Tip Strategies
TIP Strategies is a privately held Austin-based consulting firm providing economic development, workforce, resilience, and strategic planning advisory services to public and private sector clients, with 30+ years of practice across 44 states and 7 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tip Strategies does
TIP Strategies is a privately held Austin, Texas-based management consulting firm founded in 1995 that provides economic development, strategic planning, workforce development, and resilience advisory services to public and private sector clients. Over a 30-year operating history, the firm has completed more than 600 engagements for over 425 unique client organizations across 44 U.S. states and 7 international countries. Clients span state and local government agencies, regional economic development organizations, workforce boards, chambers of commerce, higher education institutions, and defense-dependent communities.
The firm's core deliverable is its proprietary Theory Into Practice (T-I-P) planning model, a three-phase methodology (Discovery, Opportunity, Implementation) applied to every engagement, paired with the Talent-Innovation-Place analytical framework that frames economic vitality around three interconnected drivers. Underlying the consulting work, TIP maintains an internal R&D capability that produces interactive data visualization tools (Geography of Jobs, Geography of Recovery, Cross-Border Freight tracking, Local Search Trends dashboards) and analytics that support engagement deliverables. The firm does not develop commercial software products; its proprietary assets are methodological frameworks and curated data tooling rather than licensed technology platforms.
TIP operates a senior-led, direct-sales consulting model. Revenue is generated through project-scoped, quote-based professional services engagements across four practice areas (Strategy, Talent, Resilience, Advisory), supplemented by royalties from published works (notably Managing Partner Jon Roberts' book The Cost of Cool), keynote speaking, and ancillary analytics and implementation services. Pricing is opaque; repeat business is described as high. The firm is bootstrapped (no external funding rounds disclosed) and is owned and controlled by its principals (CEO/Founder Tom Stellman, President Tracye McDaniel, Managing Partner Jon Roberts, Senior Partner Jeff Marcell).
Tip Strategies firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tip Strategies
- Legal name
- TIP Strategies, Inc.
- Website
- https://tipstrategies.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- TIP Strategies is a privately held Austin-based consulting firm providing economic development, workforce, resilience, and strategic planning advisory services to public and private sector clients, with 30+ years of practice across 44 states and 7 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tip Strategies industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Economic Development Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA), Restructuring & Turnaround Advisory (BPAHAOAC)
Keywords
Where Tip Strategies is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tip Strategies business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Strategic Planning Consulting: Core revenue stream from providing economic development, talent strategy, resilience planning, and advisory consulting services to public and private sector clients. Engagements range from statewide initiatives to site-specific recommendations, with pricing typically quote-based and project-scoped.
- Advisory and Implementation Services: Custom analytics, data visualizations, DEI strategies, organizational development, and implementation tools and services. Also includes keynote speaking engagements and media interviews as supplementary revenue from senior principals.
- Book Royalties and Publishing: Revenue from published works including 'The Cost of Cool: Austin's Tech Growth and the People Left Behind' by Managing Partner Jon Roberts, available through Texas A&M University Press and Amazon.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Tip Strategies product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tip Strategies is a consulting firm providing economic development, strategic planning, workforce development, and resilience advisory services to public and private sector clients. Services are organized into four practice areas (Strategy, Talent, Resilience, Advisory) and delivered through the firm's proprietary Theory Into Practice (T-I-P) planning model that combines rigorous data analysis with community-based principles. Engagements range from statewide initiatives to site-specific recommendations and are tailored to each client's objectives.
Product overview
TIP Strategies is a consulting firm offering economic development, strategic planning, and workforce development advisory services to public and private sector clients. The firm's core offering is its Theory Into Practice planning model—a three-phase methodology (Discovery, Opportunity, Implementation) that guides all engagements. Services are organized into four practice areas: Strategy (cluster analysis, entrepreneurship, placemaking), Talent (workforce development, skills analysis), Resilience (disaster recovery, economic disruption planning), and Advisory (data analytics, organizational development). The firm also produces interactive data visualization tools and publishes research insights. The flagship publication is the book The Cost of Cool on Austin's tech growth. The company operates from Austin, Texas, and has completed over 600 engagements across 44 states and 7 countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Economic Development Consulting Services Strategic planning and advisory services for economic development, including industry cluster analysis, entrepreneurship support, marketing and branding, engagement and outreach, and implementation measurement across state, regional, and local government clients. Delivered through the firm's proprietary Theory Into Practice (T-I-P) planning model.
- Strategy Practice Economic development strategy services including cluster and targeting analysis, entrepreneurship and innovation support, benchmarking and best practices, and placemaking and revitalization for public and private sector clients.
- Talent Practice Workforce development services helping communities build skilled labor pools, including occupation and skills analysis, talent development and attraction, and education and training alignment for workforce boards and regional systems.
