Evolve your firm to reflect what it has become
If you've built a firm that has grown into something meaningful—one that clients trust, colleagues value, and you're proud to lead—it likely didn't happen by accident. You've put in the time building client relationships, providing the guidance and expertise they need. You’ve also worked behind the scenes, navigating challenges most will never see, reinforcing a practice that has stood the test of time.
“I can’t think of anyone who does what you do outside of an agency, and certainly nobody who does it as well.”
We’ve noticed over the years that there are three core drivers to change when it comes to firm growth.
Driven by you:
As a boutique firm founder, you know this journey intimately. The decisions that keep you up at night, the pivots that feel risky, and the satisfaction of building something that reflects your values.
Driven by client needs:
If you’re like many of the leaders we work with, your firm is also shaped by your clients. They stretch you, ask for new solutions, and spark ideas for new services you might not have offered otherwise.
Driven by market shifts:
And finally, even when your work is strong, the market doesn’t stand still. New competitors, new tools, and changing client expectations can all shift how your firm is discovered and understood. Over time, a once-accurate brand can feel like it needs to catch up with reality.
Signs you've outgrown your brand
Your services have expanded, but your website doesn’t reflect the full portfolio.
You’re getting inquiries for work you no longer want to do.
Your LinkedIn profile emphasizes outdated experience or positioning.
Prospects find you through search, but for the wrong specialization.
Your team has grown, but the brand still feels like a solo act.
AI platforms recommend competitors when prospects ask for your specialty.
“I’ve had about 45 institutional clients since we worked together in 2011. What we did and what you recommended then worked. I’m so grateful we’re still working together to guide my business to its next iteration!”
What firms look like after a brand refresh
Your brand matches the expertise you've developed. Prospects understand immediately what you do, who you serve, and why you're different. You're no longer explaining away confusion created by outdated positioning.
Search visibility attracts the work you want. When prospects search for help with the challenges you solve best, your content appears—whether they're using Google, ChatGPT, LinkedIn, or Perplexity. You're getting inquiries for the right work, not legacy services you've moved beyond.
Your team feels represented. If you've grown beyond solo practice, your brand reflects that evolution. New partners see themselves in firm messaging. Associates feel confident representing the brand because it's true to who they are, not just who the founder was at launch.
Client acquisition becomes easier. When your brand is clear, conversion happens faster. Qualified prospects reach out already understanding your value. Referral sources describe you accurately. And you spend less time educating prospects about basics because your digital presence does that work before first contact.
You're positioned for the next phase. Whether that's geographic expansion, service line addition, partnership formation, or succession planning, your brand provides a foundation strong enough to support whatever comes next.
Brand refresh case studies
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Services: Brand Development for Professional Services Firms | LinkedIn Profile Development | Website Strategy & Content Architecture | Market Positioning
Timeline: 2011 (Firm Launch) - 2025 (Strategic Refresh)
The Challenge: Two Pivotal Moments, 14 Years Apart
2011: Building a Firm from Institutional Credibility
After nearly a decade in Harvard University's Development Office—where she supported senior leadership on a groundbreaking $2.1 billion capital campaign and managed a portfolio of major prospects—Elizabeth Saltonstall was ready to launch her own nonprofit consulting practice.
The challenge wasn't expertise. With experience staffing Campaign Executive Committees composed of globally recognized high-net-worth leaders and managing principal gift strategies, Elizabeth had the technical skills and sector knowledge to succeed independently.
The challenge was positioning: How do you translate institutional credibility into personal brand authority? How do you address a career gap taken to raise young children without diminishing professional gravitas? And most fundamentally, how do you name, position, and launch a boutique firm that competes with established players without the infrastructure they've built over decades?
Elizabeth connected with me through a mutual contact—a Harvard MBA I'd worked with in 2008 who saw Elizabeth's LinkedIn interest at a Boston networking event and made the introduction across the country to San Francisco.
2025: When Your Firm Outgrows Its Original Brand
Fourteen years later, Saltonstall Consulting had evolved far beyond its 2011 origins. Elizabeth and her network of experts had served 55+ nonprofit clients across arts and culture, health and human services, athletics, education, community foundations, and the environment—both domestically and abroad.
