Frederic Jean-Bart's Linkedin Analytics

As a father of 2 & CEO of a 7-figure business, managing family and biz is the hardest thing for me. Here’s how I (barely) make it work: Because: Every day feels like running a marathon.    - Back-to-back meetings. - Clients, team, endless decisions. - Outdoor time with my kids. - And if I’m lucky, some ‘me’ time. The only way I can fit it all in: Waking up early. At 4:30 AM. 5 AM: Gym. Non-negotiable. 7:30 AM: Breakfast with family. Helping with school prep. That’s when work begins. 12 hours of work. 4-6 meetings every day. Slack, Gmail, calls. Non-stop. Evenings? For family only. - Taking the kids to the park. - Playing with them. - And spending time with my wife. That’s how a usual day in my life looks like. Because here’s what I’ve realized: That next client call can wait. So can the team meeting. But time with your family? That clock doesn’t pause. Building a business is great. Scaling is exciting. But being Dad? That’s everything. I’m optimizing my life with one thing in mind: Family > Business. Always. So that's how I'm TRYING to balance running Performance Partners and being 100% present for my family. P.S. Fellow entrepreneurs, how do you manage everything? Would love to hear your tips.:)

A record no. of calls, firing a high-paying client & our YouTube blew up. March was wild for us at Performance Partners. Here’s what happened BTS: 1. Our major goal for 2025 was to focus on organic content marketing. YouTube, and LinkedIn. I started recording 8-10 videos every month. We have only 60 subs. But here’s what makes it so interesting: A. Clients are booking calls after watching them. B. New hires mentioned our content before applying. That means our content is reaching the RIGHT audience. Content builds trust before the first conversation. Seeing our marketing efforts translate into real results is huge. Marketing takes time.  And we are doubling down on omni-channel content marketing. 2. We fired a high-paying client. In hindsight, this client never fit our ICP. We went against our core principle of only working with brands that fit their ICP. The brand wasn’t ready for affiliate marketing, and normally, we would have said no. Still, I decided to move forward with the deal. Reason: I believed in the founder and the brand. And it backfired. BIG TIME. It reinforced our belief: ‘Stick to the ICP.’ Affiliate marketing is already a challenging channel, and working with the wrong brands makes it even harder. 3. We hit a record number of booked calls this month. Our new SDR is crushing it. The pipeline is stacking up. We’re on track to 3X revenue in 2025. Marketing, ICP, and sales… Get these right, and growth is inevitable. How has your last month been? Drop a comment.

I talk to 7–10 eCom founders every week. Most of them think affiliates will fix their business. I tell them the same thing every time: “Affiliates won’t fix a broken product or funnel. They’re fuel for a machine that’s already working.” We scaled one brand to 6 figures in affiliate revenue in just 6 months. Why? Because they had the right foundation. Product-market fit A high-converting funnel A structured affiliate strategy Paid ads. SEO. Email marketing. Everything. That’s the formula. Fix the foundation first. Then use affiliates to scale it. Affiliate marketing works the best when a brand also implements a great paid ad strategy.

Thinking about launching an affiliate program? Watch this first. Too many DTC brands jump into affiliate marketing before they're ready — and end up burning cash and relationships. In my latest video, I break down: - Why most programs fail before they start - What you really need before launching - How to build a bulletproof foundation that drives results This isn’t about recruiting more affiliates. It’s about setting your brand up for scale. Watch now → https://lnkd.in/dBRZkmEw Avoid the mistakes we see 100+ brands make every year. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced when trying to scale your affiliate program? Let’s share insights 👇

The future of affiliate marketing? Paid media buyers. In 2024, we helped an 8-figure eCom brand generate $24M in affiliate revenue. Know who drove that result? Not influencers. Not content publishers. It was affiliates running paid media at scale. Influencers and media sites can get you to 6 figures. But if you want 7 or 8? You need partners who know how to scale traffic with their own ad dollars. These are the whales. The heavy hitters. The real drivers of volume. Recruit them. Enable them. Scale with them.

