Ecosystem team, I watched Pat artfully balance a huge workload, all while managing a team and a myriad of external relationships. He brought so much energy, insight and vision to our group, and was able to seamlessly shift between high level strategy, troubleshooting and getting into the weeds. His knowledge, care and good humour connected our group, and made us all better, and I know all of the partners he worked for felt informed, engaged and advocated for. One of the best, with zero ego and so much time for others. I highly recommend Pat as a colleague, leader and partnerships expert.

I had the pleasure of working with Patrick during my tenure in App Partner Success. Despite being in different teams, Patrick’s unwavering support and welcoming demeanor were invaluable to me as I navigated a new role and new business area. Patrick consistently engaged with my team and often went above and beyond to support us whenever it was needed, empowering us to successfully drive adoption within the Xero ecosystem. His exemplary leadership skills and dedication to achieving collective success are commendable, and I would endorse Patrick for any future opportunities.

Patrick was such an exceptional person to work with while he was at Xero growing and sustaining the amazing Xero partners ecosystem. He has an exceptional ability to understand technologies of all use cases in connection to Xero/Financial Technology and a great understanding of the unique scenarios that tech businesses of different sizes face. He was always considering how to maximise value and outcomes for all stakeholders and I look forward to seeing what the next chapter holds!

I have had the pleasure of working closely as a with Patrick in his role as Director of Partnerships at Xero, and have been impressed by his strategic planning and execution in partnership development. He helped guide Cogo's partnership with Xero from initial signing of our partnership contract, through to launch and ongoing management. Patrick's value is in developing partnerships and identifying opportunities for collaboration, forge meaningful relationships, and drive partnerships forward. He possesses a keen understanding of the market landscape and is adept at aligning partnership goals with the overall business strategy. I recommend Patrick for any role that requires a strategic partnerships leader with a proven track record of success.

Pat was a great advocate of Everperform when leading the Xero Ecosystem. Not an easy feat given there are more than 1000 app partners in the ecosystem, Pat always had presence and put the best interests of the community he represented at the forefront of what he did. He was able to grasp very quickly the niche customer persona that we were targeting and help guide the best direction we should take on investment, events, and marketing activities to help fast track our impact. A wealth of knowledge on partnerships, strategy and scale, I have always had a lot of time for you Pat. Go well.

Bryan is a wealth of knowledge, experience, inspiration and a real life example of the power of partnerships. I've found Bryan to be actively curious, humble and genuine in seeking to understand the goals and aspirations of his clients and in making recommendations that will create impact. He navigates client uncertainty with confidence and leads by clear demonstration of the success he has built is his own career prior to launching Hockey Stick Advisory, and for and with his clients and partners since then. If you ask around about getting help with your partnership journey within the startup space, I've heard Bryan's name mentioned broadly as a leader and collaborator to help you understand the partnership opportunity and formulate the right strategy for your success. I highly recommend working with Bryan if you are looking to build a powerful partnership ecosystem that brings value to you, your partners and your clients.

I'd never done an official marketing campaign before. I'd always relied on organic referrals, however there was always something in the back of my mind telling me that I wasn't taking full advantage of the quite impressive database of clients I'd built over the years. 

 I engaged Scott to help me dip my toe in the water, and together we developed a very targeted campaign to historic clients which ended up being a great success. Now it's encouraged me to engage him further to run other targeted, smart, campaigns. And that's the difference Scott brings. 

In addition to his excellent marketing experience, Scott also listens very carefully and makes a real effort to understand my business and what drives my clients to engage with me. He then uses that information to great effect to specifically target the things that my clients specifically respond to. 

 I know my business, and I know my clients, but Scott really helped me put a framework around how to best market to them in such a way that it was effective for my business, without turning away clients with marketing blasts that would have immediately caused them to hit the "unsubscribe" button. I've found his deftness and ability to hit the right notes to be incredibly useful.

Bryan - amazing to have the benefit of your time and experience - thank you. You've inspired me to revisit our Playbook and update it and focus on enabling the partners we have more deeply.