Her portfolio included marquee engagements: the Development Committee of MIT's Corporation, Harvard Law School's Legal Services Center, The Boston Foundation, New England Aquarium, Mount Desert Island Hospital, Steppingstone, YW Boston, The Dimock Center, St. Mark's School, Pan-Florida Challenge, and the International Consortium of Healthcare Outcomes Measurement.
Clients routinely raised annual funds exceeding $1M for operating budgets over $10M, with campaign goals ranging from $10M to more than $100M.
But her digital presence—built in a different search era—no longer reflected the depth of expertise she'd developed or how potential clients now discovered consultants through Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI platforms that had fundamentally changed professional services discovery.
Elizabeth returned for a strategic refresh: How do you reposition an established firm for today's AI-driven search landscape while maintaining authenticity with existing clients and attracting the next generation of nonprofit leaders?
The Approach: Foundational Branding, Then Strategic Evolution
Phase 1 (2011): Build Your Firm
The foundational work that everything else depends on
We began with the fundamental positioning questions that every boutique firm must answer:
What urgent problems do you solve for your market?
How do you deliver those solutions better or differently than anyone else?
Who precisely are your target clients, and how do they describe the challenges they face?
Elizabeth's answers became the through-line connecting her business structure, service descriptions, and digital presence.
Resume repositioning. We resolved the career gap narrative, framing her time raising children as a deliberate choice that demonstrated the same strategic thinking she brought to client work—prioritizing what mattered most while maintaining sector connections.
Personal LinkedIn profile development. Rather than listing credentials (Harvard pedigree, campaign experience, high-net-worth donor management), we focused on the problems Elizabeth solved: nonprofit leaders facing plateaued giving, boards uncertain about campaign readiness, organizations needing interim advancement leadership during transitions.
Firm naming and brand identity. Together, we named the practice "Saltonstall Consulting"—establishing a personal brand that leveraged family name recognition in Boston philanthropic circles while maintaining boutique positioning that differentiated from larger firms.
Company LinkedIn presence. We created the firm's LinkedIn company page with messaging that positioned Elizabeth as a strategic partner to nonprofit C-suites, boards, and advancement teams—not just a fundraising consultant.
Website strategy foundation. While Elizabeth developed her website separately, our work together provided the strategic architecture: how to articulate services, structure client-facing content, and position expertise without imitating how the big consulting firms operate.
The result? A clear market entry that attracted Elizabeth's first clients and established the foundation for 14 years of growth.
Phase 2 (2025): Evolve & Expand
When your brand needs to reflect what your firm has become
Elizabeth's firm had evolved in ways she didn't anticipate in 2011. Her service portfolio expanded from capital campaign consulting to include major gifts strategy, program assessment, strategic advancement planning, interim Chief Advancement Officer placements, leadership training, and nonprofit executive search.
Her client base had grown from regional Boston-area nonprofits to national and international organizations. Her expertise had deepened across multiple nonprofit sectors. And her network had expanded to include specialists who extended her capacity.
But her digital presence told the 2011 story, not the 2025 reality.
Personal LinkedIn profile refresh. We updated Elizabeth's profile to reflect three decades of career progression, showcase marquee client engagements without violating confidentiality norms, and position her expertise for how AI search engines categorize and recommend consultants when nonprofit leaders ask for help.
Company LinkedIn about page evolution. The firm's LinkedIn presence needed to reflect both Elizabeth's personal expertise and the expanded network model—showing potential clients they'd receive boutique attention backed by deep bench strength.
Website homepage repositioning. We rewrote homepage copy to emphasize partnership with C-suites, boards, and advancement leaders—moving beyond transactional service delivery to strategic collaboration. The new messaging positioned Saltonstall Consulting as capacity-building partners who transform vision into actionable plans.
About page narrative arc. Elizabeth's story needed to demonstrate progression: from Harvard principal gifts work through founding an independent practice to establishing a respected firm with 55+ client organizations. We crafted a narrative that honored her privilege, creativity, and compassion while centering client outcomes.