The #1 mistake that's killing your affiliate program? Thinking of affiliates as followers instead of sales drivers. Your affiliates aren’t just link pushers. They’re a remote sales force that needs motivation, training, and tools to perform. Here’s how to fix it: ✅ Train them like SDRs—show them the best angles, funnels, and products. ✅ Equip them with creatives, sales playbooks, and targeting tips. ✅ Incentivize them with tiered commissions, bonuses, and contests. Want high-performing affiliates? Treat them like high-performing reps. 🎥 I break it all down in my latest YouTube video—check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gKhPnK27 If you're an ecom brand struggling to scale your affiliate channel, let's talk. #affiliatemarketing #ecommerce #growthmarketing #dtc

90% of affiliate programs fail to generate any significant revenue. Here's why. Most brands blame bad affiliates. But the real reasons go much deeper... Common reasons programs fail: - No product-market fit - Complicated signup process - Weak offers that don’t convert - Commission structures that don’t scale In this new video, I break down: - What successful programs do differently - How to make your offer affiliate-ready - 4 steps to make your program bulletproof If you’re running an affiliate program or thinking of starting one — watch this before you waste any more time or budget. 👇

I have read 100+ marketing books. Here are my 9 go-to books that I re-visit every year: 1. Cashvertsing by Whitman ↳ Breaks down 100+ psychological triggers that make people buy. 2. Ogilvy on Advertising  ↳ Timeless principles on crafting ads that sell. 3. Alchemy by Rory Sutherland ↳ Shows why logic often fails in marketing and how irrationality drives success. 4. Digital marketing for dummies by Deiss and Henneberry ↳ A step-by-step guide to modern online marketing. 5. Influence by Cialdini ↳ Explores the 6 persuasion principles that shape decisions. 6. Behind the Cloud by Benioff ↳ Reveals the marketing playbook that built Salesforce. 7. Contagious by Berger ↳ Explains why some ideas spread like wildfire while others don’t. 8. Dotcom Secrets by Russel Brunson ↳ A deep dive into sales funnels and online conversions. 9. $100M offers by Alex Hormozi ↳ How to craft an irresistible offer that people can’t ignore. That’s a big list, I know. But each of them deals with one/two core fields of marketing. So you can’t really miss one of these, can you? Scaling a DTC brand isn’t just about ads.  It’s about buyer psychology, funnels, offers…everything that drives revenue. Which one is your go-to book? Share it in the comments.

My #1 hack to recruit quality affiliates for your 8-figure DTC brand: ‘Create tiered commission structures.’ Affiliate marketing is too competitive. There are 1000s of brands with bigger programs. Why should they choose you? That’s why- Go beyond those industry norms like ‘Flat 10% commission’. Instead, introduce a tiered structure: - New affiliates: 10% commission - High performers ($10K+ revenue/ month): 15% - 20% - VIP affiliates ($50K+ revenue/ month): 20% - 30% Top affiliates drive serious revenue. Give them a reason to stay. Incentivize. Scale. Win.

The #1 mistake 99% of D2C brands make with affiliate marketing: They treat their affiliate program like a marketing channel. Because it’s not. It’s actually a sales channel. Unlike paid ads, affiliate marketing deals with people, not platforms. And that means: You need relationships to win. Here’s what most brands do: 1- They set up an affiliate program. 2- Then they sit back and wait. 3- And just HOPE. They rely on inbound applications from affiliates. They aren’t doing any consistent daily outreach. They aren’t tracking follow-ups. They’re not making actual deals with affiliates- just handing out links That will NEVER work. Here’s how we adopt a sales-driven approach to scale programs for our clients at Performance Partners: 1. Outbound outreach: Set weekly/monthly targets. Track it like a pipeline. 2. Follow-ups: One message is never enough. The money is always in the follow-up. Big affiliates are busy. 3. Discovery calls: Talk to affiliates. Learn what motivates them. Understand how they choose which programs to promote. 4. Negotiation: Use those insights to create custom offers that actually excite them to promote you. The brands that treat affiliates like sales reps scale the fastest. The more opportunities at the top → the better affiliates at the bottom. That’s how you build an affiliate engine that actually drives revenue. P.S. Are you looking for help in building your affiliate marketing strategies? Drop me a DM and let’s talk.

