Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC

What Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC does

Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC is a Seattle-based retail strategy consulting firm founded in 1990 by Patricia M. Johnson and Richard F. Outcalt, both Certified Management Consultants (CMC) with more than 30 years each of retail consulting experience. The firm operates as a two-principal LLC in which every client engagement is delivered by the two founders working exclusively as a team, and it focuses exclusively on retail — or wherever retail is involved — across more than 50 retail segments from apparel to grocery to consumer electronics. Service lines include retail turnaround and interim CEO work, growth and strategic planning, retail viability assessments for boards and lenders, new market entry and site selection, exit strategy support, and private what-if financial projecting sessions. Marquee engagements have included serving as Interim CEO of a six-state, 45-store specialty chain and turnarounds such as saving Kitchen Kaboodle's five stores during a recession.

The firm's underlying technology is a suite of proprietary, integrated retail financial calculators that combine cash flow, inventory, and profit projections to support scenario analysis (including the 3-in-1 INTEGRATED Calculator, Executive Open-to-Buy Calculator, GMROI, Key Ratios, and Cash Flow calculators). These calculators anchor a broader portfolio of seven owned-and-operated branded digital properties — The Retail Owners Institute (retailowner.com, launched 1999), Open-To-Buy Center, PROFITS Center, Retail Startup, Sell My Store Please, Banks 4 Retailers, and Retail Turnaround Experts — plus an eLearning Portal launched in 2010. Together the platforms deliver self-help content, benchmarks for 55+ retail segments, and educational tools to approximately 18,000+ monthly unique visitors worldwide.

The business model is professional services consulting with four distinct revenue streams: (1) strategic consulting engagements including turnarounds, assessments, and growth planning delivered onsite across North America; (2) onsite speaking and workshop presentations priced as all-inclusive flat fees covering honoraria plus travel, meals, and lodging for both presenters; (3) custom webinars sponsored by trade associations and dealer networks, with 60-minute live sessions delivered by both principals; and (4) private What-If projecting sessions using the proprietary calculators under confidentiality agreements. Marketing and distribution rely on thought-leadership content (articles, white papers, Twitter @OutcaltJohnson), free Topical Tuesdays webinars as top-of-funnel, sponsored custom webinars and association speaking as mid-funnel, and direct relationship-driven enterprise sales as the conversion layer. The firm holds no external funding, operates with no parent company, and has not pursued M&A or public listing.

Name

Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC

Legal name

Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC

Website

https://outcaltjohnson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Outcalt & Johnson is a Seattle-based, two-principal retail strategy consulting firm offering turnarounds, growth planning, financial modeling, assessments, and exit strategies exclusively to retail businesses across North America, supported by proprietary calculators and a portfolio of seven educational platforms including The Retail Owners Institute.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB)

Keywords

• Retail strategy consulting
• Retail financial modeling
• Retail turnaround services
• Retail growth planning
• Retail exit strategies

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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. Retail Consulting Services: Strategic consulting engagements with retail businesses including turnarounds, assessments, growth planning, and exit strategies. Work is performed exclusively by the two principals as a team.
2. Speaking and Workshop Fees: Onsite workshop and training presentations for trade associations and dealer networks. All-inclusive flat fee covering speaking honorarium plus all travel, meals, and lodging for both presenters. Quantity package pricing available.
3. Custom Webinar Sponsorship: Customized webinar presentations for sponsoring organizations. 60-minute sessions (40 minutes content + 20 minutes Q&A) delivered live by Pat and Dick. Organizations choose topics, set schedule, and host the webcast.
4. Private What-If Projecting Sessions: Private, confidential online financial modeling sessions using proprietary calculators. Clients review results and receive in-depth feedback from Pat and Dick.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Outcalt & Johnson provides specialized retail strategy consulting services exclusively for retail businesses across North America. Their work spans turnarounds, growth planning, financial modeling using proprietary integrated calculators, retail viability assessments for boards/lenders/investors, exit strategy support, and educational webinars and workshops. All consulting engagements are delivered personally by the two co-founders working together as a team.

