Loving All Things Partnerships Experience | I think therefore I often can’t sleep | Podcast: Behind the SaaS

Dragging Partnerships into the RevOps framework, one client at a time.

Aaron Howerton

I am a teacher. This isn’t a designation of title, but rather a statement of my very self. It’s my default. When I consider new information, I process it in a way that can be taught. For me, this is inserting information into a context of action and consequence.

When I was a high school history teacher, I wasn’t so much concerned with whether my students could identify all of the major players in the civil war, but whether they could identify a current societal situation and trace that back to the civil war itself. I wanted them to be able to understand that the decisions that they make have long lasting consequences and that we can see evidence of that all throughout our history.

When I moved into systems administration, I didn’t stop being a teacher. I didn’t stop inserting information into my action/consequence paradigm. But now, I was a teacher of teachers. When I became a Mac systems administrator, I had to teach them that if they were provided with the right tools, the right enablement, and the right motivation that they could unlock their creativity and innovation, and help their students to learn in new and powerful ways. 

Later, when I moved to work in the MDM space I became a teacher of systems administrators. I was given an opportunity to help them to understand that the actions that they take behind an MDM console empower and enable their users to do their life’s best work.

The next chapter of my career story involves being a teacher to customers and to partners at Apple. I spent 3 years teaching K12 Systems Administrators how Apple devices can unlock their teachers creativity and passion, and how to accomplish that with the Apple Ecosystem. I shifted into Strategic Partner Enablement, and there I found my passion, MY life’s best work. I learned how to find the right relationships within an organization, I learned how to ask the right questions, I learned how to establish a symbiotic relationship. I learned how to leverage internal resources in order to make good on that relationship. I learned how to listen, to strategize around my partner’s needs, and then to build a plan to execute on how best to enable our partners to go to market together. I became a teacher of partners. 

Next I’m looking to expand this passion. To build a team and a program and teach others how to execute on partner enablement strategy. I want to be a leader that builds diverse teams and empowers them to be the next generation of tech leaders.

Jessie Shipman

My founder journey has come to an end. 

Yesterday I shut the doors on my very first try at building something from nothing. 

Fluincy is over. 

The last three years have been a profound and heartening adventure. 

I can’t even begin to list the things that I learned. From the startup world, to understanding VC and funding, to product design and development, to marketing, founder led sales, and customer success. 

And oh what I learned about the beautiful world of B2B partnerships. 

I learned about grit in new and painful ways. 

I learned about the value of community. 

When I left Apple to start Fluincy I didn’t have a network. 

I was insulated and isolated by my deeply corporate position. 

Fluincy forced me to meet new people, find new connections, and derive meaning, and joy, and love from those that chose to surround and support me. I’ll tag a few of you here, I’m sorry if I missed you. 

I find myself at the end of this journey profoundly grateful for taking the leap. I’m a different person than I was before I started. 

And I wouldn’t change a thing. 

I got this bracelet from an Fempire Ecosystem dinner a couple
Of years back and I wore it everyday to remind myself that I was capable of succeeding. When it wore out, I kept it next to my bathroom mirror, believing, most days, that I was in my moment. 

And even though Fluincy did not succeed, I don’t feel like a failure. It isn’t about one moment. It’s about all of the moments woven together. 

This moment is over, but I am so STOKED about what the future holds. 

I can’t wait to share what is next for me. But I’ll save that for a different post.  

Thank you again to anyone who supported me, talked through a challenge, gave Fluincy a try, or just decided I was cool enough to be a friend. 

Fluincy founder, signing off 🫡

Partnerships Experience at Nebius | Pavilion Denver Chapter Head

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I have joined a 🚀 y’all!

I’m stoked to share that I’m starting a new position as Senior Manager of Partner Experience at Nebius!

A common question to me is “where do you see yourself in 5 years”. 

My answer is usually “I just wanna build cool things with awesome people”. 

This… this is that. 

I have never been more impressed with an organization that is building something in as high demand and that is the bedrock of future innovation across the tech sector. 

But I’m more impressed with the people who are building it. 

Egoless. Kind. Smart AF. Collaborative. And generous. 

I have the unique opportunity to define and build the partner experience in a hyperscaler ecosystem, from the ground up. 

And I couldn’t be more excited!

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The Battle

Aaron Howerton

Jessie Shipman

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taplio

The Battle

Aaron Howerton

Jessie Shipman

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jessie Shipman's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJessie Shipman's LinkedIn Performance