(Translated and shared from a LinkedIn post by Adam Jastrowicz)
Sometimes, the best initiatives don’t start with big budgets, hundreds of slides, or months of planning.
Adam Jastrowicz shared on LinkedIn that his team launched a mini affiliate program that started as… an experiment.
The approach? Minimum resources, a quick MVP, and a single, focused goal: to verify whether partners outside of classic performance channels could realistically drive e-commerce sales.
What did they do?
👉 Identified a few partners with strong reach to the target audience
👉 Provided them with simple, measurable tools
👉 Used a pure performance-based model (CPA only)
👉 Kept formalities to a minimum and focused on maximum agility
The results?
✅ In the first 8 weeks, partners generated over 7% additional GMV in a product category that previously had no affiliate activity
✅ The average ROAS was better than many paid performance campaigns
✅ Most importantly: they unlocked a new sales channel that is now scalable
Key takeaways:
🔸 Sometimes it’s better to run a fast test and iterate instead of building a massive strategy from day one.
🔸 Partnerships aren’t just about big alliances with top brands. Smaller, agile collaborations can deliver immediate, measurable results.
🔸 The true value of a partner lies not in their size, but in their actual impact on the customer and conversion.
Why this matters for you:
This case is a great reminder for partnership managers and business developers that starting small, testing quickly, and focusing on partner impact over partner size can open new growth channels without huge investments upfront.
Also I love the idea of testing on a small sample of the partner population / one category. Start small, dream big:)