Marsupial Method
Partner with a larger non-competitor that already serves your ideal clients
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
The Marsupial Method is a partnership-led client acquisition model. A small provider identifies a larger, non-competing business that already serves the same ideal customer but does not offer the smaller provider's service. The smaller provider proposes filling that gap inside or alongside the larger company's offer, with an agreed commercial exchange such as a revenue split. The marsupial metaphor describes the established business carrying and feeding the newer provider while it grows. In return, the partner expands what it can offer clients without developing the capability internally. The mechanism depends on complementarity: both parties should serve the same audience while solving different problems. It also requires a clear arrangement covering delivery, customer access, and revenue so the partnership benefits the established provider, the smaller specialist, and the client.
Origin
Extracted from The Foundr Podcast
Core principles
- 01Borrow trusted distribution instead of building every relationship alone
- 02Partner with complementary providers rather than direct competitors
- 03Create value for the partner and its clients
- 04Make the commercial exchange explicit
How to run it
- 1
Define the shared client
Describe the customer you want to serve and the problem your service solves for them. Use that profile to find businesses with an existing relationship to the same audience.
Watch out A large audience is irrelevant if it does not contain your ideal clients.
- 2
Find complementary hosts
Identify larger providers that serve the customer but do not compete with your service. Look for an obvious gap in their current offer.
Pro tip Start with adjacent advisers or service firms whose clients naturally need your work next.
Watch out Do not pitch a partner whose core offer you would displace.
- 3
Design mutual value
Explain how adding your service helps the partner's customers and creates value for the partner. Choose a practical delivery model and commercial structure.
Watch out Client access alone is not a compelling offer to the larger business.
- 4
Propose the partnership
Present the service gap, your delivery commitment, and the proposed revenue split or other exchange. Keep responsibilities explicit.
Pro tip Make it easy for the partner to understand what changes for its team and customers.
- 5
Deliver through the relationship
Serve the partner's clients reliably and maintain the arrangement as results accumulate. Review whether the economics and client experience remain sound for both sides.
Watch out Dependence on one partner creates concentration risk, so monitor the relationship rather than assuming access is permanent.
In the wild
DiPiazza found private admissions counsellors who helped students enter their preferred colleges but did not teach test preparation. He offered to deliver test prep through their companies, gain access to their clients, and split the resulting revenue.
→ The counsellors added a complementary service while DiPiazza gained distribution and grew his test-prep business.
Common mistakes
Partnering with a direct competitor
The method relies on complementary offers. A direct competitor has little reason to expose its client base to you.
Pitching access without partner value
Show how your service improves the partner's offer or revenue. A request to borrow its audience is not a partnership.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for complementary services that can add revenue or value to an established provider's offer.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when the prospective partner competes directly, controls the client relationship unfairly, or has no meaningful service gap.
From the transcript
“another one is called the marsupial method”
“there are other businesses which are larger than you especially if you're new and they have your ideal client”
From the episode
317: Rich20Something’s Daniel DiPiazza On Why You Need To Start A Side Hustle