S Brian Smith 🪜

Strategy Ladders

At Strategy Ladders, we specialize in driving explosive growth for agencies, consultancies, and B2B service businesses.

Our mission: help founders like you scale from 7 figures to 8 figures and beyond, unlocking your business's full potential.

We work with founders ready to accelerate growth, overcome operational bottlenecks, and build a business that can scale rapidly and sustainably. If your business isn’t achieving 200% year-over-year growth, it’s time to rethink your strategy.

The Strategy Ladder System is designed to do just that. It’s a proven framework that delivers a bulletproof strategy tailored to your business’s unique needs. Our system streamlines operations, drives revenue, and positions your business for sustained, long-term growth.

But we don’t just stop at strategy. We execute.

Our team of 8-figure founders and industry experts ensures every aspect of your business is optimized for scalability. From marketing and sales to operations and leadership, we cover it all—making sure your business is set to thrive as it grows.

Our results speak for themselves. We’ve helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs achieve remarkable success, including:

💥 Scaling an agency from $150k to $4M ARR in just 10 months

💥 Boosting a digital marketing agency’s productivity by 450%, dramatically increasing profitability

💥 Streamlining a SaaS product’s roadmap, reducing development costs by 45% while increasing execution speed by 25%

💥 Repositioning a web development agency to secure a long-term contract with a Fortune 100 company

💥 Growing an app development agency’s recurring revenue from 2% to over 50% of total revenue in three months

💥 Building a sales organization of 65 people in two years

💥 Orchestrating the sale of key SaaS platform assets at a significant premium over market value

If you’re serious about scaling to 8 figures and beyond, let’s connect. We’re here to provide the expertise and execution you need to achieve exponential growth.

Founder & CEO

I host Strategy Ladders, a no-nonsense podcast delivering real-world insights on scaling, optimizing, and thriving as a founder of an agency or B2B service company.

With 17+ years in the field, my team and I tackle core challenges in B2B sales, leadership, and business growth to help owners overcome bottlenecks and build high-performing teams. Think of it as having an outsourced co-founder in your corner, sharing tactical strategies on everything from digital marketing to operations—minus the fluff. Ready to put your business back to work for you? Follow us now!

Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Amazon 🎙️

Podcast Host

Trivr Eats, Inc

Advisor

S. Brian Smith Group, LLC

"Simply put, Brian has an innate ability to cut through all the bullshit/programming/stories and help one identify and achieve their goals. Working with him has made me more successful in business and has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on my personal life." - Serial Founder & Investor

"S. Brian Smith changed my perspective on life. In fact, he just changed my life - full stop. I’m a better person because of the work we’ve done and I will continue to grow because of the way he has taught me to think." - Entrepreneur, Founder, Executive

"Brian's ability to, not only think outside of the box, but to help me approach various situations from multiple angles is simply, genius. His approach is methodical, authentic, and most importantly, leads to tangible results." - Fortune 500 Executive

"S. Brian Smith is the best damn coach I have ever worked with." - Entrepreneur

Business & Mindset Super Coach to Entrepreneurs

Forbes Coaches Council

Founding Member

Institute of Coaching, McLean/Harvard Medical School

The Institute of Coaching, McLean/Harvard Medical School advances research and education in coaching by bringing together leaders in the field to accelerate research progress and disseminate coaching's best practices.

Fellow

Unicorn Puff

Unicorn Puff is a brain trust of experienced entrepreneurs who help B2B agencies grow. We work with B2B service agencies who are ready to grow. If you’re stuck in one of these spots, we’ll help you take your agency to the next level:
- Founders who are focused on sales, rather than building the business
- Revenue growth has stalled or plateaued
- Despite outbound efforts, most of your sales come from referrals

Chief Executive Officer

Have2Have.it

Chief Marketing Officer / Chief Strategy Officer

Soldsie

Social Kapture

Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)

The Founders Organization

Conceived, built, and operated a paid membership group with 1500 founders throughout North America. Responsible for organizing and executing events in 35 cities throughout North America and large activations at SXSW.

