This $150,000 Rule Fuels Her Consulting Firm with Summer Craig

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Jan 20, 2025

Summer Craig, founder of Craig Group, shares her transition from corporate marketing to launching a successful consultancy specializing in private equity revenue growth. She highlights a critical gap in connecting marketing spend to revenue metrics. Summer discusses how her first client was her former employer and the importance of strategic networking. She also dives into tracking key financial metrics like customer acquisition costs and adapting messaging to resonate with the financial world, offering valuable insights for aspiring consultants.

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ANECDOTE

Summer's Career Transition

Summer Craig transitioned from corporate marketing roles at HomeAway.com and Gulf States Toyota to founding Craig Group.
Her experience with big brands and agencies exposed her to the challenge of attributing marketing spend to revenue.

INSIGHT

Identifying a Market Gap

Summer Craig observed a market gap in attributing marketing spend to revenue, especially at the board level.
This realization led her to pivot from media buying to strategic consulting, focusing on the underserved lower middle market.

ANECDOTE

First Client

Gulf States Toyota became Craig Group's first client after Summer announced her departure to start her own firm.
This allowed her to add value while building her business.

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How exactly does a classically trained marketer transition from big-budget ad agencies to founding a consultancy that propels private equity portfolio companies to their revenue goals? Summer Craig, founder of Craig Group, joins Michael today to share her journey from corporate roles at HomeAway.com and Gulf States Toyota to building a 23-person growth advisory firm. Along the way, Summer uncovered a critical market gap: the challenge of attributing marketing spend to revenue, especially at the board level. Leveraging her experience and a key early client, she pivoted from media buying to strategic consulting, focusing on the underserved lower middle market. If you are struggling to connect with private equity firms, Summer's insights into aligning marketing strategies with financial outcomes offer a roadmap for consultants aiming to make a significant impact in specialized markets.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How Summer identified a critical market need while working with major brands and agencies.
The steps Summer took to transition from a corporate employee to a consultant, including securing her previous employer as her first client.
How Summer expanded her client base through strategic networking, and how adding a partner with private equity expertise proved pivotal.
The critical financial metrics Summer tracks to ensure sustainable growth, including customer acquisition cost and margin analysis.
How Summer adapted her firm's messaging to resonate with private equity clients, moving away from marketing jargon to the language of value creation.
Why proactive outbound marketing and awareness building are essential, even in a referral-driven business model.
That Summer offers a free CRO dashboard designed to help calculate CAC and LTV that’s available here: Summer's FREE CRO Dashboard Download.

Important Links:

Summer Craig

Craig Group

CraigGroup.IO on LinkedIn

Summer's FREE CRO Dashboard Download

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