Hamster Garage

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Partnerships Manager of Xero

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Xero is a global small business platform that helps customers supercharge their business by bringing together the most important small business tools, including accounting, payroll and payments — on one platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Hamster Garage to accomplish?

• Grow our affiliate program

SOLUTION

How did you find Hamster Garage?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Hamster Garage over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Hamster Garage were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Hamster Garage provide end-to-end management of Xero’s affiliate program, including recruiting, vetting and onboarding new affiliates across priority markets. They set up and optimise campaigns placements, and ensure all partner activity is compliant with Xero’s brand, legal and regulatory guidelines. 
They also oversee tracking, QA and payouts via our affiliate platform, handle day-to-day affiliate communications, and deliver regular performance reporting and optimisation recommendations to drive incremental, high-quality sign-ups.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Since engaging Hamster Garage we’ve seen a clear uplift in the performance of our affiliate program, including higher volumes of quality referrals and trial sign-ups attributed to affiliate partners. Campaign performance is now tracked through a consistent reporting framework, giving us clear visibility of conversion rates, revenue contribution and ROI by partner and region. 
We’ve also reduced compliance issues through proactive fraud enforcement, and now have a healthy, growing pipeline of new affiliates being onboarded each month.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Hamster Garage ran our program in a structured, organised way, with clear timelines, regular check-ins and transparent reporting. They consistently delivered agreed tasks and campaigns on time, and were proactive in flagging risks or dependencies early and produced a weekly priorties sheet so we clear what working on! 
The team was highly responsive to our requests, adapting quickly to changing priorities and incorporating feedback into campaign optimisations without needing heavy oversight from us!!

What was your primary form of communication with Hamster Garage?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They are super nimble and proactive. I loved how quickly they developed a deep understanding of our Xero's business model and partner ecosystem, and then translated that into practical campaign ideas that drove results!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Hamster Garage could have done differently?

Overall we have been very happy with HG and although it's hard - sometimes the forecasts we had on certain placements could have been better (ie predicting what activity would drive results) but overall great and highly reccomend. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Sr. Director, Marketing of an ecommerce company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

An online learning platform that delivers industry-relevant programs in technology and business to help individuals and organizations build in-demand skills.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Hamster Garage to accomplish?

• Manage and operate our affiliate program end-to-end, including partnerships, relationships, and logistics
• Optimize and scale the affiliate channel to drive incremental growth
• Explore diversification of affiliate partnerships to support more top-of-funnel, brand awareness objectives

SOLUTION

How did you find Hamster Garage?

Conference

Why did you select Hamster Garage over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Strategic Alignment

How many teammates from Hamster Garage were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

They are responsible for end-to-end management and strategic development of our affiliate program. This included crafting and presenting quarterly strategic plans focused on optimization and growth, as well as providing weekly performance reporting against goals, including pacing toward budget and overall channel health.

They managed day-to-day operations of the program, handling the majority of communication and relationship management with both new and existing publishers, as well as overseeing the execution and logistics of affiliate partnerships.

In addition, they proactively identified and recommended new partner opportunities, advised on ways to improve program performance, and continuously worked to refine our affiliate strategy to drive both efficiency and growth.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Since onboarding Hamster Garage, we’ve seen mostly consistent month-over-month and quarter-over-quarter growth in affiliate channel revenue, which is our primary success metric.

We’ve also successfully expanded the program by onboarding a number of new, active partners who are contributing to performance.

In addition, we’ve executed several new and more experimental partnership initiatives to diversify the channel. While these efforts don't have direct revenue attribution yet, launching multiple new partnership types was itself a key strategic objective and marks meaningful progress.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Hamster Garage demonstrates strong project management, consistently delivering work on time and maintaining clear, proactive communication. Their team structure provides access to the right expertise when needed, whether for day-to-day logistics or higher-level strategic support.

They manage communications professionally across all stakeholders, including external partners and vendors, which helps streamline operations on our end. They are also highly responsive to feedback and have shown a willingness to adapt, making meaningful efforts to align with our specific needs and expectations—even when those extend beyond traditional affiliate program scope.

What was your primary form of communication with Hamster Garage?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What stands out most is their willingness to think beyond the traditional affiliate playbook. Compared to other agencies we’ve worked with, Hamster Garage brings a much stronger appetite for testing non-traditional partnerships and exploring creative ways to leverage the channel.

They also demonstrate a clear understanding that our brand doesn’t neatly fit the typical affiliate model. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, they try to tailor their strategy and recommendations to what will actually work for our business, bringing ideas that align with our unique positioning and goals.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Hamster Garage could have done differently?