1 bad decision cost me $24,000+. And I learned a lesson the hard way. Back in 2023, I tried pivoting ‘Performance Partners’ into an affiliate network. - We already had affiliate connections. - We could bridge DTC brands and affiliates. - More scalability. More recurring revenue. It looked like the perfect move. So, I signed a year-long contract with an affiliate platform. = Costing 2K/ month. For the ENTIRE year. Then my mentors made me realize… - We had momentum. - We didn’t need to pivot.  - Our agency was growing fast. - I was just chasing the next shiny thing. In the 2nd year, my focus should have been on scaling my company, Not trying another biz model. But the contract was locked in. Four figures burned. Every month. For nothing. Every time I had to pay that invoice, it just ate away at me. That money could’ve fueled growth, hired talent, or built something real. That taught me a key lesson: As a founder, you need to find a ‘balance’. You don’t want to take too long to make decisions. But at the same time, you don’t want to make rash decisions without taking the time to review the pros and cons. - Talk to mentors. - Evaluate the pros and cons. - Speak to people with experience. In the last 24 months, I’ve said “No” to: - Short-term cash grabs. - Distracting side-projects. - Partnerships that didn’t align. All because of this simple lesson: Pause. Think.  Make better decisions. Looking back, that $24K mistake helped me generate millions for my clients. So, can I really complain?

Last week, I reconnected with my old friend Aaron Paul at PI Live in Miami. I have known Aaron for almost 6 years. We previously worked together at Carousel, an affiliate network that later became Square Dance. Then we both went our separate ways. But…in the same industry. Aaron built Paul Street with Patrick. I’m scaling Performance Partners. But we always stayed in touch. Our 90-minute long convo was all about: Our client projects and future, Growth challenges we are facing, and Industry trends and how they’ll shape our work (And obviously a lot of fun banter and inside jokes!) Every time we talk, I leave sharper. More focused. More energized. And this time, it was no different! The conversation was immensely valuable because it gave me a lot of clarity over how I want to take Performance Partners to the next level. As a founder, you need peers, Who challenge your thinking. Who’ve walked the same path. Who understand you. And Aaron has always been that guy.

We recently helped a premium bedding company make an additional $100K in 5 months. And we avoided 3 affiliate marketing mistakes that 99% of DTC brands make.   After 15+ years in affiliate marketing, I’ve seen what works (and what doesn’t) across hundreds of programs.   Here's a rundown of frequent pitfalls and how to sidestep them:    1. Quality over quantity. ALWAYS. It's a myth that success comes from a vast network of affiliates. In truth, the lion's share of revenue is often generated by a select few who bring immense value. Focus on cultivating relationships with these high-caliber partners.    2. “If you build it, they will come.” is a fantasy. Simply setting up your program won't magically draw in top-tier affiliates. Instead, you're more likely to attract those who won't contribute to your bottom line. Embrace a proactive outreach strategy to secure affiliates who align with your brand and can drive substantial growth.    3. Stand out with your offer: High commissions alone won't cut it anymore. To allure premier affiliates, you need to offer something uniquely compelling- be it an exclusive commission tier, special promo codes, or access to unique content. Make them feel valued and distinct from the rest. At Performance Partners, we adopt a unique combination of affiliates, offers, and a sales-driven approach. That’s how we scale affiliate revenue for 8 & 9-figure DTC brands.   Don’t let the affiliate channel be an overlooked and missed opportunity for your brand. If you liked the post, then follow Frederic Jean-Bart for more content on affiliate marketing and scaling a DTC brand.

