Context
A channel strategy should do more than add partners to a roster. It should create a disciplined route to market, define where direct and indirect motions win, align incentives with business goals, and make it easier for customers to buy. Whether that's enterprise VARs, GSIs, hyperscaler co-sell, two-tier distribution through SMB resellers, or AI-native ISVs building on your platform, the underlying discipline is the same. Too often, companies inherit fragmented programs, inconsistent partner rules, or legacy coverage models that no longer match the product, market, or growth stage.
The result is predictable. Channel conflict, stalled recruitment, weak partner activation, and revenue that never scales the way leadership expected.
Brushton helps leadership teams redesign the full partner operating model. We work across channel architecture, program design, partner segmentation, organizational structure, and governance to build ecosystems that are practical, partner-friendly, and commercially disciplined.
What we help clients solve
- Clarify when and where partners should lead, assist, or follow direct sales.
- Reduce channel conflict and ambiguity around account ownership and deal protection.
- Modernize inherited programs and coverage models that no longer fit current growth plans.
- Decide which partner types (VARs, GSIs, MSPs, ISVs, distributors, hyperscalers, two-tier SMB resellers) belong in the ecosystem and how they work together.
- Align partner strategy with product complexity, customer profile, and price point.
- Translate board-level channel ambitions into clear, field-usable operating rules.
Core capabilities
See how this worked at ASG Technologies, where a partner ecosystem turnaround delivered 83% revenue growth and 116% quota attainment in seven months.
How we work
We usually begin with a diagnostic of the current commercial model. Partner types, revenue mix, direct-sales overlap, geographic coverage, recruitment funnel, activation rates, and the policies that shape partner behavior. From there, we map the target channel design to the company's product complexity, customer profile, deal cycle, and expansion goals.
We then translate strategy into operating reality. Segmentation, roles, compensation touchpoints, engagement rules, program structure, and internal decision rights. The goal is a system usable by sales leaders, partner managers, finance, and executive stakeholders, not one that only looks elegant on a slide.
When incentives and pricing also need work, the channel design decisions flow into Incentive Design & Revenue Architecture and Commercial Strategy & Enterprise GTM.
Why Brushton
Brendan O'Connor has led partner ecosystems, licensing and commercial structures, incentive systems, and global partner initiatives at Microsoft, Cisco, and Sage. That work spans the full buyer range. Enterprise Agreement architecture for the Fortune 500, Microsoft's Cloud Solution Provider program for SMB, two-tier distribution through Tech Data and Ingram Micro, mid-market cloud growth at Sage, ISV partnerships for vertical expansion, and most recently commercial strategy for an AI-native platform preparing for Series A. That background brings a rare combination of channel design, commercial negotiation, revenue architecture, and executive operating judgment across segments most consultants only touch at one altitude.
You get advice shaped by what's actually worked at scale, inside real organizations. That means a channel model built to grow. Clearer coverage, stronger partner accountability, cleaner direct-indirect alignment, and a partner ecosystem that helps the company scale without creating internal drag.
Ready to redesign your partner ecosystem?
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