COO / Head of Strategy

I free founders from ops, sales, & management | Founder @ Strategy Ladders | Coached 1000s of B2B and Agency owners | Stop struggling, start enjoying business ownership 🏖️

Are you a founder of a B2B service business or agency generating $2.5 million to $25 million in revenue?

You've tasted success, but you know there's more potential.

You believe your business can reach 8 figures and beyond, but...

😒 You’re the primary strategist for clients.  
😧 You lack a high-level operations leader.  
😖 You’re the main revenue driver.  

You’re exactly who we help.

Imagine a business that thrives without you. A business where your team drives growth, not just maintains it. A business that gives you freedom—not more stress.

❌ Your team struggles to run the business without you.  
❌ Your growth isn’t on track to meet your goals.  
❌ Your team is solid but not equipped to scale to the next level.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

At Strategy Ladders, we’re not just another option—we’re the only serious option for founders ready to scale their 7-figure business to new heights. Our team is unparalleled—every strategy advisor is an 8-figure founder who’s been in your shoes, scaled their businesses, and knows how to help you achieve explosive growth.

Our program provides direct access to a handpicked team of world-class experts in marketing, sales, operations, project management, finance, HR, and more. These aren’t just consultants—they’re industry leaders who’ve built, scaled, and exited businesses like yours.

With Strategy Ladders, you’ll do more than scale from 7 figures to 8 figures—you’ll transform your role in the business. You’ll step out of the daily grind and into true business ownership, where your business works for you, not the other way around.

Here’s what we deliver:

✅ A growth system that injects rocket fuel into your business 🚀  
✅ Strategies that make your business work for you, not the other way around 💎  
✅ Freedom from being irreplaceable ⛓  
✅ A clear path to becoming an owner, not just an operator 💪  
✅ Maximizing the value of your business 💰

Our results speak for themselves:  
"Working with Strategy Ladders has transformed my business and my outlook on life. Their expertise and insight are unparalleled."

"Thanks to Strategy Ladders, I went from 60-hour workweeks to 40, with a clear plan to reduce further. Their guidance is worth every investment."

If you’re ready for exponential growth and a real transformation in your business and life, let’s talk.

One final note: We’re not here to make you corporate. We challenge the status quo, and we will challenge YOU to achieve greatness.

🪜 Visit www.strategyladders.com to schedule a call and discover how we can elevate your business to the next level.

Founder & Head of Strategy

The Strategy Ladder Program delivers MASSIVE results to agencies, consultancies, and service businesses.

If your business is 25-85 employees, partially or fully remote, and you're stuck trying to "level-up," I will transform it with you.

The Strategy Ladder System will get you UNSTUCK. You'll develop a bullet-proof strategy that grows with your business, streamlines operations, scales your revenue, and sets your business up to continue to grow without you.

The Strategy Ladder System doesn't just change your business. It will transform YOU. You'll undergo a mental reset that frees you from the anxiety and beliefs that tie you to the day-to-day in your business. You're the leader of your business - if you don't change, your business never will.

The Strategy Ladder System has worked for over 400 entrepreneurs, delivering & implementing strategies that have:

💥 Scaled an agency from $150k to $4mil ARR in 10 months

💥 Increased a digital marketing agency’s productivity levels by over 450%, dramatically increasing profitability

💥 Streamlined a SaaS product’s roadmap, reducing development costs by 45% while increasing execution speed by over 25%.