Product overview

Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC operates as a retail strategy consulting firm offering a unified portfolio of proprietary platforms and consulting services. The core offering centers on The Retail Owners Institute (ROI) ecosystem, which includes The Retail Owners Institute website (RetailOwner.com) with its proprietary 3-in-1 INTEGRATED Calculator and other Executive Calculators, complemented by specialized platforms: Open-To-Buy Center (inventory planning), PROFITS Center (profit training), Retail Startup, Sell My Store Please! (exit strategy), Banks 4 Retailers, and Retail Turnaround Experts. Beyond these digital platforms, the company provides direct consulting services including customized What If...? projecting sessions, custom webinars, live workshop/training presentations, topical webinars, and comprehensive retail strategic consulting services covering turnaround, assessments, growth management, and financial restructuring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retail Strategic Retailing Services Comprehensive retail consulting services including turnaround work, retail viability assessments, financial restructuring, growth management, target marketing and merchandising, owner/organizational development, and strategic planning retreats for retail business owners, boards, lenders, and investors.
• Customized What If Projecting Sessions Private, confidential online financial modeling sessions using proprietary integrated calculators where the principals help clients review results and receive in-depth feedback on business scenarios.
• Custom Webinars Customized 60-minute webinar presentations (40 minutes content + 20 minutes Q&A) sponsored by organizations for their retail member audiences, delivered live by both principals.
• Live Workshop and Training Presentations Onsite 60 or 90-minute workshop and breakout sessions delivered as a team by the two principals using whiteboards. Available throughout North America with all-inclusive flat fees covering honorarium plus travel, meals, and lodging for both presenters.
• Topical Tuesdays Webinars Free weekly interactive 60-minute webinar sessions (40 minutes presentation plus 20-minute Q&A) focused on retail financial projections and featuring the firm's online Executive Calculators.
• The Retail Owners Institute (ROI) Online self-help retail financial resource serving independent retailers worldwide, providing over 200 pages of content, 50+ articles, performance benchmarks for 55 retail segments, online Executive Calculators, and an eLearning portal.
• Retail Turnaround Experts Service Specialized retail turnaround and crisis management consulting including serving as interim CEO for distressed retailers, delivered confidentially onsite throughout North America.
• Sell My Store, Please! Retail exit strategy consulting service helping retailers investigate the timing and process for selling their business, positioning it to be acquired.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served as Interim CEO of a six-state, 45-store specialty chain during turnaround
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MicrosoftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMicrosoft Business Development Manager Angus Lyon noted collaboration with Outcalt & Johnson, citing their immense retail knowledge and commitment to successful partnering.
• Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with CEA providing webcasts to members, consulting services, and developing series of financial projecting calculators for retailers. Senior Director Kerry Moyer stated they are her 'go to people' for retail management advice.
• National Retail FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvited to present turnaround case study at NRF 100th Annual Convention & Expo in 2011. Ongoing relationship as retail thought leaders.
• National Shoe Retailers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented at NSRA's 100th Anniversary Conference at Washington D.C. Marriott. President Chuck Schuyler noted audience appreciation for insights.
• Natural Products Association - NorthwestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented 'The BIG Picture: How Retailers Must Think Today' to association members. Received top marks and highest ratings among attended sessions.
• El Machetazo (Panama)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsultant J. Jeffrey Meder worked with Outcalt/Johnson team for 20+ years as CEO of two different businesses in Panama, resulting in dramatic bottom line improvements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AlixPartners: Global turnaround and restructuring firm with a prominent retail practice. Overlaps directly with Outcalt & Johnson's turnaround, retail viability assessment, and lender-facing work, but at significantly larger enterprise scale.
• The Retail Doctor (Bob Phibbs): Boutique retail consulting practice focused on independent store owners with similar service pillars (turnaround, customer experience, owner empowerment). Most directly comparable in positioning, client size band, and founder-led service model.
• McMillanDoolittle: Independent retail and consumer strategy consulting firm serving retailers with strategic planning, customer experience, and technology evaluation work. Comparable boutique scale and retail-only specialization.
• Horne LLP: Retail-focused advisory firm offering turnaround, growth, and accounting services to retailers. Comparable boutique positioning focused on the retail vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Bain & Company (Retail Practice): Top-tier global strategy firm with a deep retail practice serving many of the largest retailers in North America. Competes in the strategic retail positioning and performance-improvement space.
• Deloitte (Retail, Wholesale & Distribution): Large global consultancy with a sizable retail strategy and operations practice. Represents the scaled end of strategic retail advisory, competing most directly for enterprise retail clients like REI, Cabela's, and Hallmark.
• Oliver Wyman (Retail Practice): Global management consulting firm with a retail and consumer goods practice focused on strategy and operational performance. Comparable to Bain/BCG in scope but smaller in retail presence, positioning it as adjacent scaled competition.
• Accenture (Retail Industry Group): Global consulting leader with a retail consumer goods industry group providing strategy, technology, and operations services to large retailers. Broad incumbent competing for same enterprise transformation work.
• BDO USA (Retail Practice): Global accounting and consulting network with a dedicated retail industry group serving independent and mid-market retailers. Competes for the same retailer-customer base at larger engagement scale.
• Boston Consulting Group (Retail and Consumer Goods): Global management consultancy with a dedicated retail and consumer goods practice advising on strategy, growth, and operational performance. Represents scaled competition for high-end retail advisory work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/OutcaltJohnson
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/patjohnson0utcaltjohnson

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 records

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 Outcalt & Johnson: Retail Strategists, LLC