Strong Professional
Strong Professional is a Minneapolis-based talent development consultancy providing training, coaching, facilitation, assessments, and consulting to advertising agencies and corporations, with a team of 17 certified coaches serving 100+ agency clients and enterprise accounts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Strong Professional does
Strong Professional is a Minneapolis-based talent development consultancy founded in 2004 by Mark Strong, a 25-year veteran of Fallon and McCann. The firm delivers training, executive and leadership coaching, team facilitation, workplace assessments, organizational consulting, and custom experiential events to advertising agencies, corporations, and individual professionals. Its portfolio includes 50+ training modules and programs (Leadership Essentials, Manager Essentials, Presentation Skills, Consultative Selling, Agency Leadership) alongside a recent expansion into AI 101, Emotional Regulation, Presence OS, and Time Maximization. Assessment offerings span DiSC, Clifton Strengths, Genos EI, 360-degree feedback, and the Five Functions of a Team, with unit pricing of $90–$250 per assessment plus optional expert debrief sessions.
The firm's core technology is its human capital: a team of 17 coaches, trainers, and facilitators, nearly all of whom hold 20+ years of senior agency or corporate experience and recognized coaching credentials (ICF, iPEC, CTI, Gallup, CCL, DiSC). There is no proprietary software platform; delivery is service-based and labor-intensive. The business model is custom-priced professional services sold through a consultative, sales-led motion anchored by free 20-minute consultation calls. A complementary self-serve channel allows individual buyers to purchase DiSC assessments online. Revenue streams include training services, executive/leadership coaching, team facilitation, workplace assessments, and consulting engagements spanning organizational design, succession planning, and change management. The firm reports a 95% repeat engagement rate among agency clients and a 98% usefulness rating among coaching participants, and distributes programs through a strategic partnership with the 4A's trade association.
Strong Professional firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Strong Professional
- Legal name
- Strong Professional
- Website
- https://strongprofessional.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Strong Professional is a Minneapolis-based talent development consultancy providing training, coaching, facilitation, assessments, and consulting to advertising agencies and corporations, with a team of 17 certified coaches serving 100+ agency clients and enterprise accounts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Strong Professional industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Management Consulting
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Team Leadership & High-Performance Teams (EDABAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Executive Presence & Communication Coaching (EDABANAE), Team & Group Executive Coaching (Leadership Teams) (EDABANAF), Performance & Accountability Coaching (EDABANAD), Sales Leadership & Revenue Executive Coaching (EDABANAL), Sales, Customer Service & Soft Skills Training (BPACANAD)
Keywords
Where Strong Professional is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Strong Professional business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Training Services: Leadership development, manager training, presentation skills, and sales training delivered as group workshops, team sessions, or one-on-one engagements. Custom-priced based on group size, format, and program design.
- Executive and Leadership Coaching: One-on-one coaching engagements for executives, managers, and professionals. Includes executive coaching, performance coaching, transition coaching, and career coaching. Custom-priced based on engagement structure and coach experience level.
- Team Facilitation: Strategic planning sessions, executive offsites, team alignment workshops, and custom facilitation engagements. Session range from half-day workshops to multi-day offsites.
- Workplace Assessments: DiSC assessments (Workplace, Sales, Managers, Work of Leaders, Agile EQ), Genos EI, Clifton Strengths, 360-degree feedback, and Five Functions of a Team. Assessment pricing ranges from $90-$250 per person with optional debrief sessions.
- Consulting Services: Organizational design, talent strategy, succession planning, performance management, and change management consulting engagements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | DiSC Workplace Assessment |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Workplace Assessments (General) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Training Programs |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Strong Professional product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Strong Professional is a talent development consultancy that delivers training, executive and leadership coaching, team facilitation, workplace assessments, and organizational consulting. Services are custom-designed for advertising agencies, marketing/creative shops, and corporate clients across technology, media, financial services, and healthcare sectors. Delivery is performed by a team of certified coaches and former agency leaders, with offerings ranging from individual assessments to multi-session training programs and offsites.
