News & Press Releases

Meet the Fast 100: Houston management consultancy embarks on largest national expansion to date

9.11.2014 — By Suzanne Edwards, Houston Business Journal, September 8, 2014, 3:52PM

Chief Outsiders Recognized by Inc. Magazine as 560th Fastest Growing Privately Held Company

9.5.2014 — Strategic Marketing Consulting Firm Recognized For Significant 3-Year Growth Rate Houston, TX (PRWEB) September 5, 2014 Chief Outsiders, LLC, the nation’s leading strategic marketing firm comprised solely of C-level marketing executives has achieved a 3-year growth rate of 863%, giving it recognition as the 560th fastest growing privately held company in the America by Inc. Magazine in their 33rd annual list of companies-the Inc. 5000. Focused on addressing the growth challenges of mid-sized companies, Chief Outsiders offers a range of fractional CMO services that range from coaching to part-time or interim executive roles, to strategic. Since their inception in 2008 in Houston, Texas, the company has expanded nationally, adding new regions, diversified service offerings and a larger team. They are continuing to press the gas pedal on driving more business by serving an expanding number of clients from sectors including technology, industrial and financial services, oil and gas, consumer goods and much more. “We have all heard companies say ‘it is all about our people.’ But in our case, it really is. Working together as a tribe of Chief Marketing Officers, we can bring in great assignments that allow us to do what we love, make big things happen for midsize companies that we couldn’t do and they couldn’t do elsewhere,” said Art Saxby, founder and CEO of Chief Outsiders. “We do this by working together as a “tribe.” We’re continuously learning through each other, by taking our assignments back to the tribe, sharing what we’re doing, inviting each other into discussion and projects and utilizing each others strengths. Each CMO has actively helped build a culture and company that we can enjoy being a part of.” The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring all the companies on the list will be held from October 15 through 17, 2014 in Phoenix. Speakers include some of the greatest entrepreneurs of this and past generations, such as Michael Dell, Martha Stewart, host of the CNBC show “The Profit” Marcus Lemonis, Container Store Founder and CEO Kip Tindell, and Chobani Founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya. The Inc. 5000 award is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2010 to 2013. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2010. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent--not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies. The minimum revenue required for 2010 is $100,000; the minimum for 2013 is $2 million. About Chief Outsiders Recently listed by Inc Magazine as one of the 600 fastest growing privately held companies in the US and recognized for the Houston Business Journal's Fast 100, Chief Outsiders, LLC is an “Executives-as-a-Service” firm helping grow mid-sized companies from coast to coast with part-time, or fractional, Chief Marketing Officers. Chief Outsiders is unique among strategic marketing and management consulting firms, by working as part of the portfolio company leadership team on a fractional or as-needed basis to not only help develop market based growth plans, but to be responsible for implementing the plans within the company. Unlike most consulting firms, Chief Outsiders believes delivering a world-class marketing strategy on its own creates very little value. The real value is created by helping the organization implement the growth vision. Everyone at Chief Outsiders has held the position of VP of Marketing or higher at one or more operating companies. With 30+ CMOs across the country, we can put exactly the right skill set on the leadership team of any portfolio company for a fraction of the cost of a full time executive. Chief Outsiders has been a premier source for businesses seeking marketing expertise, execution and leadership including Riverside Company portfolio companies OnCourse Learning, YourMembership.com and IDoc, Source Capital portfolio companies such as Abutec, and Merrill Lynch Special Situations Group portfolio companies such as EarthColor.

