Brilliance is derived from seeing up close.

Actuate utilizes an exploration toolkit of marketing and innovation research techniques - from behavioral observation and ethnography to data science - to study what drives an organization’s culture, service delivery model, employee engagement and the customer experiences created by the unique interaction of those elements.

In doing so, we seamlessly integrate research teams into the daily operations of an organization in order to isolate what makes a business truly unique in its space. We then help clients apply that unique meaning as either an anchor amidst rapid growth or as a catalyst for durable growth amidst stagnancy.

This sort of impact entails taking things a step further than the perfunctory consulting deliverable. At the conclusion of an engagement, we won’t give you a static deliverable that indulges in pedantic hand holding or insults your intelligence with superficial recommendations. The change management steps we recommend will be more collaborative than prescriptive: “Here is the actual root of the matter and what should be done, by whom, to address it…” We TEACH your team how to put our insights and recommendations into action.

In short: we provide not only the insights that clarify the true tradeoffs behind a tough decision, but also a framework that informs the right course of action.

We ordinarily work with clients on three different footings: a sprint, an initiative or via a partnership with a management consulting firm, an ad agency or a private equity firm.

Sprint - a short engagement designed to investigate a specific challenge or opportunity with urgency.

Some clients come to us with a single issue at the fore. Or, they want to work with us on an evaluation basis before investing in a broader initiative. Sprints serve as an impactful, momentum-building predicate to a deeper dive (while solving a problem or two along the way).

For a “Sprint,” clients can typically expect to invest:

  • Between $40,000 to $75,000 in professional services fees over a period of…

  • Six to twelve weeks in duration.

Initiative – a deep dive into a broad-reaching and complex challenge that requires disciplined study, creative thinking and ambitious problem solving.

Our research initiatives grant executive teams and functional leaders the ability to see their strategy, operations, innovation, talent and even marketing challenges in a new light. Moreover, our work imbues stakeholders from various functional areas - people with different skills, experiences, personalities and perspectives – with a methodical way to discuss and evaluate the tradeoffs of big strategic and tactical decisions on the same terms. (And, of course, to pull the trigger on those critical decisions… to take action… with confidence.)

For a typical “Initiative,” our clients can expect to invest:

  • Between $125,000 to $240,000 in professional services fees over a period of…

  • Three to four months in duration. 

PartnerSHIP – a long-term collaboration with a management consulting firm, private equity firm or an ad agency.

From time to time, consulting firms, large ad agencies and even private equity firms have roped us in to collaborate on client initiatives. They look to us for a depth of prowess and a fresh perspective that they’d like to insource on their client’s (or portfolio company’s) behalf.

 

Who Needs to Buy In?

We typically work with cross-functional, matrixed project teams comprised of stakeholders from operations, marketing, sales, HR, engineering, software development, information systems, R&D and finance. Ideally, the closer to $50 million in annual revenue a client lives, the more we insist on total buy-in and commitment from the CEO, Founder, President, Principal or Executive Director of the organization. By contrast, the closer a client is to $2 billion in annual revenue, the more we prefer a C-level leader to champion our initiatives (with an enthusiastic blessing from the CEO, of course).