Real Results

Our business is helping you accelerate your business. With us as your growth advisor or strategy coach, you can focus on running your business – rather than it running you.

Jump to: Case Studies of  Customized Growth Solutions ↓

What Our Clients Say

“Mark is one of those rare people who not only knows where to find that amazingly useful nugget of information, but the wisdom to interpret it.”

Trevor Zylstra, COO, SparkFun Electronics on May 14, 2010

“Mark quickly produced a very crisp and informative analysis of the market, and how our product would potential fit into this market. Lastly he developed and presented a very high quality and detailed launch plan. I was very happy with his work. It definitely helped shape our launch strategy. I would not hesitate to hire Mark for future marketing projects.”

Ed Dua, President, Nextsport on January 12, 2010

Top Qualities: Great Results , Expert , On Time

“Mark was able, in a very short time, to evaluate our product presence on the Internet and develop effective recommendations for MUCH better product positioning at a significant cost savings to the company. I would happily hire him again if the need arises. Mark has a special ability to clear away confusion and create an accurate picture of a product’s position in the marketplace. That, combined with his integrity and genuine commitment and focus on his client, makes him a delight to work with. I look forward to doing so again.”

Pam Sichel, COO, Pure Research Products on November 12, 2009

Top Qualities: Great Results , Expert , Creative

“[Due to FastGrowth Advisor’ work, we] reworked our mission and vision, thought about some of our market segments differently, modified the website home page, and the list goes on. [Mark is] a professional I respect who can guide my path and make minor (and sometimes major) adjustments that have a big impact. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Mark and felt it was extremely productive.”

Sylvia Bernstein, CEO, The Aquaponics Source on February 13, 2010

“As executive director of CRC, my staff and I worked with Mark first in his capacity as SBDC advisor. I later hired him to lead CRC’s strategic planning process for 2011. In both instances I found Mark’s steady, patient and respectful communication style to be a major assett, as well as his ability to identify opportunities and creative ideas that the organization can build on for the future. His wealth of experience and insight are extremely valuable when considering new business opportunities. His leadership and skills as a facilitator were invaluable in helping CRC plot its future. I can’t recommend Mark highly enough.””

Keith Frausto, Executive Director, Center for Resource Conservation on December 23, 2010

“Mark is a great asset as a consultant…both because of his expertise and his fantastic attitude. We have asked him to take on clients with little or no preparation and to produce results with incredibly limited resources, which he has consistently accomplished.”

Bing Chou, Manager, Boulder Small Business Development Center on May 25, 2010

• “Mark is a great manager with a tremendous focus on both strategic business management as well as people development. He constantly encouraged the team to think about how all of our portfolio decisions impacted the larger corporate strategy. One of Mark’s best qualities was the importance he placed on action. Mark knew that the team could deliver more and continually pushed the team towards excellence. In a time when business was not performing well, Mark was key to the turnaround by ensuring the team’s plans were aggressive, strategic, and driven by relevant consumer insights. Besides being a great business leader, he was also an excellent mentor. Mark turned every business decision into a lesson on marketing, strategy, or life in general. I would gladly work with Mark again in the future and strongly recommend him both as a strategic business leader and mentor.”

  Brandon Brown, Harvard Business School on November 3, 2009

• “Mark provided critical perspective and support to help focus and drive the business, facilitating development of an action oriented, strategic framework that was instrumental in turning the business from negative to positive growth and profitability. Mark has high standards of performance. I appreciated his end-results focus and learned immensely from him. With a very sharp intellect, willingness to take calculated risks, and action oriented drive to win in the marketplace, I would have no hesitation working with Mark [again].”

  Michael Cecil, Marketing Manager, Blue Bunny Ice Cream on April 18, 2009

• “Mark is a highly insightful and extremely intelligent individual who can be counted on to deliver business results. He has a keen ability to see beyond the obvious, delivering insights to the business and then translating these insights into strong marketing plans that truly add enterprise value. He is a very proficient project manager who managed complex tasks both efficiently and accurately. I highly recommend Mark for any Senior Level Marketing or Strategic Management role.”

  Nathan Hanson, Chief Marketing Officer, Pure Fishing Inc on June 15, 2009

• “As a consultant, I worked with Mark in the areas of brand strategy and innovation. Mark was great to work with and focused on growing his business through effective and efficient marketing strategies. He showed his ability to work in a constantly changing organization and showed leadership in moving his team forward in a very competitive environment with many challenges, both with consumers and channel partners.”

  Steve Zuber, Partner, Stellus Consulting on June 22, 2009

• “Mark is a talented and innovative marketing executive that challenges staus quo and stretches the possibilities!”

  Mike Crone, SVP Sales, Wells Dairy Inc on May 14, 2010

“Mark is a strong detail oriented manager who never loses sight of the strategic objectives that need to be met. His experience at P&G coupled with a keen creative eye gives him the balance to develop marketing plans that are both innovative and creative. Bound by a strong work ethic he brings the tools to successfully build a brand and make a company successful. He’s adapted to many roles, challenges and changes over his career. Simply put he is a leader and team player who gets things done.”

Mark Jensen, VP Account Services, Preston Kelly on March 27, 2007

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Case Studies: Customized Growth Solutions

For a hair care brand, the issue was low volume, which led to low budget, which led to low consumer awareness and little attention from the sales force. The solution: we customized innovation and promotion plans around the needs of a single small retail channel. The result: sales nearly tripled and the brand became #1 in the target channel, creating the financial strength and sales force enthusiasm necessary to expand into other channels.

For a Fortune 500 manufacturer of household products, the issue was that competition had just launched a major innovation that threatened to obsolete their most profitable products. Company culture favored mimicking the competitor’s product, but technology barriers were too high and lead times too long. The solution: using novel research techniques, we identified ways to defend current business and win the next product generation. We developed new advertising while putting all innovation resources into leapfrogging the competition. The result: our client gained share behind new ads, then beat competition with 2nd generation technology – the biggest new product in their 100 year history.

For a small tourist-oriented newspaper, the issue was that a poor economy had stopped ad revenue growth. The solution: we designed and launched a rental listing insert, where landlords paid only for successful rentals, while repricing other ads to give discounts for longer commitments. The result: explosive revenue growth.

For a frozen food company, the issue was that retail buyers were cherry-picking new products, causing high failure rate due to poor distribution and less willingness to invest in innovation. The solution: we developed and launched a portfolio of thematically-linked initiatives, each with multiple SKUs. The result: most accounts took all items, shelf space grew, share grew, and the company increased resources behind innovation.

For a sporting goods company, the issue was being so focused on innovation that the core business was losing share. The solution: we revitalized the core behind new branding and advertising, while refocusing innovation on fewer, bigger ideas. The result: share gains for the core and industry-changing new products.

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Case Studies: Customized Growth Solutions