Values-aligned partner network · Working draft
Strategic Federation Collective (name TBD) — who's in it, and how we might structure it.
A group of independent, B Corp / values-aligned studios that want to co-bid, cross-refer, and share infrastructure — while each stays its own company, owning none of the others.
01 The network
Six independent companies, complementary strengths, no equity in each other.
Strategic Federation Collective (name TBD) — independent members
02 Who's in it
Little overlap — and several members are strong in sales, filling a common gap.
Consciously, B Corp
Rai-mon Nemar Barnes
Principal · New Jersey/NYC
- Strategy, values alignment, marketing
- Contextual comms & layered CRM (Clarify)
- Sales strength; long-time collective advocate
weareconsciously.comrai-mon@weareconsciously.com
Mangrove Web, B Corp
Maiya Holliday
Founder + CEO · Truckee, CA
- Websites, engineering + design delivery team
- Technical / CTO lead; open-source architecture
mangrove-web.commaiya@mangrove-web.com
Firefly Partners, B Corp
Jen Frazier
Founder + CEO · Boulder, CO
- Nonprofit CRM & data infrastructure
- HubSpot, Salesforce, Engaging Networks, donor DBs
- Strong nonprofit client base
fireflypartners.comjen@fireflypartners.com
DotFusion, B Corp
Chris Bryce
Principal · Toronto, Canada
- Large-scale complex tech builds
- Enterprise clients & sales; recent IFAW win
- Enterprise-scale referral source
dotfusion.comcbryce@dotfusion.com
Bond Studio, B Corp
Jarami Bond
Principal · Washington, DC
- Video & photography
- Fills the production gap across the network
bond-studio.comhello@bond-studio.com
Consciously / Alliance Graphics
Dean Bardouka
Principal · Oakland, CA
- Custom apparel and promotional products
03 Potential gaps — partners to source or invite
Capabilities the network doesn't cover yet, and people we'd consider inviting to fill them.
04 How we could structure it
Independent companies, no cross-equity, starting lean and formalizing as the network grows.
Independent network — start lean, grow into structure
Worldwide Partners / Gartner model
Start here
- Co-bid under a shared brand; cross-refer without competing
- Shared partner directory + capability maps
- Group vendor rates (ClickUp and similar)
- Referral norms, no fees, no legal entity
- Membership stays flexible — join or leave freely
Grow into
- Front-facing network website & shared brand
- Buy-in members / board; annual fee funds shared ops
- A paid admin for invoicing, paperwork, shared systems
- Events & workshops that teach the shared methodology
- Cross-org dashboard pulling each member's ClickUp via API
Source deck: strategic-federation-v3 (Rai-mon, Consciously).
Worldwide Partners Inc. — 80+ independent agencies in a single collaborative network. No cross-equity; members keep their own brands and clients. The network provides shared capabilities, co-pitching on larger accounts, group vendor rates, and a front-facing site that positions the collective. Closest analogue to what we're building.
DEPT® — global digital agency (~4,000 people) operating at the intersection of marketing and technology. Strong AI transformation practice, agentic engineering, and commerce. Example of a larger-scale unified brand built from acquired independents — shows where a formal network can go if it consolidates.
Nostos Network — positions itself as expertise to “solve any problem facing modern businesses.” Another independent-network model worth a look. (Site is a JS app with no public detail on structure or members — worth asking Rai-mon / whoever flagged it for specifics.)
Gartner — global research and advisory firm; the “Gartner model” referenced above. Example of a credentialed advisory brand whose value is the trusted analysis and vetting it puts in front of clients — relevant to how a collective could position shared expertise rather than just pooled delivery.
05 Shared infrastructure to build first
06 Collective leverage — group buying & shared overhead
Ways the group can lower everyone's costs by acting as a bloc — beyond co-pitching on work.
07 Open decisions
What to settle before presenting to the wider group.
- The name & brand. Finalize the name — and do we want a front-facing site?
- Pacing. How quickly do we move from lean start to formal structure?
- No cross-equity — confirm it holds. Members keep their own companies and their own side ventures.
- The shared admin role. When do we fund it, and how is the cost split?
- Membership rules. Criteria to join, and how partners exit cleanly.