Partner With Us
Reach Small Business Owners Who Are Actively Looking for Help
Our members are solo founders and early-stage owners making real decisions right now — about their books, their marketing, their contracts, their hiring. Two ways to get in front of them.
Become an Instructor
Co-lead a Community Topic in your field. Answer real questions from real owners, build your reputation in your industry, promote your practice to an engaged audience — and earn affiliate commission on every subscriber you bring in.
- Earn 10% affiliate commission on every subscriber you refer, for up to 6 months
- Co-lead your topic — no more than two Instructors per subject
- Your name and firm on the topic you lead
- Expert profile with bio, credentials, and a link to your site
- Complimentary basic Directory listing — earn Featured placement ($97/mo value) monthly
Become a Sponsor
The Directory opens when we reach 500 active subscribers — not before. Until then, join as a Founding Sponsor: no cost, earn 10% affiliate commission from day one, and hold a reserved slot at a locked rate when it opens.
- $0 until we hit 500 subscribers — you don’t pay for an audience that isn’t there yet
- Earn 10% affiliate commission from day one, on every subscriber you refer
- Reserved slot in your category, at a locked $97/mo rate when we launch
- Featured placement — only 5 paid slots per category, ever
- Seen by subscribers actively searching for providers
Who You’ll Be Reaching
Solo entrepreneurs and side-hustle owners in the earliest, most decision-heavy stage of building a business — when they’re choosing an accountant, picking a payroll system, or figuring out whether they need an LLC.
What We Ask of Instructors
The arrangement only works if members get real value. These are the standards every Instructor agrees to — and yes, we enforce them.
Show up consistently
Respond to member questions in your topic within 2 business days, post at least once every two weeks, and join one live Q&A per month. Performance is reviewed monthly.
Teach, don’t pitch
Answers must be substantive and actionable. “It depends — book a call with me” isn’t an answer.
Stay in your lane
Content is general and educational. No individualized legal, tax, or financial advice that requires licensure.
Promote within limits
Your profile, signature, and attribution are yours. Hard-selling members in the forum is not.
What We Ask of Sponsors
The Directory is only worth paying for if members trust it. That means we vet who gets in — and we remove listings that don’t hold up.
Be a real, working business
Active operations, valid licensing where your field requires it, and the ability to actually take on the work you’re listed for.
List honestly
Your services, pricing basis, and service area must be accurate. No bait-and-switch, no listing services you don’t provide.
Answer members who reach out
Respond to member inquiries within 2 business days. A listing that goes unanswered is worse than no listing at all.
Treat members well
Members can report a bad experience. Repeated complaints are grounds for removal — with no refund of the remaining term.
Common Questions
When does the Directory actually open?
At 500 active subscribers. We publish that number rather than saying “when we’re ready,” because a threshold you can hold us to is worth more than a promise you can’t. Two things follow: if we never reach 500, the Directory never opens and you never pay us anything — you keep every dollar of affiliate commission you earned. And every subscriber you refer moves us closer to opening the Directory you’re reserved in.
How does the affiliate program work?
Both Instructors and Sponsors get a unique referral link. Refer someone who subscribes, and you earn 10% of their subscription payment for up to 6 months. Commission is paid while their subscription stays active — if they cancel, commission stops. This is the one place Partners are actively encouraged to promote MySMBU.
Is there really no fee for Instructors?
Correct — no money changes hands in either direction. You contribute expertise; we give you an audience and the right to promote your practice within the limits above. It’s a barter, and we’re upfront that it only makes sense for you if the exposure is worth your time.
How do I earn Featured placement in the Directory?
Every Instructor gets a complimentary basic listing. Featured placement — the same premium spot Sponsors pay $97/month for — is earned. Each month, the Instructor in each topic with the most member-marked helpful answers earns Featured status for the following month. It’s measured on helpfulness, not post count, and it resets monthly, so a slow month costs you nothing but next month’s placement.
What happens to my content if I stop being an Instructor?
Your substantive educational posts stay published — members rely on them, and that’s part of the agreement. Your promotional material (bio, links, signature block, Directory listing) is removed and the topic is reassigned. You keep ownership of what you wrote, and your name stays on it. We don’t strip your credit; we only remove the promotion.
How many Instructors lead each topic?
Up to two Instructors per topic. You’d co-lead with one other expert in your field, which keeps the topic active even when one of you is busy. Topics: Finance & Cash Flow, Marketing & Sales, Legal & Compliance, Operations & Hiring, and Business Technology. New topics open as the community grows.
Who sees the Services Directory?
Paying subscribers only. It’s not indexed publicly and it’s not open to the web — which is the point. Members treat it as a vetted shortlist, not a search results page.