How Strategic Partnerships Strengthen Inventory, Operations, and Retail Growth
How Strategic Partnerships Strengthen Inventory, Operations, and Retail Growth
If you’re familiar with Boon, you already know what we do and who we serve. But today, we’re sharing a lesser-known part of our start-up story—a force that has shaped our growth more than any spreadsheet, tool, or demand plan ever could: the power of strategic partnerships.
Demand planning and inventory management are our expertise. Supporting women entrepreneurs is our purpose. And partnerships are one of the key reasons Boon has grown from a solopreneurship to a 17-person team with year-over-year revenue growth.
Here’s what we’ve learned along the way—and how strengthening your partnerships can strengthen your entire business.
Lesson #1: Rely on Your Network
Boon began the way many service businesses do—with one founder wearing all the hats. When Mary launched the consultancy to create better work/life coexistence for her family, her first clients came through old retail connections and former colleagues. Putting herself out there felt vulnerable—but it changed everything.
Demand quickly exceeded the capacity of one person. Instead of stretching herself too thin, Mary reached out to two trusted former colleagues who brought both expertise and shared values. That moment marked Boon’s shift from a solo practice into a real start-up.
Seven years later, those early partners—Allie Dahlseng and Michelle Stich—are now Boon’s VP of Client Solutions and Senior Consulting Director. And the team? It has grown exclusively through referrals and long-standing professional relationships.
Because great partnerships don’t just support your work—they accelerate it.
Lesson #2: Accept That You’re Not an Expert in Everything
As a fast-growing start-up, we’re exceptional at demand planning and inventory strategy. But branding? Website development? Video? Content strategy? Those are not (and shouldn’t be!) our core strengths.
Instead of forcing it, we’ve embraced the power of partnering with experts:
Electric Collab — Our Branding Partner
When we needed a full rebrand, Mary connected with Emily, a branding strategist she met through the Entreprenista network. Their shared values and passion for supporting women founders made the partnership a natural fit. Emily crafted Boon’s new visual identity, clarified our brand voice, refreshed our website, and elevated our digital presence far beyond what DIY templates could offer.
Wrinkle’s Content Studio — Our Creative Strategy Partner
Maggie and her team helped us level up our content across platforms—email, social, web, and thought leadership. Their expertise unlocked the kind of marketing foundation we knew we needed but didn’t have the bandwidth to build in-house.
The biggest lesson?
Partnerships don’t replace your strengths—they amplify them. And in the process, they expand your team’s skills, confidence, and capacity.
Lesson #3: Ask for (And Offer!) Referrals
Partnership marketing has played a huge role in Boon’s growth. When you’re choosing a business partner, nothing beats hearing directly from someone who has worked with them.
Referrals help you understand:
What the experience of working with a partner actually feels like
Whether communication styles align
If expectations are clear and realistic
Whether the partner delivers on their promises
We always say:
A referral is worth 100 Google searches.
And we don't just receive referrals—we give them. Supporting women-owned businesses is part of our DNA, and we proudly send clients to partners whose values and work ethic mirror our own.
Lesson #4: Partnerships Can Create Opportunities You Never Expected
Some partnerships evolve beyond collaboration—they become catalysts for innovation.
Boon has been working closely with the software development company Makeke to create a next-level inventory management and demand planning platform. One of our swimwear clients will be an inaugural beta user, gaining item-level and weekly sales visibility unlike anything they’ve had before.
This partnership is giving our clients access to cutting-edge tools and shaping the future of inventory planning technology.
It’s a reminder that the right partnerships don’t just support your business—they transform it.
As a human-centered brand, collaboration and connection are at the heart of all we do. While we bring expertise in merchandise planning and inventory management, we’re proud to recommend trusted partners who bring expertise in other critical areas for any retail business to thrive.
Lesson #5: Don’t Settle for Standard Packages
As a service provider ourselves, we know that “one-size-fits-all” rarely fits well in reality. The best partners are collaborative—willing to customize and tailor their solutions to your specific needs.
We’ve learned to ask for:
Custom deliverables
Flexible service models
Packages adapted to our growth
Strategy-first support instead of cookie-cutter outputs
If a vendor can’t flex at all, it’s often a sign the partnership will require you to do the heavy lifting later.
Lesson #6: Take Pride in Your Partnerships
Partnerships you nurture are a way to “Be the solution you want to see.” Or better said, they let you walk your talk.
The partnerships you cultivate are a reflection of your values.
For us, partnering with women-owned businesses isn’t just a preference—it’s part of our purpose. We believe in “being the solution you want to see,” which includes:
Supporting women entrepreneurs
Prioritizing human-led work
Building a community of like-minded experts
Creating opportunities that uplift underrepresented founders
When we choose a partner, we choose someone who reflects the kind of business we want to be.
Partnerships Strengthen Your Business. They Strengthen You.
We hope this behind-the-scenes look inspires you to embrace partnerships as a growth strategy—not a backup plan.
If you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur navigating retail, inventory, or operations:
We’d love to connect.
Join us on Instagram or LinkedIn to stay in the conversation, build community, and explore new ways to collaborate. Partnerships built Boon—and they might just be the advantage your business needs next.
