Gain clarity. 
Take action. 
Collaborate.

The Gap

Client needed a space for an event that had already been marketed and promoted to be hosted at a certain venue. Due to circumstances outside of the client's control, they lost access to the venue and needed to find another space to host their event. There was just one problem: they didn't have any contacts that they could call to secure a space on short notice. 

The Bridge

The client reached out to us after hours (thanks to The Switchboard) and told us what happened with the venue. We asked them for no more than 24 hours to present them with a few options. ​

The Result

We identified three contacts in our network we thought would be able to introduce us to the right people. In the end, two of our contacts were able to make introductions, allowing us to make introductions between venue managers/owners and our client. Ultimately the client was able to avoid a crisis and hosted a successful event in an incredible space. 

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The Gap

The client was unorganized, using outdated systems, and had not fully embraced technology into their operations. The company had a great track record but very little presence on social media and their process for (1) onboarding new clients and (2) managing the client experience before, during and after the project  work was done. There was a lack of consistent communication with project stakeholders and most of the project was managed using WORD documents and email threads. 

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The Bridge

We introduced Asana, a project management software, which allowed us to organize project plans and set up welcome pages that helps onboard the new stakeholders and set expectations for the project. We leveraged the power that Asana gave us by allowing us to have everything in one place. Our firm played a critical role in developing project outlines and budgets, working closely with the client to ensure that those tasks and deadlines were built out in Asana to track our work in real-time. 

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The Result

The client got the opportunity to work on a project that would last more than six (6) months. Asana became our secret weapon and after the client's proposal was accepted, our firm helped launch and manage that project across more than three major cities in Ohio, over the course of 6+ months. The project was managed successfully and delivered on time to the satisfaction of  our client's client!

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The Gap

The client had a great offer with a solid ROI for their customers. The language was good but the name of the service wasn't catching and this eventually caused service's performance to decrease. Our client couldn't figure out what was holding this brilliant offer back. Unfortunately for them, they were too close to the problem to be able to see any possible solutions. 

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The Bridge

After making the decision to hop on a Spark Call to talk through what was going on with their offer. They knew that they had a clear offer and they knew that there was a serious need for what they were offering and in spite of all those key factors, their offer continued to fall flat. Before the call ended, we suggested that the client consider changing the name; a simple solution that worked wonders! ​

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The Result

Our client took our suggestion and ran with it! They rebranded the offer to fit the new name (which focused on the action they would take and the result the client would experience as a result), this was tied to the name, which was tied to a real-world experience that people would understand and resonate with in terms of experiencing feelings of frustration and the relief that follows after decisive action is taken; it worked like a charm and the client was able to grow that offer into a consistent revenue generator. 

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The Gap

The client came to us with no funding, no business plan, and no idea what they should do next. They had invested their savings on developing a prototype for an app. At the time (2014-15) there was nothing like it in any major city yet. The vision was clear and the need was there but there were a few things that needed to be done to present the app in a way that would inspire others to want to learn more. 

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The Bridge

We developed a formal business plan (54+ pages) for the client; luckily they spent some of their savings to do the brand development work, which meant one less thing for us to worry about. In addition to the business plan, we also put together a pitch deck and a formal investment proposal that outlined the vision, strategy, return, and delivery timeframe. We made a few introductions to some folks in the tech space, which led to our client being invited to join a program that would prepare them to take the idea to investors for funding. ​

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The Result

As a result of the hard work that went into developing and positioning the brand, our client received two purchase offers for their concept for the app (as is). They also received an offer from a major city interested in implementing their app technology and overhauling one of their public safety systems. 

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The Gap

Every brand has a story to tell and after more than seventy-five (75) years of community impact our client definitely had a rich history to pull from. Our client was on the brink of shutting down and every opportunity that presented itself would eventually go sour due to lack of vision and/or alignment. The future looked bleak for the client and support from strategic partners came with strings or was hard to come by in general. 

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The Bridge

We worked with the client to re-design their logo and create their brand narrative; one that included the organization's rich history and also set a clear path forward through the future vision for the organization. We created the resources and materials that the client would need to engage potential sponsors and strategic partners in the future. ​

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The Result

Our client successfully introduced their new logo design and website. The re-launch created some traction for the client that they leveraged into bigger opportunities, including more than $400K in funding from the State, sponsorships and donations from large corporations in the area, and a partnership with a national organization that generates consistent recurring revenue for our client.  

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The Gap

This was another client with a great service offer that was clear but it still didn't click. The client came to us feeling overwhelmed and was suffering from a mental block. They were too close to the problem to see a clear strategy for turning things around. 

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The Bridge

We hopped on a Spark Call to talk through things to discover what was blocking our client from taking their offer to the next level. Our conversations took a pretty deep-dive and we talked about a range of things, including experiences that influenced certain behavior. By the end of the call, the client was inspired, motivated, and they have even more clarity around their offer. 

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The Result

After reading their Spark Call Summary, the client decided to go back to the drawing board and simplify their offer. They decided to focus more on their passion for the work that they were doing through providing the service and that helped them to develop their messaging. Now they were speaking from a passionate place instead of trying to sell potential clients on the benefits or features of the service. ​

The Gap

Initially the client came to us with a concept for a community event that we helped them outline and brainstorm. At the time, the client wasn't ready to move forward with the work required to plan and develop the event due to budgeting issues. Over the course of a year, our client continued to develop and plan the event. 

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The Bridge

Fast-forward a few months; it was the day before the event when the client reaches out to us to in a slight panic. They were putting together the final pieces of the event and realized that the flow that they had created for the event would ultimately cause a bottleneck in the event there was a large turnout. We made a simple suggestion based on a system that we used for another client to manage a state-wide listening tour at a diverse collection of locations. ​

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The Result

The next day at the event the client employed our proposed strategy and the results exceeded expectations. We were also on-site to help manage delays, issues, and other unforeseen circumstances to help facilitate a successful event. The community event was covered by the local news and lives were chaged and positively impacted forever! 

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The Gap

The client offered one service: cleaning. They cleaned houses, apartments, office spaces, and even grocery stores. The business was family owned and although it was operating, it lacked real structure, including brand and narrative development. By the time the client signed on with us, they were losing money at a rapid rate and they were only making enough money to operate and make payroll. 

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The Bridge

We re-branded the client's company and expanded their service offerings to include landscaping, building maintenance, and snow removal in the winter time. At the same time we were positioning the company to service government contracts on a state and federal level. The client didn't have any marketing materials and had never done any marketing before working with our firm. ​

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The Result

Eventually we developed an email marketing campaign using the materials that we created for them. The one-page capabilities statement caught the eye of the right person and we got an email back asking to set up a meeting. It turns out the client was given an opportunity to bid on multiple buildings. We were able to secure a six-figure contract that led to more work shortly after from surrounding businesses. The client was able to dig themselves out their financial hole and gain traction again after being in survival mode for so long. 

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The Gap

Our client had a brilliant idea for a product but that was all that they had, an idea. They gave us the name for the product and told us their vision for both the product and the parent company that would sell the product. This meant that we needed to develop two companies at the same time! It was a complex project that we broke down into manageable phases. 

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The Bridge

We developed a project plan and outlined our entire journey from start to finish. We wanted to understand where the potential pitfalls or delays might be triggered while the project was underway, so we took our time to understand the client's vision, expectations, and desired outcomes. After we finalized the project plan, we started the work of creating the client's vision. 

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The Result

After a few Work Sessions, we successfully developed the foundational framework for out client's new companies. We also completed all of the brand development work and helped the client develop their strategy for launching.