Chief Outsiders CEO Art Saxby to Speak at Private Equity International’s Operating Partners Forum

8.26.2014 — Operational Partners Will Gather for Premier Event at Convene Conference Center in New York on October 21 – 22 New York, NY (PRWEB) August 26, 2014 Entering its fourth year, the Operating Partners Forum has become the pre-eminent peer-to-peer event for professionals in private equity firms who are focused on value creation at the portfolio company level, namely the operating partners. The event provides the opportunity for operational partners to expand their knowledge and expertise of not only how to create value at a portfolio company, but what’s occurring in the larger private equity realm, how technology is changing the way business is conducted, new trends in the global market place and how they impact portfolio companies and the information operating partners need to make an impact on their portfolio company’s bottom line. Art Saxby, CEO and Founder of Chief Outsiders, is a sponsor of the event and will be a panelist at the workshop “Sharing Costs to Optimize EBITDA,” where he will discuss: Outsourcing and long-term value How to evaluate outsourcing options Finding the “sweet spot” between in-house and outsourced capabilities “As the operating partner role in private equity firms is evolving, becoming more central and valuations are increasing, expanding the knowledge and expertise of operational partners is vital,” said Saxby. Saxby started his career in corporate finance with a BS and MBA in finance and various financial analysis and planning roles at LTV Aerospace and Defense and Frito-Lay. He learned his trade in marketing in brand and project management at Frito-Lay, Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola and Compaq/HP, before getting involved in troubled company turn-around with the Lehman Brother controlled Imperial Sugar and Madison Dearborn Partners controlled Hines Horticulture. He started Chief Outsiders in 2009. About Chief Outsiders Recently listed by Inc Magazine as one of the 600 fastest growing privately held companies in the US and recognized for the Houston Business Journal's Fast 100, Chief Outsiders, LLC is an “Executives-as-a-Service” firm helping grow mid-sized companies from coast to coast with part-time, or fractional, Chief Marketing Officers. Chief Outsiders is unique among strategic marketing and management consulting firms, by working as part of the portfolio company leadership team on a fractional or as-needed basis to not only help develop market based growth plans, but to be responsible for implementing the plans within the company. Unlike most consulting firms, Chief Outsiders believes delivering a world-class marketing strategy on its own creates very little value. The real value is created by helping the organization implement the growth vision. Everyone at Chief Outsiders has held the position of VP of Marketing or higher at one or more operating companies. With 30+ CMOs across the country, we can put exactly the right skill set on the leadership team of any portfolio company for a fraction of the cost of a full time executive. Chief Outsiders has been a premier source for businesses seeking marketing expertise, execution and leadership including Riverside Company portfolio companies OnCourse Learning, YourMembership.com and IDoc, Source Capital portfolio companies such as Abutec, and Merrill Lynch Special Situations Group portfolio companies such as EarthColor.

