Introduction
Chili Shelf is an Atlassian Marketplace Partner in the UK, focused on building tools that elevate users’ experience in their Jira and Jira Service Management metrics, giving them patterns, metrics, and hidden trends for better decision-making and project progress.
Chili’s team aims to simplify Jira and JSM for its users and make their day-to-day jobs smoother and more enjoyable. Or in their words - fun.
Fun Inc met Chili Shelf through personal connections and past conversations that stayed in the books in case of need. And as it turned out, just in time for Atlassian Team 25 Anaheim.
The Goal
Chili Shelf’s primary goal was to connect with influential solution partners in the Atlassian ecosystem. They recognized the importance of participating in major industry events, but lacked the resources to do so effectively. They needed a way to make key connections with more efficiency, bypassing the long and often fruitless process of cold outreach.
And Fun Inc came to be the right “test case” to validate whether a collaborative approach can resolve this challenge.
The Challenge
The biggest hurdle for Chili Shelf when it comes to eventing and partnership activities was its size and maturity level. Standard sponsorship packages for events of Atlassian’s size were too expensive and a step too far for them. They needed a solid foundation to build upon, but even if they could afford a sponsorship, they recognized they lacked the necessary network to connect with the right people at the right time.
Implementation - How Fun Inc Made it Happen
Fun Inc devised a tailored solution for Chili’s case. Instead of a full-scale sponsorship, they offered a heavily discounted and dramatically reduced-scope package so Chili Shelf can test the scenario without spending a wild amount.
As part of this arrangement, Fun Inc leveraged its existing presence and network at the TARP25 event to introduce Chili Shelf to five key partners. The process involved booking meetings and then handing over the reins to the Chili Shelf team. Fun Inc’s key contribution was knowing exactly “who to talk to,” a critical piece of information that Chili Shelf did not have.
The Outcome
For a minimal investment, Chili Shelf successfully met with five influential partners, an outcome that would have been incredibly difficult to achieve on their own in such a short time frame.
Despite some delays in scheduling meetings, a recognized and accepted challenge in the busy ecosystem, the introductions were made. The outcome was a successful platform for Chili Shelf to build from, proving that strategic, targeted networking is more effective than broad, expensive sponsorships.
The Impact
This partnership provided Chili Shelf with validation of a potential partnership approach, setting them on a path toward future growth. It also demonstrated the value of Fun Inc’s network and their strategic approach to helping smaller companies.
It’s a long road to establishing a strong connection with the right Atlassian Solution Partners, but even longer when there are no right contacts in sight.
Lessons Learned
Financial constraints don’t mean exclusion: A company’s inability to afford a full sponsorship doesn’t mean they can’t be a valuable part of the ecosystem. Creative, scaled-down solutions can still deliver significant value.
The importance of a strong network: Knowing the right people is often more valuable than a large budget. A well-placed introduction can save months of wasted effort.
Communication and visibility matter at any scale: Companies must utilize the right communication tools, such as Slack, to foster better partner collaboration. Social media visibility is also an important component of event involvement that shouldn’t be overlooked. Fun Inc missed a valuable social media outreach for Chili Shelf that had been noted and discussed during the retrospective interview after the end of the project.
Lessons Validated
The Ecosystem is busy: Delays in scheduling meetings with solution partners are a normal part of the process, and this reality was validated by Chili Shelf’s own team.
Not all events are equal: The value of an event isn’t determined solely by its size or cost. A smaller, targeted, and well-curated experience can provide a higher ROI than a large, expensive one.
Cloud adoption hesitancy: Despite the industry’s push towards cloud adoption, enterprise and government clients show hesitancy towards it.
What We Achieved Together
Together, Fun Inc and Chili Shelf transformed a significant challenge into a success story. They proved that with the right strategy and connections, a small company can gain a foothold in a competitive market without a massive budget.
“The project Fun Inc proposed was intended as a ‘taster’ to see what was possible and prove a concept for future larger-scale efforts, introducing Chili Shelf to potential partners which was successful largely thanks to Andy’s funtastic personality and knowledge.”
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