“We found Brian’s approach to productization and guidance through the process to be very straightforward and pragmatic. He was able to focus us on what we do best as an agency and develop a portfolio of products that were far more than just a repackaging of our existing services. It was a whole new way to frame our value proposition that not only has immediate appeal to prospective clients, but also forces us to internally rethink how we solve our clients’ business problems. We had our first product win one month after completing the program.”

“Lodestar’s positioning methodology really helped us turn the microscope on ourselves and build a positioning we felt was true to who we are and truly differentiating. The process allowed us to be aspirational but confident in the promise of the problems we solve for our clients. Brian really challenged us to ensure we weren’t talking to ourselves and building a positioning that sounded beautiful but said nothing. He pushed us to show how we’re unique, what problem we solve for our clients, and why that’s important. We’re all very excited to see where our new positioning takes us!”

“Lodestar was the push we needed to get leadership buy-in, understand the true value we offer, and strategize how we position the agency. Brian's expertise was a welcome voice in the room. He was structured, patient, and guided our leadership team to a place of alignment and understanding. Oh, and we won a new retainer client using our new product only a couple of weeks after we completed the exercise!”

“Lodestar was instrumental in helping H&L Partners identify and address key problems and opportunities resulting from rapid growth.  We felt our situation was unique and we were cautious about engaging with a firm that may take a “cookie cutter” approach. Brian’s ability to customize guidance to fit our needs was invaluable, and he provided exactly what we needed. Our learnings have led to a clear strategic vision, and we now have a tactical execution plan in place. The team at H&L is aligned and energized, and it has made a huge difference.”

“We’ve been fortunate to experience a significant increase in new business, but at a time when we were also shifting our service strategy from live events to virtual events. We brought on Lodestar to recommend an ideal organizational structure to support our growth and new direction. Brian’s approach and thought leadership helped us reimagine how our business could work faster, better, and smarter. We’re more aligned, we have clear accountability across teams, and everyone is better equipped to adapt to anything the market throws at us.”

“Working with Brian was a true awakening in so many ways. He helped us align on problems and actions to create the right positioning strategy, team structure and a consistent process. Things we can put into practice or at least start establishing fluency on right away. Brian challenged us to think through and figure out which of the many issues are the right ones to unpack and helped us unlock the solutions from within ourselves. These types of initiatives can often be cathartic and draining but I found myself and the team to be energized by it.”

“Lodestar introduced us to new ways of thinking about how we work and then helped us put that new mindset into action. Account managers have reported that 85% of their projects are moving faster than before, strategists say they’re better able to help our teams, and creatives say our kick-offs today make them feel more informed and prepared to get to work than any previous kickoff meeting they’ve been in.“

“When first exposed to one of Lodestar’s webinars we felt right away that they were “speaking our language.” Brian seemed to know everything we were going through at the time without us ever saying a word.  And when we engaged directly in a consultation, it only got better.  Brian not only understood our Agency with ease, but also provided us various options with his recommendations that allow us to be flexible in how we approach our future. It wasn’t just one size fits all.”

“Lodestar advised and supported us at a pivotal time of growth in our agency. Brian was brought on to provide guidance restructuring one department, but he evaluated the agency holistically and took the time to fully understand our business strategy. The outcome made us rethink our agency structure and brought clarity to multi-departmental inefficiencies that had long plagued BBR. From outlining roles and responsibilities to improving team morale, increasing efficiencies and profitability to providing a higher level of service and product to our clients — Brian checked all of the boxes, and then some.  Most impressive was his level of customer service. He’s trusting and generous with his time, industry connections and resources.”

“Lodestar has been extremely valuable as an extension of our team here at SA and helping guide us to positive, foundational change. Brian’s assistance kept us focused and on track through all phases of transition management from systematic situation analysis to communication and roll-out.”

“Brian has great experience and is generous with his knowledge and insights. He has a really great presence as well, encouraging participants to share openly and candidly, pulling information from all, at every step along the way. While the process can be humbling, we know we'll be better for our clients and teammates when we've implemented the suggested changes.”

“We hired Lodestar to assess key priorities to keep in focus as we stood up our organizational design practice. Leveraging Brian’s proven model to assess our business from top to bottom helped us validate our suspicions around the necessary focus areas, engage our full team in the conversation, and report back our critical next steps in way that was organized and digestible by our leaders. We are now on the way to implementing changes that will ultimately improve the health of our company, make work easier and more meaningful for our team and clients, and support our 3-year roadmap and growth trajectory.”

“I have been in the business world a long time and I like to think I can still learn and help other employees become good leaders themselves. Lodestar’s training program forced me to really think about my current leadership style, with fresh ideas in bite-size pieces to help me improve. Brian’s training made me want to be a better leader so my employees will work more independently and become great leaders too.”

“One of the big aha’s for me were the patterns that emerged from our leadership styles. I can map out the different styles across my teams so that we can begin to help develop their skills. But this also really crystallized what has been behind some of the reactions and feedback we’ve heard internally and how we should respond -- it’s all very actionable stuff we can move forward on. We learned so much that will help us turn nto rockstar leaders.”

“Agency leaders must build teams that perform at a level far greater than the sum of their parts. I've seen way too many talented people fail at successfully accomplishing this. Lodestar found a way to share all the fundamental necessities required to become this kind of great leader. They covered the most important and relevant topics for today’s environment and provided our future leaders with a set of tools that will serve them for the rest of their careers.”