Chicago, December 19, 2023 – Cultivate Advisors, one of North America’s largest small business advisory firms, celebrates its 10th anniversary this month.
Founded in 2013 by CEO Casey Clark and Director of Partnerships Dan Gramann, the company was launched from an apartment they shared in Chicago. The two met as home service franchise owners. They quickly learned their skill sets–Casey, with his ability to leverage data to help set the strategic direction, and Dan as the day-to-day tactician and team builder–complimented one another. Together, they grew Cultivate from a two-person operation advising a single real estate agency to a 120-person team throughout North America, working with 4,000 businesses in 160+ industries. Since 2019 alone, Cultivate has grown 372% and made the Inc. 5000 all five years.
“Every small business owner knows the statistics going in–that only 30%
will make it to the 10-year mark,” said Casey. “That we beat the odds to become the advising powerhouse we are today is a tribute to our team, clients, partners, and shareholders. Their support and the community we’ve built together has fueled not only our success but theirs too.”
With its proprietary Propeller Method, Cultivate distinguishes itself from competitors due to a team built of entrepreneurial-minded advisors with firsthand experience running successful companies. Clients working with the firm for 12+ months grow on average 43% in top-line revenue and 65% in bottom-line profit year-over-year.
“An owner can easily get stuck in the day-to-day, and when they don’t pull themselves out to work on the business, the business ends up running them,” noted Dan. “As entrepreneurs ourselves, nothing is more rewarding than getting into the nuts and bolts of the operations with a fellow entrepreneur, discovering what works and what doesn’t, and providing the one-on-one support and infrastructure needed to increase growth and scalability.”
Cultivate has strategically expanded its scope of services throughout the years to meet clients’ evolving needs, acquiring Breakwater Accounting for its bookkeeping, payroll, and financial expertise and building out Performance Platform’s management software to train, organize, and drive performance. It developed the free Business Value and Health Assessment tool to help owners measure an enterprise’s value, health, and exit readiness that one partner called a “game-changer,” and launched the weekly podcast Catapult Your Business, where weekly Casey, with the help of firm advisors, offers valuable insights and practical tips on running a successful business.
Throughout the run-up to the 10th Anniversary milestone, Cultivate was recognized for its work by the business community. Along with making the Inc. 5000 for the fifth time and its Best Workplaces list for its “exceptional workplace and company culture,” it was voted Best Small Business for Coaching, and Casey Best Entrepreneur, by the BASA Awards. Casey also received the American Business Awards’ Gold Stevie for Best Entrepreneur for overseeing Cultivate’s “explosive growth,” along with his “commitment to supporting his fellow entrepreneurs” and “creating a positive company culture for his employees.”
“It feels like we’re just getting started,” said Casey. “We all know the next five to ten years will bring extraordinary technological change. The World Economic Forum is calling it the fourth industrial revolution. Small business owners will have to navigate and absorb what’s coming, along with the daily duties of just staying afloat. But most don’t have the bandwidth. That’s where we come in. Never has the need for a firm like ours been more important to help put the systems, tools, and infrastructure in place for small businesses to succeed.”
About Cultivate Advisors
Cultivate Advisors, an affiliate of Cultivate Brands, the business and financial operations advising powerhouse comprised of Cultivate Advisors, Breakwater Accounting, and Performance Platform, is an award-winning skill development and coaching firm. With a team of entrepreneurial-minded advisors with firsthand experience running successful companies, Cultivate has helped thousands of small businesses in 160+ industries, with those working with the firm for 12+ months growing on average 43% in top-line revenue and 65% in bottom-line profit year-over-year. To learn more about Cultivate Advisors, visit cultivateadvisors.com.
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