How Better Partnerships Can Unlock Smarter Growth
- Chelsey Reynolds
- Jul 12
- 3 min read
Featuring Kelly Gindlesperger, Strategic Partnerships Expert & Published Author
What do growing a business, building great friendships, and writing a children’s book have in common?
They’re all the result of Kelly Gindlesperger’s core belief that strong relationships and everyday kindness are the most important things in life.
As a strategic partnerships expert, Kelly has helped growing companies build smarter systems and stronger relationships without overcomplicating the process. Her approach blends clarity, trust, and a deep belief in long-term collaboration. And as you’ll hear in this episode, that mindset shows up everywhere, from the boardroom to bedtime stories.
The Growth Lever Most Founders Ignore
Kelly started her career in the nonprofit world and quickly realized her superpower was helping people align around systems and relationships that work. Over time, she took on leadership roles in ops and partnerships across multiple high-growth companies.
What she saw again and again: founders were focused on sales or product, but rarely partnerships.
That’s a missed opportunity.
Most founders think of partnerships as either:
A quick referral agreement, or
A one-off co-marketing campaign
But the companies that scale well treat partnerships as part of their growth infrastructure.
They don’t just “collab and hope”; they define success upfront, set clear roles, and build repeatable processes that keep the relationship strong long after the first deal closes.
Kelly’s not talking theory; she’s lived this. From onboarding partners to creating channel playbooks to aligning teams across orgs, she’s built systems that make partnership growth feel more like a flywheel and less like a guessing game.
Why Partnerships Deserve a Seat at the Growth Table
Not every company is ready to hire a full sales team or invest in massive ad spend. That’s where partnerships shine. Whether it’s a tech integration with a complementary platform, a co-marketing campaign with a like-minded brand, or a referral relationship with a trusted service provider, great partnerships can help you reach new audiences and close deals faster.
So why should companies pay more attention to partnerships?
Because they offer three huge benefits:
Faster market access. Partners already have trust with the audience you're trying to reach. You likely have similar target customers!
Lower cost of acquisition. A warm intro or shared campaign is far more efficient than cold outreach.
Shared credibility. Aligning with the right brand or expert can elevate your authority overnight.
Kelly’s seen firsthand how the right partnership (when properly scoped and maintained) can unlock growth without blowing up your headcount or budget. It’s not just about who you know; it’s how you build with them.
What Healthy Partnerships Actually Look Like
Strong partnerships don’t run on good vibes alone. They run on clarity and trust.
Before jumping into any partnership, Kelly recommends asking:
What does success look like for both parties?
Who owns what? And how will updates be shared?
Is there a clear journey for the customer so they don't get lost in the handoff?
Too often, these conversations happen after a partnership starts. That’s backwards. Laying this groundwork early prevents problems and builds the kind of trust that leads to bigger, better deals down the line.
Partnerships are long games. And the best ones grow over time because they’re built on shared values and thoughtful planning.
Business, Parenting, and Leading with Kindness
Kelly’s not just building strong relationships at work. She’s modeling them at home, too. She co-authored a children’s book with her daughter to help teach what empathy, kindness, and intentional relationships look like in everyday life.
In many ways, that book is a reflection of how she operates in business:
Lead with empathy. Understand what your partner actually needs.
Be clear. Say what you mean, and make it easy to say yes.
Show up consistently. Trust isn’t built in one conversation—it’s built over time.
Whether she’s launching a go-to-market motion or helping a friend through a rough patch, Kelly applies the same foundational approach: be kind, be clear, and follow through.
It’s a perspective that’s deeply human and wildly effective.
Kindness, Always: Great Partnerships Aren’t Accidental
Partnerships don’t scale because of luck. They scale because someone like Kelly puts the right pieces in place: aligned goals, strong systems, clear communication, and shared accountability.
If you're building a business and ready to grow smarter, start looking at your partnerships as a core part of your growth engine.
Because when you get the relationship right, everything else gets easier (and more fun).
Connect with Kelly Gindlesperger on LinkedIn
Read the book she wrote with her daughter: "Meet me In My Dreams" on amazon
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