Next Step Partners
Next Step Partners is a privately held executive coaching and leadership development consulting firm serving C-suite executives, senior leadership teams, and organizations through proprietary coaching methodologies, team development programs, and career transition services across the United States and Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Next Step Partners does
Next Step Partners is a privately held executive coaching and leadership development consulting firm founded in 2002 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, with a regional office in Los Angeles. The firm serves C-suite executives, senior leadership teams, and organizations across technology, media, healthcare, biotech, private equity, financial services, foundations, and education, delivering individualized coaching, cohort-based leadership programs, team development engagements, and career transition support. The firm also sells the Career Handbook for Working Professionals, a 235+ page career development resource published in interactive PDF and print formats and adopted by Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, Wharton, MIT, and Haas.
The firm's service portfolio is built on a set of proprietary coaching methodologies rather than a software platform, including the HEAR Feedback Model for handling defensiveness in feedback conversations, the Immunity to Change mapping process rooted in Harvard research by Kegan and Lahey, the 360 Insights Assessment, and the Leadership Gap Indicator accessed through an exclusive inaugural partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership. Engagement delivery is high-touch and partner-led, with three named partners (Rebecca Zucker, Melissa Karz, and Jordan Stark) anchoring client relationships. Thought leadership contributions to Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company function as primary demand generation, supplemented by downloadable resources and direct outreach via contact form, email, and phone.
The business operates as a professional services firm on quote-based, engagement-scoped pricing with no publicly disclosed fee schedule; the Career Handbook is the only revenue product with published pricing at $43.50 (PDF) and $45.72 (print). Go-to-market is direct sales targeting HR and talent leaders and individual senior executives, with no channel partners, resellers, or marketplace distribution. Reported outcomes include a 97 Net Promoter Score for Career Transition services, over 100 alumni of the Global Leadership Program since 2010, and a 100% track record for negotiating better compensation for departing employee clients. The firm is privately held with no external investment disclosed.
Next Step Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Next Step Partners
- Legal name
- Next Step Partners, LLC
- Website
- https://nextsteppartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Next Step Partners is a privately held executive coaching and leadership development consulting firm serving C-suite executives, senior leadership teams, and organizations through proprietary coaching methodologies, team development programs, and career transition services across the United States and Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Next Step Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Services
- NAICS
- Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Management Consulting Services (54161), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Leadership Development & Executive Coaching (BPAHAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- C-Suite & Senior Executive Coaching (EDABANAA), Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA), Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams) (EDABANAF), Leadership Assessment, 360 Feedback & Development Planning (EDABAAAK), Manager & Team Leader Onboarding (EDABAOAC)
Keywords
Where Next Step Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Next Step Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Executive Coaching: High-touch, individualized one-on-one executive coaching engagements for C-level executives and senior leaders. Coaching focuses on personal growth, leadership capacity expansion, and measurable behavioral change. Engagements typically span multiple months with regular coaching sessions.
- Leadership Development Programs: Cohort-based leadership development programs combining group sessions, individual coaching, and off-site company visits. Programs integrate personal coaching with cohort learning and are designed to build collective capacity. Delivered in multi-day segments over several months.
- Team Development Services: Team coaching engagements including tune-ups for new CEO leadership teams, multi-part team development series, year-long coaching programs for first-time executives, and deep-dive offsites. Observation-based assessment followed by structured coaching to build psychological safety, trust, conversational habits, decision-making, and accountability.
- Career Transition Coaching: High-touch, customized career transition programs for departing employees of client organizations. Individual coaching replaces formulaic group outplacement programs. Includes strategic guidance, tactical job search support, resume review, interview preparation, and compensation negotiation. Revenue generated through organizational contracts for departing employee programs.
- Career Handbook for Working Professionals: Published third edition of the Career Handbook for Working Professionals, available in interactive digital PDF ($43.50) and print ($45.72) formats. Bulk discounts available for orders of 100+ copies. Book is used as a supplement in career transition engagements and sold independently to individual buyers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Career Handbook Interactive PDF - Third Edition |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Career Handbook Print Version - Third Edition |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels12 records
Next Step Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Next Step Partners provides high-touch executive coaching, leadership development programs, team development, and career transition services to senior leaders and organizations. The firm delivers individualized one-on-one coaching engagements for C-suite executives and cohort-based leadership programs that integrate personal coaching with group learning. Core methodologies include the proprietary HEAR Feedback Model, Immunity to Change process, and 360 Insights Assessment, supplemented by an exclusive partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership.
Product overview
Next Step Partners is a leadership development and executive coaching firm offering a comprehensive suite of services including Executive Coaching (individual, CEO, and CEO & Team coaching), Leadership Development programs, Team Development coaching, and Career Transition services. The company also publishes the Career Handbook for Working Professionals (available in PDF and print formats) as a complementary product. Core methodologies include the Immunity to Change approach and HEAR Feedback Model. Assessment tools offered include 360° Feedback and the Leadership Gap Indicator (LGI) from the Center for Creative Leadership. The firm provides downloadable resources including eBooks, white papers, and free chapters. Next Step Partners operates primarily as a professional services firm rather than a software platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Executive Coaching One-on-one executive coaching providing confidential space for reflection, processing, and growth for C-suite executives and senior leaders to develop skills and strategies for increasing their impact.
