Who We Are
Brian Kessman
Founder & Principal Consultant
Lodestar Agency Consulting
As Lodestar's founder and principal consultant, Brian works with agencies—from mid-size independents to multinational networks—to move their firms beyond billable hours and commoditized services to scalable, profitable models centered on client value.
Before founding Lodestar, Brian held leadership roles at independent agencies and within global networks in New York and Los Angeles. Now based in North Carolina, he advises clients worldwide.
An inaugural member of the 4A’s Expert Network, Brian regularly delivers keynotes and workshops for the 4A’s, Mirren, AMIN, Magnet, Worldcom, and other leading industry organizations. Blending hands-on leadership with strategic advisory experience, he is a trusted partner to agency teams ready to break from outdated models and build more profitable, future-ready firms.
Tim Williams
Founding Partner of Ignition Consulting Group
Lodestar Business Partner
Tim is an ad industry veteran and a noted author and presenter for major industry associations and business conferences worldwide on the topics of positioning, pricing strategy, and business models. As a career marketing professional, Tim’s seminars and keynote presentations have taken him literally around the world, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, India, and Australia/New Zealand.
He is author of several books on business strategy, the latest of which is Positioning for Professionals: How Professional Knowledge Firms Can Differentiate Their Way to Success. His first book, "Take a Stand for Your Brand" was ranked by Amazon as one of the top ten books on brand building. His booklet “Defining the Agency Brand,” published by the American Association of Advertising Agencies is regarded as the standard in business strategy for agencies.
As a consultant, Tim has worked with hundreds of firms ranging from mid-size independents to multinational networks. Before forming Ignition, Tim led several independent agencies after having worked for global agencies in New York and elsewhere.