"Launching a startup's like surfing in a storm – thrilling but you're kind of all over the shop. Then came Scott, over for a coffee and chat, he spotted the perfect wave for us to ride. Gave us a few mini goals that was right there for the taking. And mate, did that fire us up! We've been catching wave after wave ever since. I even told a few mates to hit him up. He'll help you cut through the noise and get where you wanna go, with a few laughs along the way."

"Prior to working with Bryan and Hockey Stick Advisory, we could see early signs of the real benefit partnerships was bringing to our business. However, we lacked the long term direction and strategy to ensure we maximise the potential of partnerships and create sustainable growth off the back of it. Through Bryan's guidance and expertise, we now have a strong foundation and clear plan on how partnerships will contribute to achieving our growth objectives. In a short period, Bryan was able to bring together key stakeholders and create company wide alignment on our partnerships strategy, conducting pilots and workshops backed by data to communicate the true value of this approach. Would highly recommend to any ambitious business looking to take partnerships to the next level!"

"Our Tractor Ventures portfolio was fortunate to have Bryan as a guest speaker during our monthly masterclass. His expertise on scaling through partnerships was eye-opening, and the practical takeaways he offered are already making a difference. Bryan is an engaging speaker, his presentation was organised and easy to follow. Kudos to Bryan for helping our portfolio excel! We look forward to part 2!"

"Bryan presented at our Tropical innovation conference on How to create & Optimise Partner Led Growth. He was fun, informative, and provided some great actionable takeaways to our delegates across a few sessions, which we aim to implement ourselves ahead. Highly recommended as a speaker! Kate Montgomery, Tropical Innovation Conference."

"Working with Bryan and Hockey Stick Growth Advisory was an incredible opportunity and through Bryan’s exceptional coaching and mentorship, I was able to gain a clear vision for my career path. Bryan’s personalised approach and structured mentorship allowed me to not only identify areas of improvement but also to capitalise on my strengths and after regular coaching from Bryan I landed my next role during tough market conditions, where many SaaS companies were reducing their workforce. I highly recommend Bryan and the team at Hockey Stick Growth Advisory to anyone seeking to enhance their career prospects."

"Can't speak highly enough about Bryan and his passion for partnerships and technology more broadly. At his time at Xero, he was always looking for ways to maximize the value app vendors could provide to the ecosystem. Since starting Hockeystick, Bryan has provided advisory services that gave a unique perspective on how we could approach partnerships at Amaka. If you're seeking assistance about how partnerships can help your business scale up. Bryan is your guy."

"Bryan brings a strategic mindset along with technical aptitude, high emotional intelligence and integrity. Always open to the conversation, it's easy to feel like you're in his corner. I had the pleasure of overlapping with Bryan while at Xero and am all the better for it. If you're seeking direction in your business, I can't recommend his leadership and GTM skill set enough."

"I worked closely with Bryan for over 3 years as a confidant & colleague. I truly appreciate how he challenges platform thinking & the best way to operate. If I am stuck on a problem or want a fresh perspective Bryan is the first person I come to. Watching Bryan push himself to grow & learn has been a catalyst for me, and others to do the same. I cannot wait to watch HockeyStick fly ahead, destined for greatness."

"It has been incredible to see how Bryan facilitated & grew the engaged Xero App partnership community over recent years. Far beyond 1-1 partnerships, there is a culture of sharing, engagement and helping customers to thrive through collaboration. I look forward to seeing HockeyStick do amazing things ahead."

"Bryan was a key pillar of building, advocating and growing the Xero ecosystem right across the region for many years. We've worked closely together over many years across many engagements and he has always been amazing to work with, professional, outcome focused whilst still having fun. His company would be a key asset to any scale-up looking to unlock partnership ecosystem growth. I look forward to seeing HockeyStick go from strength to strength."

"ReZme engaged HockeyStick to build a launch strategy for our recently released exciting product Cherry. They were incredible to deal with, providing market research, insights and their experience to ensure we had a smooth launch based on best in class methodologies. We look forward to continuing to work with them ahead. Highly recommended!"

"Prior to engaging with Bryan we were discovering how to take our product to market in a more effective way. We opted for a workshop with our leadership team. This session galvanised our conviction and enabled us to create clearer alignment as to how partnerships could be leveraged to support our growth. We have since embarked on testing this strategy and initial results are looking promising."

