What The Leverage Consulting Co. does

The Leverage Consulting Co. (撬动企业战略咨询 / Apexmind Consulting) is a Shanghai-headquartered strategic positioning consulting firm founded in 2022 by Yao Rongjun, targeting industry-leading Chinese enterprises seeking brand-strategy transformation, campaign-driven growth, and global expansion. Its core offering is built on a proprietary methodology called the "Positioning Equation" (定位方程 = Tactics × Strategy^Campaigns), which the firm positions as an upgrade to classical positioning theory for a "campaign era," integrating cognitive, physical, and network battlefields. The firm supplements human advisory with a self-developed AI system used for data collection, strategic visualization, and generative brand content (including AI-produced commercials).

The business model combines three revenue streams: annual strategic consulting contracts at a standard price of 15.9 million RMB/year (including tax) covering research, campaign design, implementation, and annual review; strategic training programs (the Apexmind Strategic Course has been delivered 100+ times to 10,000+ entrepreneurs); and a "knowledge capitalization" arm that takes equity stakes in client companies alongside consulting fees. Client engagement is delivered through annual apex conferences (held at MIT in 2025 and Hong Kong in 2026), private sharing sessions, and academic partnerships with Peking University HSBC Business School and MIT. Marquee clients include CHAGEE, Pantum, Softide, Xiao Guan Cha, and Pigeon China, with 62 enterprises served over 10 years and 18 industry leaders signed in the most recent 2-year window.

The firm holds CMC-FIRM international consulting certification, was appointed as a director-level member of the China Management Science Society (2024), received the 9th China Management Science Society Management Science Award (the first consulting firm in 18 years to do so), and was certified "Global Innovator in Strategic Positioning" by Frost & Sullivan. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees across offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong, with a senior leadership team of 9 named strategists. Geographic reach spans China, Hong Kong SAR, and the US, with case work touching 30+ countries and regions.

Name

The Leverage Consulting Co.

Legal name

上海撬动常识教育科技有限公司 (Shanghai Qiao Dong Chang Shi Jiao Yu Ke Ji You Xian Gong Si)

Website

https://www.qiaodong.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Apexmind Consulting is a Shanghai-headquartered strategic positioning firm that helps Chinese industry-leading enterprises redesign brand strategy, design growth campaigns, and expand globally using its proprietary Positioning Equation methodology and AI-enabled consulting platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG), Brand & Portfolio Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAB), Learning, Training & Corporate Education Consulting (BPAHAGAE), Financial Management & Performance Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAF)

Keywords

• Strategic positioning consulting
• Enterprise strategy services
• Brand positioning methodology
• Management consulting
• Strategic training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Huangpu

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting Services: Annual strategic consulting contracts at 15.9 million RMB/year (including tax). Services include strategic research (locking strategic fulcrum), campaign system design, implementation support, and annual review/next-year campaign planning.
2. Strategic Training / Education: Strategic training programs including the Apexmind Strategic Course (撬动战略课), which has been conducted over 100+ sessions and trained 10,000+ entrepreneurs. Training fees charged for participation in strategic education programs.
3. Strategic Investment / Knowledge Capitalization: Knowledge capitalization model — firm takes equity stakes in client companies alongside providing consulting services, creating shared incentives. Firm describes itself as having capital attributes rather than purely a consulting firm.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Leverage Consulting Co. provides annual enterprise strategic positioning consulting built on its proprietary Positioning Equation (定位方程) methodology, helping industry-leading enterprises redefine brand positioning, design strategic campaigns, and execute growth transformations. Service delivery combines strategic research, campaign system design, implementation support, and annual review cycles via 15.9M RMB/year contracts, supplemented by strategic training courses, private executive retreats, equity-based strategic investments, and the annual Apexmind Conference.

Product overview

Leverage Consulting (Apexmind Consulting/撬动企业战略咨询) is a strategic positioning consulting firm offering integrated services combining strategic consulting, strategic training, and strategic investment. The core offering is strategic positioning consulting built on the proprietary 'Positioning Equation' methodology (拐点=战术×战役的战略次方), supported by the Leverage Strategic Course training program and exclusive Executive Retreat sessions. The firm also provides strategic investment services, taking equity stakes in client companies alongside consulting engagements. The company has helped 62 enterprises achieve scale growth over 10 years, with notable success stories including CHAGEE (grew from 1.29B to 29.5B RMB), Pigeon China, and Pantum printers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Positioning Consulting (战略定位咨询) Core annual strategic consulting service for enterprises, built on the proprietary Positioning Equation methodology. Covers strategic research (locking strategic fulcrum), campaign system design, implementation support, and annual review/next-year campaign planning. Delivered via annual contracts at 15.9 million RMB/year (including tax).
• Apexmind Strategic Course (撬动战略课) Strategic training program for entrepreneurs and business leaders teaching the Positioning Equation methodology and campaign-based strategic execution. Conducted over 100 sessions, training 10,000+ entrepreneurs. Functions as both a paid training product and a client acquisition channel.
• Apexmind Private Session / Executive Retreat (撬动私享会) Exclusive strategic sharing sessions featuring Apexmind founders and senior partners, focused on real strategic challenges through case studies and interactive problem-solving with industry leaders. Functions as a premium lead-conversion event for serious engagement.
• Strategic Investment / Knowledge Capitalization (战略投资) Capital investment service combining strategic expertise with equity participation. Apexmind invests in client companies alongside providing strategic consulting, creating aligned interests and shared success — described by the firm as having "capital attributes" rather than purely a consulting firm.
• Apexmind Conference (撬动大会) Annual flagship strategic conference series bringing together 300+ entrepreneurs, academics, and industry experts for case sharing, strategic insights, and networking. Held annually on the second day of the second lunar month. 2025 held at MIT (US); 2026 held in Hong Kong.