Chief Outsiders Doubles Silicon Valley Presence

8.18.2014 — Karen Hayward and Mark Lange, newest CMOs at Chief Outsiders, bring their extensive technology experience to work with CEOs of growth companies SILICON VALLEY, CA (PRWEB) August 18, 2014 Karen Hayward and Mark Lange, new CMOs at Chief Outsiders, bring their extensive technology experience to work with CEOs of growth companies. Chief Outsiders, LLC, of Houston is pleased to announce that Karen Hayward and Mark Lange have joined the firm. Chief Outsiders is the nation’s largest executive marketing firm focused on implementing market-based growth plans for mid-size and growth companies through fractional or part-time marketing executives. Hayward and Lange will work alongside CEOs and their executive teams of technology companies to accelerate their revenue growth. Having worked with SaaS companies since 2000, Karen Hayward is a pioneer in the cloud computing industry. Among the many areas in which she will be working with CEOs, she specializes in aligning sales and marketing for revenue growth, improving lead generation, executing “go to market” strategies, positioning companies as “thought leaders” and much more. Karen has held executive positions at EarthLink Business, CenterBeam, Accelio, BeyondWork and Xerox Canada. “During my career working with multiple organizations, public and private, international and national, large and small, I have lived the hard reality of the battlefield and am eager to share my expertise, lessons learned and deliver the impact needed to solve CEOs’ organizational challenges,” said Hayward. “Chief Outsiders’ model is unique,” she continued. “It provides marketing help to CEOs at a lower cost and risk but with executive marketers who are at the height of their careers experience wise and are ready to see the results of their labor.” Recent engagements of Hayward include the development of marketing and sales enablement programs at Earthlink, the re-architecting of the services offerings and go-to-market strategy at CenterBeam, which was subsequently acquired by Earthlink, and delivering revenue and profit growth by revamping sales operations, professional services and global market alliance programs at Accelio Corporation, which was subsequently acquired by Adobe. Karen has received numerous rewards and recognitions for her marketing campaigns, sales skills and performance including being named one of the “Power 100: The Most Powerful Women of the Channel.” Lange brings Chief Outsiders a unique combination of early-stage and enterprise-class technology marketing and sales leadership experience, combined with the financial background to develop and refine new business models, secure funding, and support outstanding M&A outcomes. Mark has held executive leadership positions at Nimsoft (a CA Company), SAP, PeopleSoft, BrassRing, K-III (a KKR fund) and was a speechwriter to the President of the White House. “These are exciting times for marketing as a discipline,” Lange said. “Innovations in marketing systems and processes, as well as and digital and social media tools, make it possible to drive demand, revenue and profitable growth as never before. I’m very happy to be joining a group of senior, leading-edge CMOs who will continuously raise the level of my game.” As an entrepreneur, Mark has founded and helped grow innovative web, SaaS and cloud ventures in talent management, healthcare information and social e-commerce, two of which were acquired for over $200 million. Mark currently serves as an Executive Fellow at the Center for Digital Strategies at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he moderates quarterly roundtables with Global 100 CIOs. “Both Karen and Mark are world class marketers who have enabled companies to become category leaders,” says Pete Hayes, Principal of Chief Outsiders. “They know how to collaborate with CEOs and executive teams to unlock their potential and turn vision into actionable strategy.” Contact Karen Hayward at khayward@chiefoutsiders.com and Mark Lange at mlange@chiefoutsiders.com. About Chief Outsiders Headquartered in Houston, TX, and silver winner of the American Business Awards “Company of the Year,” and recognized for the Houston Business Journal's Fast 100, Chief Outsiders serves mid-sized companies from coast to coast with part-time CMO services. Chief Outsiders is unique among strategic marketing consulting firms, taking businesses to the next level by working as part of the leadership team on a fractional or as-needed basis. Unlike most marketing consulting firms, Chief Outsiders believes delivering a world-class marketing strategy on its own creates very little value. The real value is created by helping the organization implement the growth vision. Chief Outsiders has been a premier source for marketing expertise, execution and leadership for companies such as i2C, AbsolutData, Bethyl Labs, Auto Load Logic and Riverside Company portfolio companies including OnCourse Learning, YourMembership.com and IDoc.

Chief Outsiders Makes Houston’s 2014 Fast 100 List

8.8.2014 — Strategic Marketing Consulting Firm Recognized by Houston Business Journal for High Growth Houston, TX (PRWEB) August 8, 2014 Chief Outsiders, LLC, the leading North American provider of outsourced Chief Marketing Officer services to growth and mid-sized companies has been recognized for the Houston Business Journal's 2014 Fast 100. The award honors Houston’s fastest growing private companies, ranked by a three-year revenue growth from 2011 to 2013. All companies nominated have been doing business for a minimum of 5 years and are headquartered within the 10-county Houston metropolitan area. The winners represent top talent from all of Houston’s industries. Since 2009, Chief Outsiders stands as the only company of its kind –offering strategic business and marketing services to CEOs of mid-sized companies with a nationwide firm of Chief Marketing Officers(CMOs) working on an interim, part-time/fractional, or coaching basis. The CMOs at Chief Outsiders come from a broad range of industries, but all have held the position of vice president of Marketing at one or more operating companies. “We are excited to be a part of the Fast 100 this year and to see our progress recognized. I know I can speak for our whole tribe and say that our growth and progress mirror the client companies we have worked with and that’s something we’re really proud of,” said Art Saxby, CEO and Founder of Chief Outsiders. HBJ will announce the rankings of the winner on September 11 at the Hilton America’s Hotel. Click here to register for the event. About Chief Outsiders Chief Outsiders, LLC, an "Executives-as-a-Service" firm, helps grow mid-sized companies from coast-to-coast with more than 40 part-time, or fractional, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) who have held positions of VP Marketing or higher at one or more operating companies. These individuals' breadth of experience makes it possible for Chief Outsiders to put the right skill set on a leadership team of any company for a fraction of the cost of a full time executive. Unlike other strategic marketing and management consulting firms, Chief Outsiders works with company leadership teams to develop and implement market based growth plans. Chief Outsiders believes delivering a world-class marketing strategy on its own creates little value and that the real value is created by helping the organization implement the growth vision. Because of its market based growth plans, leadership and experienced team, Chief Outsiders was recently listed by Inc Magazine as one of the 600 fastest growing privately held companies in the US (in the top 10 in Houston) and recognized for the Houston Business Journal's Fast 100. Businesses seeking Chief Outsiders as a premier source include: ErgoGenesis, Five Stone Tax, Summa Technologies, and Riverside Company portfolio companies OnCourse Learning, YourMembership.com and IDoc, Source Capital portfolio companies such as Abutec, and Merrill Lynch Specialties Group portfolio companies such as EarthColor.