An area for improvement has been around forecasting and quantifying the expected impact of new partnership opportunities. Given the wide range of potential affiliate and partnership tactics available, it’s important for us to clearly understand the trade-offs and prioritize effectively.

Over the course of our engagement, Hamster Garage has made meaningful progress in providing more structured, data-informed estimates to help guide decision-making. They’ve improved their ability to articulate the potential upside of different opportunities and support more informed prioritization.

At the same time, they’ve been appropriately transparent in cases where outcomes are difficult to predict, helping us distinguish between initiatives that can be more rigorously forecasted and those that require a more experimental, test-and-learn approach.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a director at Storable, a storage unit marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Hamster Garage?

We needed help launching, scaling, and optimizing our affiliate marketing program via Impact.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Hamster Garage manages our entire affiliate marketing program, including outreach, platform setup, onboarding, and optimization of new and existing partners. The team also helps set up new brands on the platform, including one-sheet content to help sell our brands. Moreover, Hamster Garage calculates projections for potential new partner assessments.We meet weekly to review the progress of our initiatives and KPIs. Hamster Garage also provides reports through Impact.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–5 teammates from Hamster Garage.

How did you come to work with Hamster Garage?

We found them through an online search. We chose them because their pricing fit our budget, their company values aligned with ours, and they were strategic.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2025, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Hamster Garage has onboarded over 100 new partners and launched two new brands. We’ve also seen more partner engagement, new creative opportunities with influencers and content sites, and new types of partners we haven’t been able to work with in the past. Overall, we’ve tripled the amount of affiliate traffic to our sites.

How did Hamster Garage perform from a project management standpoint?

Hamster Garage delivers on time and is highly engaged. We communicate through virtual meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Hamster Garage’s unique ideas for partnerships and consistent communication are impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the channel marketing manager of a financial services company. We provide financial automation software that helps small and medium-sized businesses manage payables, receivables, and expense workflows, streamlining financial operations for greater efficiency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Hamster Garage?

We needed help scaling our affiliate program.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Hamster Garage provides full management of our affiliate program. They measure existing performance and opportunities for growth, contact new partners, and recruit them into our program.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–5 members of Hamster Garage’s team.

How did you come to work with Hamster Garage?

We met them at a trade show. We chose them because their pricing fit our budget, and they understood our business really well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2025, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Hamster Garage has done a great job understanding our more complex structure really quickly and learning exactly what types of partners we're after. They do a fantastic job of breaking down our existing performance into easily digestible formats that are great to share with leadership internally. They have taken a massive amount of time and effort off my plate in handling a lot of the communication back and forth, optimizing with existing partners, and reaching out to new ones.Moreover, they’ve added a number of new partners each quarter, some of which have scaled one of our product lines' performance in the channel by 2–5x in some months.

How did Hamster Garage perform from a project management standpoint?

They deliver on time. Hamster Garage does a great job of aligning their OKRs with our internal goals and adjusting them as needed. We communicate via virtual meetings, emails, and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm impressed by how quickly they got up to speed. They're great and easy people to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We still haven't achieved the full scale we're looking for, and we aren't working with all of our target partners yet.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Co-Founder of Mighty

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Mighty helps small businesses save money and grow by combining a trusted marketplace of exclusive offers with real, in-person support from a nationwide network of field reps.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Hamster Garage to accomplish?

• Find More Brand Partners
• Secure Exclusive Offers

SOLUTION

How did you find Hamster Garage?

• Online Search
• LinkedIn

Why did you select Hamster Garage over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Hamster Garage were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Hamster Garage has been a key partner in helping Mighty navigate the affiliate landscape, making strategic introductions to top brands, strengthening our relationships, and enabling us to secure exclusive, high-value deals for our marketplace.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Hamster Garage helped us secure 10+ brand partnethsips.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Hamster Garage has been incredibly efficient in both their efforts and their responsiveness, consistently moving quickly on opportunities and providing timely, thoughtful support whenever we need it.

What was your primary form of communication with Hamster Garage?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Most impressive was their founder, Faique, who was a pleasure to work with, thoughtful, responsive, and highly collaborative throughout.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Hamster Garage could have done differently?

None

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of international marketing for Faire, a wholesale technology platform that connects brands and retailers, helping them source and sell products to support and strengthen local communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Hamster Garage?

