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The Partnership Economy
by David Yovanno
Published: 2022
Recommended by Books of the Channel
Categories: go to market, partnerships
Why should you read it?
Because it gives you language and data to back up what many of us already know instinctively: that partnerships can and should be a serious revenue engine. Yovanno speaks our language. He lays out a case for partnerships that's impossible to ignore, especially in organizations where we're still having to prove our impact or ask for a seat at the table.
There's a stat early in the book that stuck with me: "Partnerships can deliver more than 30% of enterprise revenue and 50%+ year-over-year growth when given the same investment, infrastructure, and measurement as paid media."
That alone is worth bookmarking. But more than numbers, the book helps validate what so many of us are building—ecosystems that are complex, dynamic, and deeply human.
What is the book about?
This book is about putting partnerships where they truly belong: at the heart of business growth strategy. David Yovanno, CEO of impact.com, walks us through how partnerships—whether with affiliates, influencers, B2B collaborators, or content publishers—are quickly becoming the third major growth channel, right alongside sales and marketing.
The book mixes frameworks with real stories from brands like Target, Fabletics, Walmart, and Ticketmaster. Yovanno keeps it grounded in practice—how to structure a partner program, how to track results, and how to scale in a way that actually works.
Best takeaway
There's a line in Chapter 5 that really hit home: "You can't scale partnerships on spreadsheets and goodwill. It takes automation, attribution, and executive alignment to unlock the full potential of the channel." If you've been in this field for a while, you've probably lived that sentence. Too many partner programs try to grow without real infrastructure—no partner ops, no dedicated tools, no leadership buy-in. This book reminds us that trust and relationships matter, but so do systems.
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