"ApprovalMax were consistently growing over the past years. Our direct business kept up with the pace but we identified a need to analyse and re-design our partner business. We were in a need to get an outside view from an industry expert to get direction before starting such a complex and resource consuming project. We have experienced a different and way of thinking enjoying new idea and expertise. Now we are crystal clear about the project scope and started the implementation with high confidence. We will continue to work with Bryan as we move on with the project to ensure it will be successfully delivered."

"Bryan is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to partnerships. He was kind enough to break down how we (as an early stage company) should approach partnerships to grow our business - including what kinds of businesses to target, how to make it a win-win, and how to measure its success. It has given us the focus that we need to find those strategic alliances and grow together. We secured our first partnership recently, and it looks like we have another few on the way!"

"Prior to meeting Bryan, we had a very basic understanding of how partnerships could help us scale our B2B SaaS offering. Through a couple of half day sessions, we worked through the blockages we were facing and the solutions that seemed so simple after they were shared with us."

"Before working with Hockey Stick, we knew that partnerships were going to be an important part of Disco Labs' GTM strategy - but it wasn't until we worked closely with Bryan that we developed a clear strategy and actionable tactics to execute on it."

"Bryan is an amazing leader and mentor. Over my time, working with him I have seen him navigate senior internal and external stakeholders, driving business outcomes all with compassion and a smile. Bryan’s open minded attitude has made him the ‘go to’ for many strategic conversations as well as valuing his input for high stake negotiations."

“Marsello engaged Bryan to provide his expert insights & IP as we looked to define, & build out our partnership ecosystem and platform aspirations. He was extremely knowledgeable, highly connected and a pleasure to work with. He worked efficiently with our key stakeholders to establish a clear and compelling ecosystem strategy and roadmap to evolve our business ahead. We look forward to engaging with Hockeystick further ahead.”

"Bryan is extremely knowledgeable and a true professional. He is an expert and a highly respected leadership voice in the partnerships community. His extensive experience and acumen make him an incredible asset and advisor to any company. If you are looking for partnership ecosystems help and advice, I highly encourage you to have a conversation with Bryan."

"Bryan has been a leading thinker in advocating for & building partnership ecosystems and platforms for many years. In my years working with him he’s been a strategic partner, a valuable sounding board, and has over time established himself as a reliable, trusted expert who can help solve tough ecosystem challenges. Under Bryan's direction HockeyStick is destined for great things, and will create significant value for those wise enough to engage their services."

“We needed a way to show our senior leadership team that marketing was producing results, and that’s hard when your metrics are scattered. This dashboard saved the day.”

"Bryan knows what he's talking about! I've seen first-hand the great work he has done with some of my company's industry partners. His work has made such a difference it has made to their ability to clearly demonstrate their value in a crowded app ecosystem and, in turn, that has made my work with them as a partner so much better and more valuable."

"Bryan is among the top thinkers and experts in SaaS partnerships and platforms that I've had on our YouTube/LinkedIn channels, which is why we invited him back again and again. If you're looking to understand best practices in partnerships or accelerate your existing ones, Bryan's expertise and experience will be invaluable."

"Bryan has broad experience and understanding of how to successfully leverage partnerships for growth, and execute platform strategy, in both startup and scale up sized companies. This unique set of skills and experience he brings to HockeyStick’s services would be invaluable to any aspiring tech company."

"We engaged Hockey Stick's services for a workshop to help us to refine & expand our platform strategy. They were very professional & knowledgeable about the industry as well as being networked in order for them to drive forward with bold ambitions."

"Scott is fantastic to work with. He is a great analytical thinker, and his understanding of business and marketing make him a brilliant person to talk strategy with."

“WorkflowMax by BlueRock engaged Bryan’s expertise through Hockey Stick Advisory as we needed his support to refine and optimise our partnership strategy as we rebuild the new product and bring it to life, ensuring we can delight customers with best of breed connected solutions. His subject matter expertise helped us to define and shape our partner value proposition and partnership ecosystem strategy, and provide best practices on partnership development, recruitment and prioritisation. We look forward to working with him ahead, and highly recommend his services. Thanks Bryan!”