My bold prediction: Affiliate marketing will replace paid media as the #1 growth channel for DTC brands in the next 5 years. Here’s why: 1. Paid ads are underperforming CRMs are up. ROAS is down. Meta and Google aren’t what they used to be. 2. Affiliate marketing builds trust People trust people, not ads. Creators, experts, and reviewers have more influence than banners. Affiliate marketing is relationship-driven, not algorithm-driven 3. Smart brands are shifting budgets. They’re shifting spend from media buying to affiliate deals They’re partnering with: Niche publishers Content creators Performance-driven media buyers 4. Tech platforms are enabling scale. Platforms like TikTok Shop are leading the way. They make it easy for brands to: Partner with creators, track performance, and scale successful campaigns. It is turning creators into high-performance affiliates This blurs the line between advertising and affiliate marketing. It’s a sign that traditional ad platforms are going creator-first. The future is performance-based and trust-led partnerships.

In 2007, I graduated from university. That same year the recession hit and there was a record level of economic uncertainty. Getting a job was almost IMPOSSIBLE. I applied for at least 60 jobs. Got 10+ rejections. The rest didn’t even respond. Except… ONE. I had no choice but to take a job in insurance. But in 2009, I made a move: I joined an affiliate network called 'Mundo Media' where I got hired as a junior affiliate manager. That’s where I : - Learned how to prospect and recruit affiliate media buyers. - Helped advertisers scale. - Analyzed publisher data. It was my first taste of affiliate marketing. Since then, I have: - Built and scaled an e-com company to 600+ customers. - Grown a multi-million-dollar performance marketing portfolio. - Worked in 14+ industries & have led a team of 30+ high-performers. Now, I run Performance Partners, an affiliate marketing agency for 8 & 9-figure DTC brands. It’s been a journey of 16+ years in affiliate marketing…and I feel like I’m just getting started. We are on our way to 3X our revenue in 2025.  If you’re an e-com founder looking to scale with affiliate marketing, DM me.

Growing up, I wanted only one thing…Make a boatload of money. That was the dream. But becoming a husband and father has shifted my priorities Now it’s all about: Traveling the world with my family. Having cool experiences with them. Exposing my kids to new countries and cultures. I remember our first vacation years ago... Beautiful Caribbean beach. But I was indoors, working non-stop. At that time, I used to look at my friends who had: Built businesses with real freedom. Taken 1–2 months off in summer. Created space to just LIVE. That’s when I realized… The real success is building a business that gives me freedom The freedom to spend quality time with people I love The freedom to be present for them Fast forward 2 years: We took a family trip to Mexico. I didn’t bring my laptop. I trusted my team. My team successfully handled all operations. And that felt like success. There’s still more I want to achieve. But this ‘Freedom’ is the goal I’m building everything around. P.S. What is the real success you are chasing? Money, time, or anything else?

2022: Officially started Performance Partners. 2023: Hired the first employee. 2024: Generated $24 million for clients. 2025: We are on track to 3x our revenue. If I had to start from scratch today… Here’s what I’d do differently (so you don’t make my mistakes). 1. Hire experienced people from day one. "Nothing beats good talent." Once, I hired based on potential, not experience. It cost me months of training, slow execution, and lost revenue. Now, I only hire people who can do the job from day one. 2. Document everything in SOPs. Ensure that all major operational tasks are recorded in both video and written SOPs. A. It helps with onboarding new employees without having to train them individually. B. Content from SOPs can also be repurposed for social media and attracting business. 3. Only work with ideal clients (ICP). I used to take on any client to grow. Thus, I ended up working with smaller clients. Saying “no” earlier would have saved me time & money. The key is to commit to ONLY working with the right clients. Learning to say no is crucial. Scaling is much more than JUST revenue. The right team matters. Efficiency matters. Alignment matters. Focus on these aspects, and you’ll save months of ‘guesswork’.