- Resilience Practice Recovery and resilience planning services to help clients handle economic disruptions, natural disasters, and build flexible systems, with experience in federally funded projects including CARES Act recovery.
- Advisory Practice Custom analytics and data visualizations, diversity equity and inclusion strategies, organizational development, entrepreneurship and innovation support, and implementation tools and services for public and private sector clients.
- Interactive Data Visualizations In-house interactive analytical tools including Geography of Jobs, Geography of Recovery, Tracking Cross-Border Freight, Mapping Local Search Trends, and other interactive dashboards visualizing economic data for client decision-making.
- The Cost of Cool A published book authored by Managing Partner Jon Roberts examining Austin's tech-driven growth and the economic development and policy dilemmas faced by growing cities, sold through Texas A&M University Press and Amazon.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 600 engagements completed over 30 years with 425+ unique client organizations
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Tip Strategies
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Tip Strategies technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Tip Strategies partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Austin Web & DesignminorVendor providing website design services for tipstrategies.com. Listed as the site designer in the footer of the company website.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Tip Strategies competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Avalanche Consulting: Avalanche Consulting is an Austin-based economic development consulting firm serving public and private sector clients with strategy, workforce, and data analytics services. Directly comparable to TIP Strategies in niche, geography, service mix, and target buyer (state/local EDOs), making it the closest head-to-head competitor.
- Camoin Associates: Camoin Associates is an economic development consulting firm providing market analytics, strategic planning, and workforce development services to communities, regions, and states. Closely matches TIP's service portfolio (cluster analysis, talent strategy, implementation support) and public-sector client base.
- Fourth Economy: Fourth Economy is a national economic development consulting firm focused on community and economic strategy, talent, and innovation services. Its service offering, target clients (EDOs, workforce boards, higher ed), and methodology-led approach align closely with TIP Strategies' positioning.
- TEConomy Partners: TEConomy Partners provides economic development strategy, technology-based economic development, and analytics to regions, states, and universities. Highly comparable to TIP on tech transfer/commercialization, cluster analysis, and data-driven planning for state and higher-ed clients.
- HR&A Advisors: HR&A Advisors provides economic development, real estate, and infrastructure advisory to cities, states, and public agencies. While larger in scale, its mix of strategy, placemaking, and resilience/inclusive growth work is directly comparable to TIP's Strategy and Advisory practices.
- Econsult Solutions: Econsult Solutions delivers economic, real estate, and public policy consulting to governments and nonprofits. Comparable to TIP in serving city/state economic development clients with rigorous analytics and strategy engagements.
- Sasaki Associates: Sasaki is a planning and design firm with practices spanning urban planning, economic development strategy, and placemaking. Comparable to TIP's Strategy and placemaking/revitalization service lines for university, city, and institutional clients.
- RKG Associates: RKG Associates provides economic, demographic, and real estate advisory to public and private clients. Overlaps with TIP on economic development planning, workforce/talent analysis, and data visualization for state and regional clients.
Emerging players
- Jobs for the Future: Jobs for the Future is a national nonprofit focused on workforce development and economic mobility, advising states, regions, and workforce boards. Comparable to TIP's Talent practice on workforce strategy, sector-based approaches, and middle-skills gap work, but operates as a nonprofit rather than a for-profit consultancy.
- Smart Growth America: Smart Growth America is a coalition focused on equitable economic development and placemaking through advocacy, research, and technical assistance. Overlaps with TIP's placemaking, resilience, and inclusive growth practices for state and local government clients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tip Strategies social profiles
Digital presenceTip Strategies financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tip Strategies leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Tip Strategies funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tip Strategies 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 Tip Strategies
What does Tip Strategies do?
Tip Strategies is a consulting firm providing economic development, strategic planning, workforce development, and resilience advisory services to public and private sector clients. Services are organized into four practice areas (Strategy, Talent, Resilience, Advisory) and delivered through the firm's proprietary Theory Into Practice (T-I-P) planning model that combines rigorous data analysis with community-based principles. Engagements range from statewide initiatives to site-specific recommendations and are tailored to each client's objectives.
Is Tip Strategies a public or private company?
Tip Strategies is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tip Strategies founded?
Tip Strategies was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tip Strategies based?
Tip Strategies is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tip Strategies make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Strategic Planning Consulting is the primary driver. The others are advisory and Implementation Services and book Royalties and Publishing.
Who are Tip Strategies's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Avalanche Consulting, Camoin Associates, Fourth Economy, TEConomy Partners, HR&A Advisors, Econsult Solutions, Sasaki Associates and RKG Associates. Emerging players are Jobs for the Future and Smart Growth America.
Does Tip Strategies have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tip Strategies.
What industry is Tip Strategies in?
Tip Strategies's product category is Economic Development Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAA, Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHADAA, Corporate Strategy Advisory. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.