Corporate Strategy Institute

What Corporate Strategy Institute does

Corporate Strategy Institute, Inc. (CSI) is a privately held strategic management consulting firm headquartered in Orlando, Florida, specializing in the application of the Blue Ocean Strategy methodology developed by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. The firm operates a solo-practitioner model led by founding Managing Partner and CEO Dr. Sarah Layton, who is qualified by the Blue Ocean Strategy Initiative Centre in London and holds the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and Fellow of IMC USA (FIMC) designations. CSI delivers four primary service tracks — Grow My Business, Finance My Business, Sell My Business, and Explore New Markets — together with a CSI Support and Resources bundle that includes Strategy Diagnostic, Corporate Valuation, M&A Transaction Guidance, and the Maximum Value Sales Program. The portfolio is anchored in the Strategic Planning Process methodology, which produces written, living strategic plans with actionable milestones rather than static documents.

The firm sells through direct consulting engagements, phone and email inquiries, and professional referrals, with no channel partners or resellers. Pricing is custom and quote-based, structured around multi-year contracts. Service delivery is conducted one-on-one with Dr. Layton, supplemented by two-day executive workshops delivered internationally in countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and India. Disclosed clients span manufacturing (automotive, machinery, electromechanical, beverage), financial services, healthcare, hospitality (airport hotels), telecommunications, IT management services, and government contracting — a deliberately horizontal segmentation targeting enterprise and mid-market organizations seeking new markets, exit preparation, or capital sourcing readiness.

CSI's revenue mechanics depend on Dr. Layton's billable capacity as the sole named senior consultant, with 1–10 employees reported in firmographics and no institutional funding or parent company disclosed. Marketing relies on thought-leadership content (blog, gated articles, newsletter), social media (LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube, Facebook), professional association visibility through IMC USA, and personal-brand development rather than paid acquisition. The operating model is therefore best characterized as a high-expertise, low-scale professional services practice in which the firm's competitive position is effectively the founder's credentials, methodology license, and curated partner network rather than technology infrastructure or scale economics.

Name

Corporate Strategy Institute

Legal name

Corporate Strategy Institute, Inc.

Website

https://corporatestrategy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHADAA

Corporate Strategy Advisory

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Strategy & Corporate Finance Advisory

SECONDARYBPAHACAA

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Management Consulting

SECONDARYBPAHADAK

Corporate Development & Portfolio Optimization

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Strategy & Corporate Finance Advisory

SECONDARYBPAHADAB

Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Strategy & Corporate Finance Advisory

Keywords

• Strategic management consulting
• Corporate strategic planning
• Blue ocean strategy
• Executive coaching services
• Business valuation consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Strategic Planning Consulting: Direct consulting engagements for corporate strategic planning, including assessments, corporate valuations, and strategic planning processes
2. Blue Ocean Strategy Workshops: Interactive workshops on Blue Ocean Strategy methodology, conducted internationally across multiple countries
3. Maximum Value Sales Program: Business sales preparation and broker network connection services for companies looking to sell
4. Executive Coaching: One-on-one coaching for CEOs and executives dealing with sensitive organizational issues

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Corporate Strategy Institute is a strategic management consulting firm that helps businesses create corporate strategic plans and apply the Blue Ocean Strategy methodology. Services span strategic planning workshops, executive coaching, organizational restructuring, corporate valuation, and M&A guidance, with the goal of helping clients discover new markets, new revenue streams, and prepare for growth, financing, or sale.

Product overview

Corporate Strategy Institute is a strategic management consulting firm offering an integrated portfolio of consulting services centered around corporate strategic planning and Blue Ocean Strategy methodology. The core offerings include Corporate Strategic Planning and the Blue Ocean Strategy Consulting service, which help clients create uncontested market space and make competition irrelevant. Supporting these are the CSI Support and Resources bundle containing Strategy Diagnostic, Corporate Valuation, and Merger and Acquisition Transaction Guidance modules. The firm also offers four service tracks addressing specific business needs: Grow My Business, Finance My Business, Sell My Business (including the Maximum Value Sales Program), and Explore New Markets. The Strategic Planning Process serves as the foundational methodology that ties these offerings together, emphasizing written strategic plans with actionable milestones as living documents. The consulting firm positions its services as helping companies discover new revenue streams, increase profits, and reduce costs through value innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Strategic Planning Comprehensive strategic planning consulting that helps companies create their vision, mission, values, key objectives and future direction through a collaborative planning process with actionable milestones.
• Blue Ocean Strategy Consulting
• CSI Support and Resources
• Strategic Planning Process
• Grow My Business
• Finance My Business
• Sell My Business
• Explore New Markets

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies doubled in size within 5 years while maintaining respectable profit
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and supporting.