- Leadership Development Programs Adaptive leadership development programs integrating personal coaching with cohort-based programs to build collective capacity, combining group sessions with individual coaching and off-site visits. Designed for high-potential leaders in enterprise organizations.
- Team Development Team coaching programs designed to build psychological safety, trust, energizing conversational habits, clear decision-making, shared accountability, and positive power dynamics in organizational teams. Includes tune-ups for new CEO leadership teams, multi-part development series, and deep-dive offsites.
- Career Development / Career Transition High-touch, customized career transition coaching for departing employees, providing individual coaching, job search support, resume review, interview preparation, and compensation negotiation. Maintains a 97 Net Promoter Score.
- Career Handbook for Working Professionals Comprehensive 235+ page self-directed guide for career transition, available in interactive PDF ($43.50) and print ($45.72) formats. Adopted by Harvard Business School, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, and Haas School of Business for their alumni and executive programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- 97 Net Promoter Score for Career Transition Services
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Next Step Partners
Customer profileNamed customers43 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Next Step Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Next Step Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Center for Creative Leadership (CCL)coreNext Step Partners is an inaugural member of CCL's partnership network. This exclusive partnership provides access to CCL's cutting-edge research, proprietary tools (including the Leadership Gap Indicator), and network of experts. CCL has worked with tens of thousands of organizations and more than a million leaders across six continents and 130+ countries, and has been named by Bloomberg Business Week and Financial Times as one of the top ten providers of executive education. NSP leverages CCL's research and tools in designing strategic leadership development programs for client organizations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Next Step Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Marshall Goldsmith Partners: Boutique executive coaching firm founded by Marshall Goldsmith, one of the most recognized executive coaches globally. Directly comparable to NSP as a premium boutique coaching practice serving C-suite executives with proprietary methodologies and thought leadership content.
- RHR International: Boutique leadership consulting firm specializing in executive coaching, leadership development, and team effectiveness for senior leaders. Closely comparable to NSP in service mix, premium positioning, and target buyer (C-suite and enterprise leadership teams).
- DDI (Development Dimensions International): Global leadership development firm specializing in leadership assessment, training, and coaching for mid-to-senior level leaders. Comparable in leadership development focus, 360 feedback assessments, and enterprise client base, though operates at larger scale with technology-enabled delivery.
- Right Management (part of ManpowerGroup): Career transition and outplacement services provider operating globally as part of ManpowerGroup. Directly comparable to NSP's Career Transition practice, serving the same enterprise market for departing employee outplacement, though at much larger scale and with technology-enabled delivery.
- Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH): Global talent development and career transition firm offering outplacement, coaching, and leadership development services. Directly comparable in career transition services and executive coaching, but operates as a scaled global incumbent with broader service portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Global leadership research and education nonprofit offering executive education, coaching, and assessment tools. NSP is a CCL partner but also operates in overlapping territory with proprietary assessments and leadership development programs at significantly larger scale and geographic reach.
- Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a substantial Leadership Development and Executive Coaching practice alongside executive search. Represents the scaled-incumbent model against which NSP's boutique positioning competes for enterprise coaching mandates, with much broader service portfolio.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global leadership advisory firm combining executive search with leadership consulting and coaching. Comparable in serving enterprise clients across leadership development, but operates at significantly larger scale with global delivery and broader service portfolio.
- Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with established leadership coaching and team effectiveness practices. Comparable target buyer (C-suite) and use cases, but with global scale and a brand identity primarily centered on executive search.
- Spencer Stuart: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with established leadership advisory practice including executive coaching and board effectiveness services. Comparable in serving enterprise C-suite clients, though primarily search-led with coaching as an adjacent service.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Next Step Partners social profiles
Digital presenceNext Step Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Next Step Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Next Step Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Next Step Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Next Step Partners
What does Next Step Partners do?
Next Step Partners provides high-touch executive coaching, leadership development programs, team development, and career transition services to senior leaders and organizations. The firm delivers individualized one-on-one coaching engagements for C-suite executives and cohort-based leadership programs that integrate personal coaching with group learning. Core methodologies include the proprietary HEAR Feedback Model, Immunity to Change process, and 360 Insights Assessment, supplemented by an exclusive partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership.
Is Next Step Partners a public or private company?
Next Step Partners is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Next Step Partners founded?
Next Step Partners was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Next Step Partners based?
Next Step Partners is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Next Step Partners make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Executive Coaching is the primary driver. The others are leadership Development Programs, team Development Services, career Transition Coaching and career Handbook for Working Professionals.
Who are Next Step Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Marshall Goldsmith Partners, RHR International, DDI (Development Dimensions International), Right Management (part of ManpowerGroup) and Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH). Broad incumbents are Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), Korn Ferry, Heidrick & Struggles, Egon Zehnder and Spencer Stuart.
Does Next Step Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Next Step Partners.
What industry is Next Step Partners in?
Next Step Partners's product category is Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAGAD, Leadership Development & Executive Coaching, with a secondary code of EDABANAA, C-Suite & Senior Executive Coaching. Its NAICS code is 541612 and its SIC code is 8742.