4 Ways to Develop Your Inbound Marketing

1.31.2013 — By Barbara Fowler, Chief Outsiders, LLC (As featured on outright). Inbound marketing can be an effective and inexpensive approach to expanding your audience and customer base. While traditional marketing focuses on getting your message out through advertising in newspapers, magazines, or television, inbound marketing entices people to come to you. Through creativity and community, you can develop loyal customers who will do the marketing legwork for you. With some basic research and the incorporation of simple changes into your overall marketing strategy, you can take your business to the next level. Research Your Industry Explore which strategies are effective for other businesses in your space. For example, if you’re part of a small law firm specializing in workman’s compensation claims, Google “workman’s compensation law firm websites” to get ideas. Examining Facebook, Pinterest, and LinkedIn pages can really open your eyes to new perspectives and formatting techniques. Recently, a local deli asked customers to share their favorite sandwich ingredients on the deli’s Facebook page, and then named sandwiches containing those ingredients after the customers. Great ideas like this can be incorporated into your plan at little to no cost. Seek Feedback Your customers are your best source of ideas. Encourage and reward their constructive feedback. Ask them what specific things they like – or don’t like – about your business. Listen closely. By actively using customer feedback to change your strategies, you’re encouraging them to become more invested in your business. They will tell friends and family about their experiences. Appreciate them and reward them in some way, whether that’s through customer discounts or, in turn, promoting their businesses in a creative way. Use Social Media Effectively Make sure you’re engaged with your audience on a consistent basis to truly see the benefits. If you simply create a Facebook or Pinterest page without managing it, you’re not going to see results. Experiment with what works best for your audience and your interests. With a small fan base, you have the perfect opportunity to be creative and fun. Social media is a great platform for displaying feedback from, and rewards for, your audience. If you run a tech company, ask what your audience’s favorite gadgets were in the past year. Food or clothing businesses can support their customers’ creations by asking for recipe posts or outfit designs. Your support of your audience’s creativity and passion is communicated through these online forums. Reward your audience with gift cards or other perks for participating in the community to show them that you appreciate and value their ongoing involvement. Analyze Your Data Many tools are available to analyze your web traffic and possible conversions. Most small businesses start with Google Analytics. It’s essentially free, and it can help you analyze your web traffic. You can then better target your intended audience. The key to improving your business is making sure you seize every opportunity you have to get your name out and establish yourself as part of an expanding and welcoming community. Consistent analysis of your promotions, media interaction, and traditional efforts is necessary to best reach your desired audience. Inbound marketing gives you the opportunity to connect with your customers in a creative and entertaining way. Through research and feedback from your valued clients, you can design promotions, events, and social media groups that draw an even larger – and more loyal – customer base. Barbara Fowler, Managing Director at Chief Outsiders, a provider of part-time marketing executives to help mid-sized businesses. Fowlers specialties lie in sales and marketing synchronization, global business strategies and family business turnaround techniques. A frequent speaker and writer on topics such as leadership, cultural diversity and developing an environment of success, she has effectively led culturally diverse organizations and written and implemented training programs for CMOs worldwide. View original article at outright. Media Contact: Pete Hayes 512-923-6512