We needed help launching and growing our B2B affiliate program.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Hamster Garage has been responsible for our affiliate program's strategy, partner outreach, and performance. The team has also provided reports, campaign launches, and partner materials.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with 2–5 members of Hamster Garage's team.

How did you come to work with Hamster Garage?

Hamster Garage pitched us, and they were referred to me. I chose them because our company values aligned.

How much have you invested with them?

We now have a 7 figure spend on affiliate. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2024, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Hamster Garage's work has resulted in customer acquisition and new revenue.

How did Hamster Garage perform from a project management standpoint?

Hamster Garage always delivers on time. We communicate via virtual meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Hamster Garage's creativity to try lots of different tactics is impressive. The team is committed to the channel and seeing success, which makes a ton of difference.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything for Hamster Garage to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CGO of NOCD, a medical company that provides online therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) through a telehealth platform. We connect members with licensed therapists specializing in exposure and response prevention therapy and offer 24/7 support tools and peer communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Hamster Garage to accomplish for NOCD’s telehealth therapy platform?

We leveraged Hamster Garage’s expertise to work with influencers to help grow brand awareness for NOCD.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Hamster Garage identified influencers on YouTube that had OCD and would be suitable for raising awareness of OCD and NOCD. They negotiated contracts and helped direct the content. The team also managed all communication with the influencers throughout the campaign.

What is the team composition?

We worked with multiple teammates from Hamster Garage.

How did you come to work with Hamster Garage?

We found them through a referral. We chose them over other options because they offered good value for the cost, our company values aligned, and our very innovative in their approach.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March 2021 to March 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We saw our core KPI conversions come because of this and have continued to work with many of those partners for years afterward. We tracked sign-ups and met and exceeded our CAC targets over multiple campaigns. We improved our CAC by 10%, and our target CAC was 200 since we have an LTV of over 1,000.

How did Hamster Garage perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered on time. We had in-person and virtual meetings and communicated via email and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive or unique about them?

Hamster Garage was very innovative on new channels.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Growth of Stix Golf Co.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sells Golf clubs and accessories

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Hamster Garage to accomplish?

• Restructure our affiliate program
• Focus on scaling content partners
• Reduce focus on coupon/discount partners

SOLUTION

How did you find Hamster Garage?

• Referral

Why did you select Hamster Garage over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Flexibility

How many teammates from Hamster Garage were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Services/Deliverables Supplier shall provide Client with account management to service its Affiliate program:

• Recruitment and Prospecting
• Develop a list of affiliate partners to reach out to on behalf of Client
• Leverage tools (e.g. SEMRush, SimilarWeb, etc.) to identify backlinks and website traffic to find ideal partners
• Leverage Client’s inbound leads to select partners to invite to join program
• Leverage platform discovery tools to find potential partners on behalf of Client 1
• Identify appropriate contact at potential affiliates using tools (e.g. LinkedIn Premium, RocketReach, etc.)
• Reach out to partners on behalf of Client, can include email and phone communication Onboarding
• Onboard invited partners onto affiliate platform
• Propose general public Client Insertion Order unless Client team provides approval for custom insertion order teams for select partners
• Create insertion orders as needed with Client approval
• Provide onboarding support to partners as needed
• Create Google Folder of approved resources, data, and creatives for partners to leverage
• Work with Client on creative requests; all custom creative requests will be approved by Client Optimization
• Identify dormant or suspicious partners and either remove them from program or determine how to increase their output
• Maintain regular communication with top-performing and high-volume partners (e.g. CPA networks, cashback sites, email partners, etc.) to identify additional exposure opportunities and ensure brand integrity 
• Present Client team with vetted hybrid placement opportunities and paid placement opportunities Additional
• Bi-weekly meeting to report on overall program progress, goals and updates. Determine mutually agreed KPIs and metrics to update for meetings (e.g. new partners onboarded, number of trials, number of subscribers, revenue etc.)
• Introduce and educate Client team on best practices
• Identify any key risk alert issues (e.g. account funding low, API broken, potential fraud, etc.) to Client team as they are identified

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were able to scale the program effectively driving revenue growth YoY and achieved monthly targets.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Projects and action items were completed on time in most all cases. Their team was always very responsive and adhered to our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Hamster Garage?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Hamster Garage was a great partner as we looked to clean up and scale our affiliate program. We leaned on their expertise and flexibility to help build out an effective strategy focused more on scaling content partners rather than coupon/discount partners. We challenged their team to own the channel and it's strategic roadmap which acted as an extension of our internal team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Hamster Garage could have done differently?

Did see some turnover on the account team, but there was no drop-off in performance/experience.