Product overview
Strong Professional is a talent development consultancy offering a modular portfolio of professional development services organized around six core offerings: Training (50+ modules and programs), Coaching (executive, leadership, performance, team, and on-demand coaching), Facilitation (strategic planning, team alignment, and custom workshops), Assessments (DiSC, Clifton Strengths, 360-degree feedback, and other workplace assessments), Consulting (talent strategy, organizational design, and performance management), and Experiences (custom-designed events and workshops). The training programs include Leadership Essentials, Manager Essentials, Presentation Skills Training, Consultative Selling, and the Agency Leadership Program. Key training modules include AI 101, Emotional Regulation, Presence OS, and Time Maximization. The company specializes in serving advertising, marketing, and creative agencies, as well as executives, managers, teams, and individuals across industries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Emotional Regulation
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% of agency clients engage for repeat programs
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Strong Professional
Customer profileNamed customers29 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Strong Professional technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Strong Professional partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies)coreStrong Professional partners with the 4A's to deliver training programs including Launch for Leaders and Project Management Essentials. Programs are offered through the 4A's course catalog, making them accessible to agency members across the industry.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Strong Professional competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BetterUp: BetterUp is the largest scaled coaching and leadership development platform, selling enterprise coaching, manager training, and team performance programs to Fortune 500 buyers. It overlaps directly with Strong Professional's coaching and development offerings but delivers through a tech-enabled marketplace rather than a senior in-house team of coaches.
- Gallup: Gallup is the creator of the Clifton Strengths assessment, which Strong Professional resells and administers. Comparable because it offers both the underlying assessment IP and adjacent leadership and engagement training services to enterprise buyers.
- Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): CCL is a globally recognized leadership development institution offering executive programs, assessments, and coaching. It is comparable to Strong Professional's leadership and executive coaching practice but operates at significantly larger scale and across all industries.
- Development Dimensions International (DDI): DDI is a large leadership and talent development provider specializing in leadership selection, development, and assessment for global enterprises. Overlaps with Strong Professional's manager training, leadership development, and assessment products at the enterprise scale.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles combines executive search with leadership advisory and coaching services. Comparable to Strong Professional in serving C-suite and senior executive coaching needs but anchored in a much larger search and consulting franchise.
- Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm whose leadership development and executive coaching practice addresses buyers also served by Strong Professional. Comparable because it competes for the same corporate L&D budget around executive and team coaching engagements.
- FranklinCovey: FranklinCovey is a long-established leadership and execution training firm built around methodologies such as 'The 7 Habits.' It competes with Strong Professional in enterprise leadership and manager training, though it leans on a global licensee model rather than agency-sector specialization.
Direct peers
- Marshall Goldsmith Group: Marshall Goldsmith Group is a recognized executive coaching and leadership development practice led by a globally prominent coach. Comparable to Strong Professional in being a renowned, founder-led coaching and leadership training brand serving enterprise and senior leader clients.
- InsideOut Development: InsideOut Development is a boutique leadership development and coaching firm delivering custom programs, assessments, and team facilitation to enterprise clients. Closely comparable to Strong Professional in delivery model (senior team, custom design, assessment-led) and target buyer (L&D and HR leaders).
Others
- 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies): The 4A's is the U.S. trade body for advertising agencies and is both a strategic partner of Strong Professional (delivering Launch for Leaders and Project Management Essentials) and the broader ecosystem through which agency L&D budgets flow. Included as an ecosystem peer given its role as both partner and adjacent training provider.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Strong Professional social profiles
Digital presenceStrong Professional financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Strong Professional leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles21 records
Strong Professional funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Strong Professional 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 Strong Professional
What does Strong Professional do?
Strong Professional is a talent development consultancy that delivers training, executive and leadership coaching, team facilitation, workplace assessments, and organizational consulting. Services are custom-designed for advertising agencies, marketing/creative shops, and corporate clients across technology, media, financial services, and healthcare sectors. Delivery is performed by a team of certified coaches and former agency leaders, with offerings ranging from individual assessments to multi-session training programs and offsites.
Is Strong Professional a public or private company?
Strong Professional is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Strong Professional founded?
Strong Professional was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Strong Professional based?
Strong Professional is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Strong Professional make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Training Services are the primary driver. The others are executive and Leadership Coaching, team Facilitation, workplace Assessments and consulting Services.
Who are Strong Professional's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are BetterUp, Gallup, Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), Development Dimensions International (DDI), Heidrick & Struggles, Korn Ferry and FranklinCovey. Direct peers are Marshall Goldsmith Group and InsideOut Development. 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies) is listed as an others.
Does Strong Professional have an API?
No public API is recorded for Strong Professional.
What industry is Strong Professional in?
Strong Professional's product category is Management Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABAAAH, Team Leadership & High-Performance Teams, with a secondary code of EDABANAE, Executive Presence & Communication Coaching. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.