Change Guides
Change Guides is a Cincinnati-based change management consultancy, founded in 2005 and now part of TiER1 Performance's XPLANE brand. It sells change management certifications, training toolkits, and consulting services to enterprise clients and individual practitioners worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersCincinnati, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Change Guides does
Change Guides is a Cincinnati-based change management consultancy founded in 2005 by former Deloitte consultants Stacy Aaron and Kate Nelson. The firm provides organizational change management training, certifications, and hands-on consulting services to enterprise clients, individual practitioners, and small nonprofits. Its core offerings are two certification programs — the Change Management Certification and the Managing Change in an Agile World Certification — alongside the Change Enablement Collection, a bundled library of worksheets, webinars, books, and toolkits, with adjacent learning solutions covering Transformation, Thriving Organizations, and Collaboration.
The underlying product is content- and methodology-driven rather than technology-driven: a proprietary change management framework refined over 20 years of consulting engagements, distributed through both self-serve online channels and direct enterprise sales. The company monetizes through three revenue streams — recurring/multi-seat professional certifications, one-time sales of toolkits and books via the XPLANE online shop, and bespoke consulting engagements delivered by senior consultants. The customer base spans 100+ named organizations across healthcare (Pfizer, Kaiser Permanente, J&J), retail (Walmart, Kroger, Macy's), transportation (FedEx, Delta, United), financial services (American Express, Lincoln Financial), manufacturing (Caterpillar), technology (HP, Siemens), and government (US Navy, GSA).
In 2024, Change Guides was acquired by TiER1 Performance and integrated into the XPLANE at TiER1 family, which extended its distribution reach (including a Madrid, Spain office) and bundled its certifications with a broader transformation suite. Despite the acquisition, the firm continues to operate with 1–10 employees and no disclosed external funding, pointing to a boutique, content-led business model dependent on founder expertise and a curated product catalog rather than scalable technology.
Change Guides firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Change Guides
- Website
- https://changeguidesllc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Change Guides is a Cincinnati-based change management consultancy, founded in 2005 and now part of TiER1 Performance's XPLANE brand. It sells change management certifications, training toolkits, and consulting services to enterprise clients and individual practitioners worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Change Guides industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Change Management Consulting & Training
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organization Design & Change Management Consulting (BPAHACAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Change Management & Transformation Consulting (BPAHAGAC), Change Management & Transformation Leadership (EDABAAAD), Organizational Change & Transformation Coaching (EDABANAG)
Keywords
Where Change Guides is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cincinnati
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Change Guides business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Professional Certifications: Change management certification programs offered to individuals and teams, providing credentials in change management and agile change methodologies.
- Training Products and Tools: Sale of worksheets, toolkits, books, and other practical change management resources through the online shop.
- Consulting Services: Hands-on consulting services delivered by seasoned consultants for organizational change implementation.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Change Guides product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Change Guides provides change management certification programs, training products, and hands-on consulting services to help organizations and individual professionals lead meaningful organizational change. Core offerings include the Change Management Certification, the Managing Change in an Agile World Certification, and the Change Enablement Collection (worksheets, webinars, books, and toolkits), complemented by learning solutions in Transformation, Thriving Organizations, and Collaboration. Distribution and delivery are handled via the XPLANE at TiER1 platform following the 2024 acquisition by TiER1 Performance.
Product overview
Change Guides offers a portfolio of change management certification programs and training products. The core offerings include two certification programs—Change Management Certification and Managing Change in an Agile World Certification—alongside The Change Enablement Collection, a comprehensive suite of worksheets, webinars, books, and toolkits. These products are complemented by additional learning solutions including Transformation, Thriving Organizations, and Collaboration modules. The products are designed to work together as a unified approach to building organizational change capability, from individual certification to team-based learning and resource deployment. Change Guides became part of TiER1 Performance and joined the XPLANE at TiER1 family in 2024.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Change Enablement Collection: A full suite of products including worksheets, webinars, books, and toolkits designed to help leaders drive and sustain organizational change.
- Change Management Certification
- Managing Change in an Agile World Certification
Products and services
- Change Management Certification A certification program providing a proven, practical approach to change management, helping participants forge alignment, navigate resistance, and ensure lasting adoption in their organizations. Designed for change leaders, HR and organizational development professionals, and teams undertaking transformation.
- Managing Change in an Agile World Certification A certification program teaching agile change management principles for leading change in fast-moving environments, enabling participants to drive adoption and lasting impact. Targeted at change leaders working within agile or hybrid delivery contexts.