26 meetings in 3 days… Last week, I flew to Miami with Samantha Maraia for PI Live. Usually, after a decade-plus in this space, you start seeing the same faces. Same meetings. Same follow-ups. But not this time. This time I: Met people I’d followed on LinkedIn for 5–6 years. Had real conversations with them. Discovered ways we could partner up. That’s why I love these IRL events. Events where people don’t try to sell anything. No hard pitch. No business cards. Only real conversation & organic collaboration. Personally, this event was a big win for me. 1. I booked calls wth 2 potential clients. I didn’t need to pitch anyone. It all came from giving them solutions without any expectations and providing 100% value upfront. 2. I met so many industry leaders. My calendar is filled with coffee chats, follow-up calls, and strategy calls. Nothing beats the feeling of building a small community where founders support each other and grow together. 3. I got some great compliments for my YouTube and LinkedIn content.  People knew me before ever meeting me. They were familiar with my brand, my business, and even my clients, purely through content. Organic content works 100% in the long run.   Every founder needs a safe place with like-minded folks. And PI Live gave us that exact environment where, Ideas were exchanged, Collaboration felt effortless and There was a feeling of community. Shoutout to all the amazing folks that I met: Matthias Stadelmeyer, Paresh Vadavia, Matthew Wood, Lee-Ann Johnstone, Andrew Landis, James Ellis, Lucas Béland, Shaun Lee, Laurie Cutts, Pierce Borne, Tye DeGrange 📈, Michael Yack, Adam Glazer, Yao Li

2009: I started as a jr. affiliate manager. 2025: Scaling my affiliate marketing company to 7-figures. It's been a 16-year journey in affiliate marketing. Here are 9 rules for affiliate marketing that you must remember in 2025: 1. Affiliate marketing isn’t passive revenue. Brands that recruit, engage, and optimize will scale. 2. If you are not working with the ‘RIGHT’ affiliate, it doesn’t matter how good your strategies are.  Review sites, influencers, and media buyers that drive high-intent traffic will help you with volume and scale. 3. Ensure that the audiences of those affiliates align with your brand’s audience. A skincare brand likely won’t see results with an affiliate who mainly reviews tech gadgets. 4. A small handful of affiliates- often just 5 to 7- generate the vast majority of revenue. Use data to pinpoint your top 1% and invest in what’s working. 5. Affiliate marketing is highly competitive, with thousands of programs. So, having a good offer with a lucrative deal and structure will attract the best affiliates. 6. To attract and engage the top-performing affiliates, offer exclusive deals, bonuses, and performance-based incentives. 7. Affiliate marketing is not a ‘Set-it-and-forget-it’ model. You need to keep building and nurturing the relationships with the affiliates. Help them by sharing your top-performing ad creatives, content, and funnel to improve their conversions. 8. You can’t scale your program without data-driven adjustments. Keep tracking the performance and conversions of ads & landing pages, and refine your strategy accordingly. 9. Affiliate marketing is just like a sales process. You need to keep adding more affiliates to your sales funnel every week to scale your revenue. Implement an outbound affiliate recruitment strategy. Bonus: Affiliate programs aren't overnight success stories. They need time. For both affiliates and brands to win, it's a dance. A dance that can take 5-8 months to really get in sync. That’s it. I’m Fred, and I help scale 8/9-figure DTC brands through affiliate marketing. Connect and follow for more insights.

In 2022, I took the biggest bet of my life. At the most challenging time… I was consulting on the side. Picking up clients. Making more money than ever. In every job I had, I made the founders a lot of money.   That gave me the belief:  ‘If I could do it for them, I can do it for myself too.’ I had the mindset. I had the leadership skills. I had the network & connection. I had a proven track record of success in scaling affiliate channels. That’s when S Brian Smith 🪜 told me: “Fred, it’s time. Go full-time on this. Jump in.” But the timing couldn’t have been more chaotic: 1. We had just had our 2nd child (two kids under two). 2. We’d just bought a house and started major renovations. 3. One client was paying me my highest monthly rate ever. It wasn’t the ‘perfect’ time. But it was the ‘right’ time. ‘If I don’t do it now, I never will.’ So I let go of that client and the big paycheck and… launched Performance Partners. In just 3 months: I went from 1 to 5 clients. Closed my first-ever 6-fig. Deal. That’s when the decision started making sense. Business started growing. I hired my 1st employee. And 3 years later… we’re still growing. My advice to anyone  Don’t wait for the perfect time. There won’t be one. Take that shot.. There’s magic on the other side of fear. What’s the biggest leap you’ve taken in your career?