Partner programs were a vital part of the development of Clear Business Dynamics and Accodex. My consulting practice centred on providing high quality implementation services for a range of cloud software. Over the past 6 years I have partnered with over 40 different software companies and have experienced the good and bad aspects of all of them. 

Building a successful partner program is crucial in todays fast paced and ultra competitive SaaS market. As the rate of product development increases SaaS vendors need to focus their limited resources on creating a market leading product, leaving the tedious implementation process to Partners on the ground that can ensure your product is properly adopted by customers. 

From my experience I have put together a list of must haves for any successful partner program. 

Watching the excitement building for the start of the 2016 Formula One season got me thinking and making comparisons between Formula One and my other passion, Startups.

Watching the way teams go about a race weekend has many similarities to the daily challenges of running a startup. You also see the impact of varying levels of funding and technical ability, together with constant need to manage PR and the expectations of fans.

Here are some F1 insights that you can apply to your startup.