Brian Kessman

About Brian Kessman

If your agency tried new pricing models that haven\'t been as effective as you hoped, resolving this is the focus of my work.I help CEOs, CFOs, and leadership teams at independent agencies, multinational networks, and holding companies.Their new pricing works — until it doesn\'t. Until procurement gets involved. Until budgets tighten. Until scope creeps. Until teams revert to hours and deliverables because that\'s still how the agency actually operates.Most firms change how they charge without changing what they sell. That\'s the pattern.Pricing is being asked to solve problems it can\'t fix on its own.The principle they skipped: How well an agency defines its value determines how profitably it can capture it. When value is still framed through effort — hours, headcount, deliverables — clients and procurement will always default to comparison and cost control. AI accelerates that pressure by compressing the work that justified the fees while leaving the strategic value unpriced.I help agencies redesign their value models — the commercial system that connects how they define, package, deliver, and price their expertise and value:‣ Refine your value proposition around differentiated expertise‣ Design productized solutions to high-value client problems‣ Prepare your people to sell, deliver, and speak to outcomes‣ Price on the value of your expertise and impact — not the cost of your effortAgencies I work with have seen pricing increase 66% or more on comparable engagements, revenue per employee improve 2–3x, and gross margins reach 45–65%-Quick background:‣ Founder, Lodestar Agency Consulting.‣ Author, Redesigning the Agency Value Model — the VoxComm industry guide to agency business model transformation, featuring case studies from FIG, 72andSunny, VCCP, Monks, We Communications, Bond Brand Loyalty, BOND, and Time Under Tension. ‣ Creator of the Agency Model Map and Solution-Based Monetization System. ‣ Inaugural member, 4A\'s Expert Network. ‣ Featured in Ad Age. ‣ Frequent presenter for leading industry events and associations.‣ 25+ years across independent firms and global networks-If your agency\'s commercial model isn\'t capturing the full value you create, the first step is determining where it breaks down:→ Complete a 3 minute Value Model Diagnostic: Read the industry guide, Redesigning the Agency Value Model: https://voxcomm.org/value-agency-model-guide/→ Book a diagnostic call: https://calendly.com/brian-kessman/consultation-with-lodestar-via-li

Experience

1. Founder, Principal Consultant

   Lodestar Agency Consulting

   Apr 2016 — Present · Raleigh-Durham, NC, US

   For CEOs, CFOs, and their leadership teams at agencies and professional service firms. Lodestar redesigns your commercial model to define, price, and capture your value — based on outcomes, not inputs — and build a firm that grows without adding headcount.

Education

• University of Maryland - Robert H. Smith School of Business

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services

Skills

• Content Marketing
• Digital Strategy
• Project Scope Development
• Digital Media
• Analytics
• Client Expectations Management
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Usability Testing
• SEO
• Integrated Marketing
• Video
• Interactive Marketing
• Change Management
• Budgets
• Management
• Brand Development
• Risk Management
• Team Management
• Online Advertising
• Process Improvement
• Customer Relationship Management (Crm)
• Leadership
• Social Media Marketing
• Production Managment
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• User Experience
• Content Strategy
• Marketing Strategy
• Online Marketing
• Strategy
• Digital Marketing
• Crm
• Wireframes
• Advertising
• Resource Management
• Social Media
• Scope Management
• Operations Management
• Project Planning
• Scrum