Young CEOs Getting Message: Outsourcing

1.29.2013 — By Barbara Fowler, Chief Outsiders, LLC (As featured on Under 30 CEO). This week “Under30CEO” the leading media property for entrepreneurs features Barbara Fowler, Managing Director at Chief Outsiders. She provides an outsiders perspective for developing a healthy relationship between sales and marketing as well as a perspective on the role and benefits of executive outsourcing. Under30CEO is inspiring the world’s next generation of business leaders by featuring direct interviews with the most successful young people on the planet, profiles twenty-something startups, provides advice from those who have done it before, and publishes cutting edge news for the young entrepreneur. Find Marketing Success through Outsourcing A healthy relationship between sales and marketing is key to the success of a business, particularly in small- to medium-sized companies. Marketing efforts will develop and nurture leads, and the sales staff will carry the interested customer to the end of the buying process. With each Google search, consumers are looking for the items they want before ever approaching a sales person, making marketing even more crucial in differentiating your company from the other 112,600,000 competitors and search results. With that in mind, filling the chief marketing officer (CMO) position in your company can be critical to the business’ success or failure. Thought it may initially seem frightening to extend such a key opening to someone from outside the company family, outsourcing a CMO can provide your company with a qualified and results-driven marketing director who can set up the processes, strategies, and goals to take your company to the next level. The Role of a CMO As head of marketing, the CMO has many roles to fill that can affect the success of the business. Drive revenue by delivering qualified leads to the sales organization through data-driven marketing efforts. Ensure excellent brand experience for prospective customers — this includes customer experiences with web content, payment, and service. Test assumptions using CRM and other data-driven research. Act as the right hand of the CEO and work closely with IT, operations, and other support areas within the company. When a CMO fulfills each of these roles, it allows marketing and sales to work together to solve issues, rather than assigning blame, and it helps the CEO and company’s vision for business success come to fruition. From the Outside In Looking at the above list of a CMO’s roles, it may still seem that outsourcing your next CMO is not necessary. You may think that someone who is already on staff could fill those roles just as easily. But the outsourced CMO possesses a set of qualities that cannot be found within your company walls. The outsourced CMO is: An Outsider. People within the same company have a tendency to think alike or become wed to an idea because they are so invested in the organization. They understand how things are done and are comfortable that it works. An outsourced CMO will have an outside view of your processes, procedures, and staff. They can interview other executives without any preconceived notions or biases, review current marketing and sales projects from the view of a customer, and will use this information to survey customers to develop fresh insights on company marketing tactics. Experienced. Outsourced CMOs have experienced challenges in a variety of different industries, stay current on best practices and trends in the marketing industry, and bring a different type of skill set that doesn’t currently exist within your company. They also will have connections with other industry professionals to get the talent and information your company needs to execute on marketing strategies. A Leader. Businesses going through a transition period (growing at an unprecedented rate, have lost a key member of the executive team, or are repositioning their brand) will experience conflicts or confusion from management and the staff. An outsider can help to keep a pulse on rising issues and work to transition the company into a more stable environment, since they won’t have formed alliance or relationships with the staff. An outsourced CMO has dealt with different types of company culture and management styles over their career, so their insights into what works and what doesn’t will be an invaluable asset. If your business has been sluggish, the management team has been clashing, or your business is in transition, bringing in some new blood may be the jumpstart your company needs. Outsourcing is not always the obvious solution, and the idea of bringing in someone with new ideas and different methods can be intimidating. However, the fresh insights, unbiased point of view, and varied experience of an outsourced CMO can revitalize your business and challenge your team to produce truly original work. Barbara Fowler, Managing Director at Chief Outsiders, a provider of part-time marketing executives to help mid-sized businesses. Fowlers specialties lie in sales and marketing synchronization, global business strategies and family business turnaround techniques. A frequent speaker and writer on topics such as leadership, cultural diversity and developing an environment of success, she has effectively led culturally diverse organizations and written and implemented training programs for CMOs worldwide. View original article at Under 30 CEO. Media Contact: Pete Hayes 512-923-6512

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