Services page architecture. Elizabeth's original site buried services in generic descriptions. We rebuilt the structure around two distinct offering tiers:
Project-based services for organizations exploring campaign feasibility or needing targeted expertise (assessments, audits, pipeline development, case for support creation)
Retainer engagements for organizations ready to execute with ongoing strategic partnership (campaign counsel through silent/public phases, interim CAO placement, ongoing major gifts management)
This clarity helped prospects self-identify where they were in the readiness continuum—eliminating confusion about which services matched their needs.
Blog content strategy and execution. To improve SEO performance and position Elizabeth as a thought leader rather than just a service provider, we developed a comprehensive blog strategy that repurposed data-heavy content from services pages into standalone articles:
"Capital Campaign Timing: Why Economic Uncertainty Shouldn't Stop Your Plans" — Addresses timing anxiety using charitable giving trends and economic resilience data
"The Data Behind Successful Capital Campaigns: 2025 Benchmarks & Statistics" — Annual benchmark article establishing authority through FEP, CCS Fundraising, and sector research
"Understanding the Silent Phase: What Nonprofits Need to Know Before Going Public" — Educational guide explaining the 1-5 year period where 80-90% of campaign funds are raised
"Major Gifts in 2025: Why Donor Retention Matters More Than Acquisition" — Strategic piece on retention (70% for major donors vs. 41% overall) as growth strategy
"How to Write a Compelling Capital Campaign Case for Support in 2025" — Tactical guide addressing how six in ten major donors prioritize impact over naming rights
Each blog post included strategic CTAs linking back to relevant services, creating internal link architecture that helps both human readers and AI search engines understand Elizabeth's expertise depth.
The Results: Sustained Success Through Strategic Evolution
Quantifiable Outcomes
55+ nonprofit clients served since founding in 2011, spanning multiple sectors domestically and internationally
$10M to $100M+ range of capital campaign goals across client portfolio
$1M+ annual funds routinely raised by clients with operating budgets over $10M
Marquee institutional clients including MIT, Harvard Law School, The Boston Foundation, New England Aquarium, and others that validate expertise and attract peer organizations
14 years of continuous practice without the business development infrastructure of larger firms—demonstrating that strategic positioning sustains boutique practices
Strategic Positioning Shifts
From resume gap to career narrative. Elizabeth's time raising children went from potential liability to demonstration of strategic priority-setting and long-term thinking.
From Harvard credential to independent authority. Rather than relying solely on institutional pedigree, Elizabeth established personal brand recognition as a trusted advisor to nonprofit leaders.
From single-service consultant to multi-dimensional firm. The evolution from capital campaign focus to comprehensive advancement services—interim leadership, executive search, strategic planning—required repositioning that matched service expansion.
From regional to national/international presence. While maintaining Boston roots, Elizabeth's digital positioning now supports client acquisition beyond geographic constraints.
From transactional to relational positioning. The 2025 refresh emphasized partnership, capacity-building, and long-term collaboration—differentiating from consultants who deliver reports and disappear.
Content Architecture That Works for AI Search
The blog strategy transformed how AI platforms understand and recommend Saltonstall Consulting:
When nonprofit leaders ask AI tools "Should we launch a capital campaign during economic uncertainty?" or "What is the silent phase of a capital campaign?" Elizabeth's content provides answers—positioning her as the expert to contact.
When boards search for "capital campaign consultant Boston" or "nonprofit executive search services," the refreshed site architecture helps search engines understand service differentiation and specialization.
When development directors look for "major gifts retention strategies" or "donor cultivation best practices," the thought leadership content establishes Elizabeth as someone who understands sector challenges deeply—not just someone selling services.
What This Case Study Demonstrates
For Firms in "Build & Launch" Mode:
✓ Career transitions require narrative reframing. Elizabeth's Harvard background was an asset, but her independent positioning needed to demonstrate why clients should hire her specifically, not just "someone with Harvard experience."
✓ Personal brand and firm brand must work in concert. The Saltonstall name leveraged personal credibility while establishing institutional presence that could grow beyond Elizabeth individually.
