UK Partner Launch Sprint · For US and European technology companies
From "we want UK partners" to your first partner conversations.
A fixed 4 to 6 week project. You finish with a ranked UK partner shortlist, a partner offer UK partners will say yes to, and the first partner conversations under way.
Who it is for
Built for companies arriving in the UK.
Entering the UK
US and European B2B software and technology companies opening the UK, or restarting a UK channel that has stalled.
Selling through partners
Resellers, MSPs, distributors, systems integrators, consultancies or cloud marketplaces.
50 to 2,000 staff
A UK revenue target, and a team that wants partners to carry part of it.
No UK channel builder yet
Nobody in the UK who has built a partner channel before.
Typical moments: a new UK or EMEA leader, a London office, funding for international expansion, a new partner programme or a new marketplace listing.
The problem
An office and a partner page do not make a channel.
Most companies arrive in the UK with a London office, a sales hire and a partner page, then wait for partners to appear. UK partners already carry dozens of vendors. They take on a new one when four things are in place. The Sprint builds those four things in weeks, not quarters.
A clear offer
Partners understand in one read what they sell, to whom, and why now.
Economics that work
A clear way for the partner to make money from you.
Easy to sell with
Deal registration, enablement and co-selling that do not slow them down.
A trusted introduction
Someone they trust opens the conversation.
How it runs
Five steps, four to six weeks.
Diagnose
Map
Design
Introduce
Land (optional)
What you get
Five things you keep.
| Stage | Deliverable | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnose | One-page read-out | Agreeing the three things that matter most for the UK |
| Map | Ranked shortlist of 15 to 25 UK partners | Knowing who to approach first, and how |
| Design | Two-page UK partner offer and 90-day plan | Giving partners a reason to say yes |
| Introduce | First partner conversations, with notes | Turning the plan into real meetings |
| Land | Partner pipeline and hand-over pack | Letting your UK lead carry it on |
After the Sprint you can stop, or keep the founder on as your fractional UK partner lead. See interim and fractional.
What it is not
Plain about the limits.
A contact list
This is not lead generation or a database of names.
A promise of signed partners
No guarantee of signed partners or revenue by a date. The Sprint builds the conditions and starts the conversations.
A strategy that sits in a drawer
The last weeks are spent in real partner conversations, not on slides.
Who runs it
An operator who has sat on the partner side.
The Sprint is run by John Bates, founder of AXQ. Five years at TD SYNNEX (via IQBlade, acquired), leading partner go-to-market programmes for AWS, Cisco, Google, Microsoft and Nvidia across EMEA. He has sat on the distributor side, where vendors arrive asking for partners, and knows what makes a UK partner say yes. Before that he built and ran events and media businesses. More on About and Experience. AXQ's research and admin are done by AI agents, shown as agents on the Team page; the partner conversations are the founder's.
Read next: How to build a channel partner program · How to recruit your first channel partners in the UK · UK market entry strategy for US software companies · Who should your first UK hire be?
Start with a 20-minute call.
Tell us what you sell and where you are with the UK. If the Sprint fits, we will say so; if it does not, we will say that too. Not ready to talk yet? Take the free diagnostic or read the UK First guide.