- The Change Enablement Collection A comprehensive suite of change management products including worksheets, webinars, books, and toolkits, designed to help leaders drive and sustain organizational change. Sold through the online shop as a packaged collection of practical resources for change leaders and teams.
- Facilitated Sprints A facilitated sprint experience for teams working on change initiatives, delivered as part of the Experiences/Team Learning offering under the Change Guides portfolio.
- Change Management Consulting Services Hands-on consulting services delivered by seasoned consultants for organizational change implementation, provided to enterprise clients including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, healthcare organizations, and nonprofits.
Quantifiable outcome
- Trusted by organizations across 100+ named clients including Fortune 500 companies
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Change Guides
Customer profileNamed customers25 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Change Guides technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Change Guides partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TiER1 PerformancecoreChange Guides officially became part of TiER1 Performance and joined the XPLANE at TiER1 family in 2024. This integration provides Change Guides with access to a broader suite of transformation tools and experiences while maintaining its quality content and training offerings.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Change Guides competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Deloitte (Human Capital Practice): Deloitte — the founders' alma mater — offers large-scale organizational transformation and change management consulting as part of its broader Human Capital practice, representing both a competitor and a talent pipeline.
- McKinsey & Company (Organization Practice): McKinsey's Organization Practice delivers large-scale change and transformation advisory to Fortune 500 clients, competing for the same enterprise transformation budgets targeted by Change Guides.
- Association for Talent Development (ATD): ATD is a broader professional association providing training, certifications (CPTD, APTD), and resources across talent development — overlapping with Change Guides on the professional certification and corporate training side.
- PeopleCert (AXELOS / ITIL & PRINCE2): PeopleCert owns AXELOS's portfolio of best-practice certifications (ITIL, PRINCE2, MSP) and competes for the same individual practitioner certification spend as Change Guides' change management certifications.
Direct peers
- Prosci: Prosci is the dominant provider of change management methodology (ADKAR), certifications, and research. It is the closest direct competitor to Change Guides in change management training, certification, and enterprise advisory.
- Change Management Institute (CMI): CMI offers change management certifications, accreditation, and a global community of practitioners — competing for the same individual certification buyers and enterprise capability-building budgets as Change Guides.
- LaMarsh Global: LaMarsh Global provides structured change management training, certifications, and consulting using its own methodology — comparable to Change Guides' certification-led, methodology-driven go-to-market.
- Kotter Inc. Kotter Inc. commercializes John Kotter's change management frameworks, offering training, coaching, and tools for enterprise transformation — directly overlapping with Change Guides' certification and advisory offerings.
Emerging players
- Coursera (Change Management specializations): Coursera hosts multiple change management courses and professional certificates from universities and institutions, representing a scalable, low-cost alternative channel that could erode pricing for Change Guides' certification programs.
- TI People: TI People is a specialist transformation and change capability firm offering assessments, training, and tooling — emerging as a more digitally-enabled, data-driven alternative to traditional change consultancies like Change Guides.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Change Guides social profiles
Digital presenceChange Guides financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Change Guides leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Change Guides funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Change Guides 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 Change Guides
What does Change Guides do?
Change Guides provides change management certification programs, training products, and hands-on consulting services to help organizations and individual professionals lead meaningful organizational change. Core offerings include the Change Management Certification, the Managing Change in an Agile World Certification, and the Change Enablement Collection (worksheets, webinars, books, and toolkits), complemented by learning solutions in Transformation, Thriving Organizations, and Collaboration. Distribution and delivery are handled via the XPLANE at TiER1 platform following the 2024 acquisition by TiER1 Performance.
Is Change Guides a public or private company?
Change Guides is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Change Guides founded?
Change Guides was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Change Guides based?
Change Guides is headquartered in Cincinnati, United States, in the North America region.
How does Change Guides make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Professional Certifications are the primary driver. The others are training Products and Tools and consulting Services.
Who are Change Guides's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Deloitte (Human Capital Practice), McKinsey & Company (Organization Practice), Association for Talent Development (ATD) and PeopleCert (AXELOS / ITIL & PRINCE2). Direct peers are Prosci, Change Management Institute (CMI), LaMarsh Global and Kotter Inc.. Emerging players are Coursera (Change Management specializations) and TI People.
Does Change Guides have an API?
No public API is recorded for Change Guides.
What industry is Change Guides in?
Change Guides's product category is Change Management Consulting & Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAD, Organization Design & Change Management Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHAGAC, Change Management & Transformation Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.