✓ Foundational positioning lasts for years. The strategic work we did in 2011 provided a framework that supported 14 years of client acquisition before requiring refresh.
✓ Your answers to foundational questions become everything. What problems do you solve? How do you solve them differently? Who are your clients? These answers shaped Elizabeth's LinkedIn presence, website messaging, and service structure.
For Firms in "Evolve & Expand" Mode:
✓ Your brand refresh should reflect who you've become. Saltonstall Consulting in 2025 wasn't the same firm as 2011—the digital presence needed to acknowledge growth, expanded services, and proven track record.
✓ AI search changes everything about discoverability. Traditional SEO focused on keywords. AI-era search requires comprehensive content that demonstrates expertise depth—hence the blog strategy creating multiple entry points for different prospect questions.
✓ Service architecture clarifies buying decisions. Separating project-based from retainer services helped prospects understand which engagement model matched their readiness—reducing decision fatigue and qualification calls.
✓ Thought leadership content compounds over time. Each blog post becomes a long-term asset that establishes authority, improves search visibility, and educates prospects before they ever contact you.
✓ Strategic refresh isn't rebranding—it's evolution. Elizabeth didn't change her firm's fundamental identity. We updated how that identity was communicated for a changed landscape.
Client Perspective
"Working with Jared in 2011 gave me the confidence to launch my practice with clarity about who I served and what I offered. Fourteen years later, returning for a strategic refresh helped me recognize how much my firm had evolved—and update my digital presence to match the expertise I'd developed. The blog strategy has been particularly valuable for positioning me as a thought leader rather than just a service provider."
— Elizabeth Saltonstall, Founder, Saltonstall Consulting
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Max Goijarts & OnModus:
Data & Digital Transformation Consulting | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2008-Present
The Challenge: A Career and Firm That Keep Evolving
When Max Goijarts first reached out in 2008, he was making a strategic career transition from consulting into in-house marketing roles. With early-career experience at MTV, Revlon, and other prominent brands, Max had built expertise in digital marketing and brand strategy—but needed positioning that would help him pivot from external consultant to internal leader.
What neither of us anticipated was that this would become a 13+ year partnership spanning multiple career phases, geographic markets, and strategic repositionings as both Max's expertise and the industry itself evolved.
Phase 1 (2008-2013): Career Positioning for In-House Roles
The initial engagement focused on resume and LinkedIn profile development for Max's move into in-house positions in the Netherlands and broader European market. This required translating consulting experience into corporate language while maintaining the strategic thinking that made Max valuable.
Challenge: European career documents follow different conventions than U.S. formats (Europass structure, different emphasis on education and certifications), requiring culturally appropriate positioning.
Solution: We developed LinkedIn presence and resume materials that worked across European markets, emphasizing Max's digital marketing expertise while positioning him for senior in-house roles.
Phase 2 (2013): The "Marketing Technologist" Pivot
As Max's career progressed through various in-house roles, the market was shifting. Marketing and technology were converging, and professionals who understood both disciplines were increasingly valuable. Max returned for strategic repositioning.
Challenge: "Marketing technologist" wasn't yet common terminology in 2013, but Max recognized the trend before most professionals did.
Solution: We positioned Max at the intersection of marketing strategy and technical implementation—ahead of the market curve. This forward-looking positioning helped him secure roles that didn't yet have formal titles but reflected where the industry was headed.
Phase 3 (~2017-2018): From Employee to Firm Founder
After years of in-house leadership roles, Max began consulting independently and building a bench of specialists who could deliver client work. His early experience with e-commerce and digital transformation had positioned him perfectly as more companies moved online—but he needed to formalize what had been operating informally.
Challenge: Max had already built OnModus' website but needed help organizing and explaining services in ways that attracted the right clients and clearly differentiated his firm.
Solution: We developed service architecture and positioning copy that reflected Max's unique combination: consultant experience + in-house operational knowledge + technical depth + strategic vision. The OnModus website positioned the firm as specialists in digital transformation, personalization, and commerce—serving enterprise brands and startups across Europe.
