ABOUT US

Are you struggling to see the results you want in your business?

Maybe you have an exciting product that isn’t taking off the way you hoped. Maybe your sales are weak enough that you are struggling to keep the lights on. Maybe you have become a slave to your business just to keep it afloat.

When you try to do everything, it can be difficult to take the time to stop and get clarity. Clarity on questions like:

• Where are you going?
• What are you doing to get there?
• How are you doing it?

That’s where Helmsman Strategy steps in.

Helmsman Strategy is your strategic partner. We help you regain the captaincy of your ship. Can you imagine a ship’s captain doing the work of the navigator, quartermaster, and deck hand on top of his own job? Of course not. The captain’s job, your job, is setting the direction and ensuring the ship stays its course. What you need is:

• Clarity: the chance to step back and get your bearings.
• Simplicity: help to declutter your ship so that it can run more efficiently.

We will help you get those, and in the process see the growth you want. What would it be worth to you to regain control of your business? To see it take off and achieve all of your dreams?

A partnership with Helmsman Strategy might be just what you need to see this happen.

Take our free quiz now to find out if your ship is on the right course.

Bill Forsyth: Bill has worked with small businesses and entrepreneurs as a web developer and consultant for years. He founded Helmsman Strategy out of frustration over seeing clients struggling to make progress. His passion is helping companies put processes and systems in place in order to function more efficiently. This gives you, the owner, a chance to reclaim your focus and see your business dreams fulfilled.

Josh Lopez: With a background in organizational leadership, Josh specializes in helping organizations find what makes them unique. He then creates a compelling message around that identity. He is passionate about getting rid of wasted effort and money in marketing.This is done with a simple, focused strategy, based on research and principles. Trained as a professional direct response copywriter, he will make your marketing dollars work harder for you.

Our principles define how we do business. Explore them below to see what to expect when you work with us.

Integrity: you, our client, deserve honesty and fairness every step of the way, no matter the circumstances. We promise the truth, even if it costs us business.

Simplicity: we believe in refining until things run as smoothly and simply as possible. Complicated is never the better option.

Family: as family men ourselves, we believe that your business should be enabling you to have more time with your family, not less. If your business has cost you time with your family, we’d like to help you change that.

Results: our goal is to help you attain your goals. Unlike most consultants, we aren’t going to throw some clever ideas your way then leave you to figure it out yourself.

Support: our job is to support you in regaining control of your business, not replace you. Once we have equipped you to properly pursue your goals, we will leave you firmly in charge.

Take our free quiz now to find out if your ship is on the right course.

You have lots of options to meet your business needs.

Full-service advertising/marketing agencies:

These guys are the heavy hitters. They can be your entire marketing department, from PR and traditional advertising media to digital and analytics. They are a great one-stop-shop. But….

They provide execution without strategy. And if your execution isn’t aligned with correct strategy, it is a wasted effort.

In an attempt to do everything, they give up the ability to specialize in one thing.

Their prices match their size. Can you as a small business owner afford to pay for their overhead in addition to the services you are receiving?

Art/design studios:

Once again, here you’ll find execution without strategy. They’ll handle your predefined projects, but without proper strategy, you are likely throwing away your marketing dollars.

Branding identity agencies:

This type of agency designs logos, color schemes, and other types of visual branding material. Certainly a valuable component, but you’ll need to get your strategy elsewhere.

Management, strategy, and marketing consulting firms:

Finally, you have your high-level strategists. They can get you headed in the right direction. But…

You’ll pay for it. Like full-service agencies, many of these firms serve large corporations and have the overhead to back that up.

Generally speaking you will be left to implement the strategy they give you. This is especially true of small-business consultants (the ones you can actually afford), who will often be a one-man shop.

The biggest problem with most of the agencies listed above is that they solve a short term problem.

Consultants might use techniques they refer to as strategy to improve your numbers up front. But who’s to say the short term changes won’t hurt you in the long run?

Other types of agencies might base their deliverables on what they term “creative.” They might even win awards on occasion. But there’s a difference between work that wins awards and work that measurably improves your business.

Don’t get caught in the trap of following the most recent “creative” or “management” trends.

Instead, hire an agency that will put you in position for long-term success and reap the following:

A marriage between strategic alignment and focused execution. Leverage our expertise of small business strategy, systems, and processes. Then we’ll use our network of specialists to implement our strategic advice. This will save you the time, money, and effort you would spend in vetting your own vendors.

A long-term, results-driven approach. From strategy grounded in solid principles to systems and processes that help you work more efficiently. You won’t have to go back to an agency year after year, looking for something new to keep up your momentum. You just have to rinse and repeat.

Services focused on small businesses and entrepreneurs. You need a strategic partner who is geared to work with companies your size.

The way small business consulting should be. Helmsman Strategy.

Take our free quiz now to find out if your ship is on the right course.