Quantifiable outcome

• From 12.9 billion to 295 billion GMV for CHAGEE within 2 years of partnership
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and key.

• 香港管理顾问学会 (IMCHK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026Apexmind Hong Kong company officially unveiled at 2026 conference. Founder Yao Rongjun awarded IMCHK Honorary Academician. The partnership positions Apexmind as a bridge between Chinese strategic consulting and global management consulting standards.
• 香港中华厂商联合会 (HKCDB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Apexmind partnered with Hong Kong Chinese Manufacturers Association and other organizations at the 2026 conference. The partnership supports Chinese brands going global and Hong Kong enterprises entering mainland markets, under the theme of 'cultural handshake and strategic symbiosis'.
• 国际管理咨询协会理事会 (ICMCI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025ICMCI Chairman Nicholas Warn led a delegation to visit Apexmind and the Softide Smart Bed Super Factory. ICMCI recognized Apexmind's integrated 'Consulting + Manufacturing' model as a benchmark for the global consulting industry. 10+ international media (Reuters, AP, etc.) covered the visit.
• 麻省理工学院 (MIT)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Apexmind hosted the 'China Enterprise Strategic Innovation Global Forum' at MIT in March 2025 — the 2025 Apexmind Conference. Yao Rongjun delivered a keynote 'From Positioning Theory to Positioning Equation'. MIT Sloan Management Review subsequently published an analysis of Apexmind's methodology.
• 中国管理科学学会 (China Management Science Society)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Apexmind appointed as a director-level member (理事单位) of the China Management Science Society — a national first-level academic organization established in 1980 and one of China's most influential management think tanks.
• 弗若斯特沙利文 (Frost & Sullivan)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Global growth consulting firm Frost & Sullivan certified Apexmind as the 'Global Innovator in Strategic Positioning' — the highest recognition in its category. This certification validates Apexmind's positioning equation methodology and AI-integrated consulting innovation globally.
• 霸王茶姬 (CHAGEE)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Both Apexmind clients. 小罐茶 opened its 135 tea patents to 霸王茶姬 as the first recipient (专利开源). Both brands collaborate under the 'modern Oriental tea' strategic framework, with 霸王茶姬 adopting 小罐茶's patented tea processing technology.
• 分众传媒 (Focus Media)keyGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2024Apexmind and Focus Media jointly hosted industry forums exploring enterprise growth strategies in the new economic environment. Focus Media provides media distribution network while Apexmind provides strategic insights — a complementary GTM partnership.
• 北京大学汇丰商学院 (Peking University HSBC Business School)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Since 2010, founder Yao Rongjun established the Positioning Center at Peking University HSBC Business School, promoting strategic positioning theory in China's top academic institutions. Over 10,000 entrepreneurs trained through these academic programs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 君智咨询 (Junzhi Consulting): Direct competitor in Chinese strategic positioning consulting. Founded by Wei Wei, also a former 定位 (positioning) pioneer, Junzhi has served major Chinese brands with similar methodology and client base (industry leaders, billion-RMB+ companies). It is the closest direct peer in positioning-strategy consulting.
• 特劳特中国 (Trout China): Chinese affiliate of Jack Trout's global Trout & Partners, one of the original proponents of strategic positioning theory. Directly competes for the same category of industry-leading Chinese enterprise clients seeking positioning-led strategic transformation.
• 里斯中国 (Lisis/Ries China): Chinese strategic positioning consulting firm affiliated with the Ries/Trout positioning legacy. Directly competes with Apexmind in the positioning-strategy category, serving large Chinese enterprises facing category competition and growth challenges.
• 华与华营销咨询 (Hua & Hua Consulting): Chinese brand strategy and marketing consulting firm serving large Chinese enterprises. Competes in adjacent categories around brand strategy, super-symbol design, and corporate strategy, with a similar client base of Chinese industry-leading enterprises.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company (Greater China): Global strategy consulting leader with significant Greater China operations. Serves similar enterprise client base but offers broader strategic services beyond positioning; competes with Apexmind for the largest Chinese and multinational clients.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): Global strategy consulting leader with substantial China presence. Competes for the same enterprise clients but offers broader portfolio of strategy, operations, and digital transformation services rather than positioning specialization.
• Bain & Company: Global strategy consulting firm with strong China operations. Competes for major Chinese enterprise clients across strategy, M&A, and operations; sits in the broader incumbent category rather than positioning-specific.
• Roland Berger: Global strategy consulting firm with established China practice. Competes for enterprise strategy engagements but offers broader portfolio beyond positioning; serves as a global incumbent competitor.
• 蓝色光标 (BlueFocus): Large Chinese marketing and communication services group. Broader incumbent offering marketing communications, digital marketing, and brand services; competes with Apexmind for brand strategy budgets but with much wider scope.

Regional players

• 长城战略咨询 (Great Wall Strategy Consulting): Chinese strategy consulting firm with similar positioning-style methodology, but more focused on regional/sector strategy and government-related engagements. Domestic peer with overlapping service style but more limited enterprise clientele.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 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 The Leverage Consulting Co.