“Bryan and the team really know their stuff. I love the practical approach. Our leadership team learnt heaps and the ongoing support will make a significant difference for our business - winner.”

"We had great success working with Bryan at Hockey Stick. He assisted us with a range of tasks including a full GTM plan for the roll out of our new product. We continually engage Bryan for guidance and strategy."

"Bryan is an expert with extensive knowledge in building strong partnerships with Australia's largest companies. Super valuable advice from a credible source."

"There's a reason why so many partner programs fail...they dramatically underestimate what it takes to identify, recruit, activate, and enable the RIGHT partners. These guys simply 'get it' where so many others don't...and will put you on the right path.

"Bryan has extensive experience in building successful partner ecosystems. Through pre-work and an interactive workshop with Bryan he enabled the team to look at our wider partnership strategy with a different lens to ensure we were looking at the "bigger picture" for longer-term success. The workshop empowered the wider team to better understand the purpose and benefit of developing our partnership ecosystem to attract, grow and accelerate. We're looking forward to future interactions with Bryan as his approach is personable, positive and his input and insights are extremely valuable."

"Bryan provides so much value based on his deep expertise and connections in the app ecosystem and wise insights on successful partner GTM approaches! Coachbar.io purchased Hockey Stick's largest 6 month advisory plan and we're definitely going to renew and extend our relationship with Bryan. We highly recommend Hockey Stick for any business serious about efficient growth and success with partners. His advisory approach, insights, market intelligence, and best practice assessments will get you moving much faster in the right direction than if you try to figure it out on your own through trial and error. Have a chat with Bryan and you'll experience what I'm talking about here!"

“ I worked alongside Scott as early employees at GO1, we’re talking <30 employees. Scott came in as the initial marketing hire, scaling with the firm to the status of VP of Marketing. In that time, particularly in the early, scrappy years, Scott demonstrated that entrepreneurial mindset of getting things done with little to no resources. Really leveraging free and existing tools to make an incredible impact on our journey, all while helping the founders understand which metrics we should be tracking and how to measure them. Anyone that works with Hockey Stick Advisory will get the benefit of working with field-tested experts like Scott that operate in a cofounder capacity. “

Working alongside Scott has been nothing short of an inspiring experience. As a leader his strategy is easy to follow and he provides clear instructions on how to get the outcomes we desire. If the opportunity presents itself to work with Scott, grab it.

Scott is a wealth of knowledge and expertise. The strategic marketing planning from HockeyStick Advisory has helped more in 30 minutes than the last month of self-learning. The informal back and forth makes the whole process and interactions enjoyable and easy, whilst retaining meaningful and powerful direction for improvement and achievement.

"Bryan is a result driven Partnership leader who has really been a wonderful influence in our organization and continually helps us lift our sights and our partnership game! He brings so much partner experience, knowledge, and passion to our team and asks the hard questions that challenge our thinking and break the cycle of 'this is how things are done here'. It is a delight to work with Bryan and I am looking forward to continuing to learn from him in the coming months."

"Bryan and I have had the pleasure of working together for many years. Bryan's ecosystem knowledge combined with his understanding of the technology world has always positioned Bryan as a trusted and respected thought leader in all things partnerships and ecosystems. No doubt a lot of Xero's success is down to the powerful ecosystem that Xero has built and Bryan was at the centrepiece of bringing that to life. To now see Bryan share his knowledge with more scale-up tech companies to harness the power of partnerships will be a true gamechanger for anyone looking to work with Bryan."

"Scott's insight and advice was invaluable when we were looking to scale our business into new global markets. His real world experience meant he understood exactly where we were in our growth cycle and most importantly, he was able to help us focus our marketing efforts in a more mature way for maximum results."

"Hockeystick's expertise and vast IP was incredibly valuable for XBert as they built a robust growth strategy as we look to scale the next chapter of our business. They were able to quickly identify what we need to prioritize, and what resources are required to execute which will allow us to accelerate our growth plans."

"Superb to work with, great practical advice from a team that has been there and done it and has the war wounds to prove it. Helped sharpen up our view and future strategy on Partnerships."