Cultivate Brands
Holding company operating five advisory and operational service brands—business advisory, executive coaching, outsourced accounting, HR consulting, and operational software—targeting small to mid-market business owners and entrepreneurs globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersOak Brook, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cultivate Brands does
Cultivate Brands is a privately held holding company headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, that operates a portfolio of five complementary advisory and operational service brands targeting small to mid-market business owners and entrepreneurs globally. The portfolio comprises Cultivate Advisors (1:1 business advisory pairing experienced operators with owners to accelerate enterprise value), Petra Coach (quarterly strategic planning and executive team coaching for low to mid-market organizations), Breakwater Accounting & Advisory (outsourced bookkeeping, payroll, receivables, payables, and controller services), Blackwell HR (human resources consulting for SMBs and non-profits), and Propel (operational management software for visibility and performance). Each brand maintains independent operations and brand identity, while shared leadership under Managing Director Casey Clark and Co-Founder Dan Gramann coordinates the holding-company layer.
The business operates a subscription or recurring revenue model across every brand, with services delivered through direct advisory engagements led by brand leaders and senior consultants. Propel is the proprietary technology platform deployed across the portfolio to increase operational visibility and simplify execution, while Breakwater layers technology into its bookkeeping and financial workflows; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is sales-led, driven by partner referrals, multiple brand websites, and LinkedIn presence, with stated reach across "thousands of business owners globally." Customer segments are horizontal SMB/mid-market — including both for-profit and non-profit organizations — seeking strategic direction, financial operations support, HR solutions, and operational management tooling.
Cultivate Brands originated from Cultivate Advisors, co-founded in 2013 by Casey Clark and Dan Gramann; the holding company structure was formed in 2021 around Breakwater and has since acquired Petra Coach (announced 2024-04-24) and Blackwell HR, while internally launching the Propel software venture. The company employs approximately 140 team members across the portfolio (firmographic listing 11-50), reports 5,000+ businesses impacted and 750+ five-star Google reviews, and has been named to the Inc. 5000 fastest growing companies list for seven consecutive years. Funding to date includes a $1,302,000 round in January 2024; no revenue, ARR, or valuation figures are publicly disclosed.
Cultivate Brands firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cultivate Brands
- Legal name
- Cultivate Brands
- Website
- https://cultivate-brands.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Holding company operating five advisory and operational service brands—business advisory, executive coaching, outsourced accounting, HR consulting, and operational software—targeting small to mid-market business owners and entrepreneurs globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cultivate Brands industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Business Consulting and Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Other Holding Companies (551112), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Strategy Advisory (BPAHADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH), Founder/Entrepreneur & Family Business Executive Coaching (EDABANAM), Organizational Culture & Values-Based Leadership (EDABAAAE)
Keywords
Where Cultivate Brands is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oak Brook
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Cultivate Brands business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Business Advisory Services: Cultivate Advisors provides business advisory services partnering successful entrepreneurs with business owners to accelerate enterprise value
- Executive Coaching: Petra Coach facilitates strategic planning sessions with executive teams and drives performance culture for organizations
- Outsourced Accounting & Bookkeeping: Breakwater provides outsourced bookkeeping, payroll, receivables, payables, and controller services for for-profit and non-profit organizations
- HR Consulting Services: Blackwell HR provides human resources consulting and practical HR solutions for small to mid-sized businesses and non-profits
- Operational Management Software: Propel provides operational management software to increase visibility and drive performance for businesses
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Cultivate Brands product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cultivate Brands is a holding company for a community of five service brands that empower small to mid-market business owners: Cultivate Advisors provides 1:1 business advisory, Petra Coach delivers quarterly executive team coaching, Breakwater Accounting + Advisory offers outsourced bookkeeping and controller services, Blackwell HR provides human resources consulting, and Propel supplies operational management software for visibility and performance.
Product overview
Cultivate Brands is a holding company/community of five brands that empower business owners and their teams. The portfolio consists of: Cultivate Advisors (1:1 business advisory pairing successful entrepreneurs with business owners), Petra Coach (quarterly planning and executive team coaching), Breakwater Accounting + Advisory (outsourced bookkeeping, payroll, and controller services), Blackwell HR (HR consulting solutions), and Propel (operational management software). The brands operate independently while sharing the unified vision of 'A World Made Better by Entrepreneurs' and collectively support thousands of business owners across financial planning, strategic coaching, HR, and technology services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cultivate Advisors: A business advisory firm that partners past successful entrepreneurs with hungry business owners to accelerate their enterprise value and propel their business beyond expectations
- Petra Coach
- Breakwater Accounting & Advisory
- Blackwell HR
- Propel
Products and services
- Cultivate Advisors Business advisory firm that partners past successful entrepreneurs with business owners in a 1:1 environment to accelerate their enterprise value and propel their business beyond expectations.
- Petra Coach Executive coaching practice that facilitates quarterly planning sessions with executive teams to build a world-class performance culture driving accountability and execution for low to mid-market organizations.
- Breakwater Accounting + Advisory Accounting firm providing bookkeeping, payroll, receivables, payables, and controller services for for-profit and non-profit organizations, with a focus on streamlining workflows using technology.
- Blackwell HR Human resources consulting firm partnering with small to mid-sized businesses and non-profits to design and implement practical HR solutions, enabling leaders to focus on mission while effectively engaging and supporting their teams.
- Propel Operational management software company that works with businesses and partners to increase visibility, drive performance, and simplify their operational approach.
Quantifiable outcome
- 5000+ businesses impacted across brand portfolio
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cultivate Brands
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cultivate Brands technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Cultivate Brands partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Petra CoachcoreCultivate Brands acquired Petra Coach, a leadership and executive coaching firm, to enhance its service offerings to entrepreneurs. Petra Coach's operations remain independent within Cultivate Brands, with founder Andy Bailey continuing as a strategic advisor. Petra Coach facilitates quarterly planning sessions with executive teams to build performance culture for low to mid-market organizations.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cultivate Brands competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cultivate Brands social profiles
Digital presenceCultivate Brands financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cultivate Brands leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Cultivate Brands subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Cultivate Brands funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cultivate Brands M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cultivate Brands
What does Cultivate Brands do?
Cultivate Brands is a holding company for a community of five service brands that empower small to mid-market business owners: Cultivate Advisors provides 1:1 business advisory, Petra Coach delivers quarterly executive team coaching, Breakwater Accounting + Advisory offers outsourced bookkeeping and controller services, Blackwell HR provides human resources consulting, and Propel supplies operational management software for visibility and performance.
Is Cultivate Brands a public or private company?
Cultivate Brands is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cultivate Brands founded?
Cultivate Brands was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cultivate Brands based?
Cultivate Brands is headquartered in Oak Brook, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cultivate Brands make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Business Advisory Services are the primary driver. The others are executive Coaching, outsourced Accounting & Bookkeeping, HR Consulting Services and operational Management Software.
Does Cultivate Brands have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cultivate Brands.
What industry is Cultivate Brands in?
Cultivate Brands's product category is Business Consulting and Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHADAA, Corporate Strategy Advisory, with a secondary code of BPACAJAH, Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture). Its NAICS code is 551112 and its SIC code is 8742.