• International Council of Management Consulting InstitutesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Global professional body for management consulting institutes. Dr. Layton represented IMC USA along with two other US delegates at the congress held in Dublin, Ireland.
• Blue Ocean Strategy Initiative Centre, LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Dr. Layton was invited to participate in the qualification process after reviewing the Blue Ocean Strategy book in Consulting to Management Magazine. She met with authors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne in Fontainebleau, France in late 2006. This qualification allows CSI to utilize Blue Ocean Strategy tools, concepts and frameworks in consulting engagements.
• Institute for Management Consultants USA (IMC USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association for management consultants with Dr. Layton serving on national board, chairing 2004 North American Conference, and founding Florida Chapter. IMC USA awards the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation.
• Florida Southern CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Layton serves as Trustee including Chair of Orlando Campus Board, and member of finance, academic affairs, and presidential selection committees. Also received Distinguished Alumni Award.
• Junior Achievement of Central FloridaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Layton serves as Corporate Secretary and Director of Junior Achievement of Central Florida and as Trustee of the Junior Achievement of Central Florida Foundation. Also charter member of Free Enterprise Society.
• M&A Professional NetworksupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNetwork of M&A professionals used to help clients identify relationships best for their growth trajectory. Also used for merger and acquisition transaction guidance.
• Capital Resources NetworksupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of capital resources including banks, venture capitalists, and financing sources referred to clients preparing for capital acquisition. Helps clients 'get pretty' for financing sources.
• Business Sales Professional NetworksupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQualified and approved network of business sales professionals in the Maximum Value Sales Program. Deliver comprehensive marketing, sales promotion, management, and closing programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Strategos: Strategy consulting firm founded by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, originators of the Blue Ocean Strategy framework that Corporate Strategy Institute is qualified to deploy. Direct peer in methodology, customer type (executives seeking strategic repositioning), and niche.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: Largest global management consultancy with broad corporate strategy practice serving Fortune 500 and large enterprise clients — the same buyer profile CSI targets. Overlaps in strategic planning, growth strategy, and corporate finance advisory, though at vastly greater scale.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): Global strategy consulting incumbent with deep practice in corporate strategy, growth, and value creation — directly overlapping CSI's core service lines for large enterprise and Fortune 500 clients across multiple industries.
• Bain & Company: Global strategy consulting firm with adjacent practices in growth strategy, M&A advisory, and corporate value creation that overlap with CSI's service tracks (Grow My Business, Finance My Business, Sell My Business).
• Deloitte Consulting: Large professional services firm with a strategy and operations consulting practice serving multinational enterprises on strategic planning, M&A, and value innovation — overlapping with CSI's enterprise client engagements.
• Accenture Strategy: Global consulting arm of Accenture providing corporate strategy, growth, and transformation services to large enterprises, overlapping with CSI's strategic planning and value innovation offerings.
• Roland Berger: Global strategy consultancy with strong corporate development, value creation, and operational strategy practices serving large industrial and enterprise clients — closely adjacent to CSI's manufacturing-heavy client base.
• Kearney: Global management consultancy with strategy and corporate development practices serving large enterprises in manufacturing, telecommunications, and industrials — sectors overlapping CSI's client portfolio.
• L.E.K. Consulting: Global strategy consulting firm focused on corporate strategy, M&A, and value creation for mid-market and large enterprise clients — comparable in service mix (growth strategy, value innovation, deal advisory) to CSI.
• Arthur D. Little: Established global management and strategy consultancy covering corporate strategy, innovation, and operations improvement — adjacent peer serving enterprise clients across manufacturing and services sectors that overlap CSI's footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/drsarahl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/drsarahl
• Facebookfacebook.com/sarah.layton.9047
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/blueoceanstrategy10

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Corporate Strategy Institute