We also created OnModus' LinkedIn company presence to establish professional credibility beyond Max's personal brand, signaling that this was a firm with depth, not just a solo consultant.
Phase 4 (2021): Market Evolution Demands Repositioning
By 2021, the services that had differentiated OnModus were becoming commoditized. As Max wrote:
"Digital Transformation, Personalization and Commerce are still good referrers for us, but the offering is becoming more and more a commodity that the mainstream offers as well."
Meanwhile, client requests had evolved organically. They were asking: "Now that you have advised us, can you also operate and execute the plan? Could you kick start our data operations with the help of OnModus specialists?"
Max had successfully transitioned from pure consulting into data consultancy, analytics services, and team-as-a-service offerings. His firm was delivering advanced data analytics, AI implementation, customer 360 strategies, and business intelligence—but the website still described the 2017 firm, not the 2021 reality.
Challenge: Reposition both Max personally (as data/technology/business transformation advisor to C-level executives and boards) and OnModus as a firm (as data-driven transformation specialists rather than general digital consultants).
Additional complexity: Max was competing with specialized data firms while maintaining strategic consulting credibility. The positioning needed to reflect both technical depth and strategic advisory capability.
Solution: We evolved OnModus' service proposition to emphasize:
Digital Transformation & Strategy Consulting
Advanced Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence
Customer 360 & Marketing Automation
Business Intelligence & Data Visualization
Data Analytics Team-as-a-Service
Training & Inspiration
We also refined Max's personal LinkedIn positioning to establish him as a thought leader in data-driven transformation—using his profile to drive awareness and client acquisition for OnModus services while building his reputation as advisor to senior leadership teams.
Strategic approach: Rather than abandoning the digital transformation positioning entirely (it still attracted initial conversations), we layered data and AI expertise on top, positioning OnModus as the firm that doesn't just advise on transformation but operates and executes data strategies.
What This Case Study Demonstrates
For Professionals Building Firms:
Your positioning must evolve as your market evolves. What differentiated Max in 2013 (marketing technologist) and 2017 (digital transformation) became commoditized by 2021. Professionals who don't refresh positioning get left behind or stuck doing work they've outgrown.
Client requests reveal where you should go next. Max didn't arbitrarily decide to add data analytics services—his clients kept asking for it. Strategic repositioning means listening to what the market wants from you and updating your external brand to match internal reality.
Personal and firm brands work in concert. Max's LinkedIn presence drives awareness; OnModus' company page and website convert interest into engagement. Both needed to evolve together.
For International/European Markets:
Cultural positioning matters. Resume formats, LinkedIn conventions, and service descriptions that work in U.S. markets don't necessarily translate to European contexts. Max's materials needed to work across Netherlands, Germany, broader EU markets—each with different expectations.
Language precision matters differently. European clients often evaluate consultants in English (not their first language) while also assessing cultural fit and market knowledge. Positioning required clarity without oversimplification.
The Long-Term Partnership Model:
Max's story demonstrates why many of TheRedickGroup's client relationships span years or even decades. Careers evolve. Firms grow. Markets shift. Strategic positioning isn't a one-time project—it's ongoing partnership with someone who understands your trajectory, not just your current state.
As Max wrote in 2021:
"I am very much looking forward to our interaction and the impact it will again have on shaping my future!"
That sentence—after 13 years of working together—captures the sustained value of strategic brand development with someone who's been alongside you through multiple evolution phases.
Current State
Max Goijarts continues leading OnModus as a data-driven transformation firm serving enterprise clients across Europe. His LinkedIn profile positions him as advisor to C-level executives and boards on data strategy, AI implementation, and business transformation. The firm he formalized in 2017 has evolved into specialized data consultancy that both advises and executes—exactly where client demand led him.
See Max's current positioning:
LinkedIn Profile | OnModus Website
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As boutique firm owners ourselves, we understand that you get to decide how your story unfolds—and that decision carries weight you can't outsource. Which is why this service is built so we fall in step with you and get it all update together. You don’t need to do it alone.