💥 Developed and executing a repositioning strategy that landed a web development agency a long-term contract with a Fortune 100 company

💥 Repositioned of an app development agency that grew recurring revenue from 2% to over 50% of total revenue within three month

💥 Built a sales organization of 65 sales people in two years

💥 Orchestrated & executed a legal & and business strategy that lead to a sale of key assets of a SaaS platform for a significant premium over the market value of the company

API Nation

Collaborating with Sales, Support, Marketing, and Product Management teams, boosting new subscriber enablement and retention

Customer Enablement Manager

Woodhull Freedom Foundation

* Part-time leadership team advisor supporting change management and ongoing online communications for this 501(c)3 nonprofit devoted to education and public advocacy in support of fundamental human rights
* Expanded annual online fundraising campaigns and added audience segmentation, raising $25K, exceeding goal of $23K
* Created re-engagement campaigns to optimize email list, decreasing unsubscribe rates by 30%; drafted and approved Facebook lead ads, growing the subscriber base by 21%

Communications Consultant

Neon One

* Developed, conducted, and collaborated across teams to deliver live training options provided by the Training and Enablement Team for this nonprofit software platform (specifically the CRM platform)
* Led 1:1 consulting sessions, 1:many training sessions, and open office hours, creating a personalized experience for all nonprofit CRM users
* Enhanced the post-onboarding experience, enabling users at all stages of the post-sales client lifecycle to maximize the CRM's capabilities, while positively impacting support debt

Client Enablement & Training Consultant

Salsa Labs

* Under the Customer Success umbrella, trained, consulted, and provided professional services to organizations across the U.S., as part of a SaaS company offering donor management, digital marketing, and fundraising tools to 3K+ global nonprofits
* Hosted live webinars assisting with change management, and engaged in customer advocacy efforts, collecting user feedback to help shape priorities of all internal stakeholder teams (product management, technical support, client success, marketing)
* Collaborated cross-departmentally, maintaining and exceeding retention rate during a double acquisition

Product Solutions Consultant (Nonprofit)

* Responsible for a rolling book of business of $5M+ in revenue (400+ clients) covering all of product adoption and user enablement in the client lifecycle (6-9 months) 
* Collaborated cross-departmentally as a customer advocate, continuously improving products to fulfill client needs; worked directly with Training, Marketing & CSMs, along with other partner teams
* Instructed member organizations on best practice for essential email & webpage assets, ensuring brand and voice consistency
* Created automated outreach for continued engagement and lead generation; created and conducted bi-weekly live webinars for up to 30 organizations each (90+ attendees) and consulted 1:1 with attendees; webinar attendees accelerated adoption/enablement by 22%, consulted clients accelerated by 30% or more
* Secured participation of 300-500 organizations per year (2017-2022), with clients collecting donations 30 days faster following webinar attendance; consultation clients sent emails 45 days faster and reported positive UX
* Partnered with graphic designer and QA teams to create SEO-boosting templates for clients rooted in best practices, designing 40+ email and newsletter templates and 25+ event and peer-to-peer forms
* Produced training documentation for the Salsa Knowledgebase and scripted, recorded, and edited training videos for Salsa Scholars (Skilljar), Salsa Labs’ self-paced training platform, boosting user enablement and satisfaction scores by 18%
* Co-hosted and co-presented at the 2019 Bridge to Integrated Marketing and Fundraising Conference alongside the Animal Welfare League of Arlington

Adoption & Enablement Specialist, Program Manager (Nonprofit)

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

* Led donor relations and fundraising efforts for a nonprofit philanthropic organization dedicated to community planning, allocations, and financial resource development
* Nurtured sustainable, growing relationships with donors by creating and sending 100-500 personalized acknowledgement letters per week, along with customized tributes
* Acted as a junior fundraiser and successfully stewarded and secured multiple first-time donations from community donors through engagement opportunities at live events, contributing directly to the Annual Fund
* Facilitated month-end reconciliation for event registration using PayPal reports and Cvent, working out of Blackbaud Enterprise CRM 
* Assisted in the planning and organization of the Federation’s annual community events (400+ attendees) and major donor galas (150+ attendees)

Donor Relations Associate

WealthEngine

•	Advised prospective non-profit clients about the company’s wealth identification platform and any other offerings that would help to enhance their fundraising strategies
•	Responded to all inbound phone and email inquiries, answering initial questions about the software and routing the prospect to the correct sales executive based on territories and revenue ranges 
•	Researched leads and conducted proactive outreach through email and phone to non-profits across the U.S.
•	Tracked all new prospects and managed existing prospect lists within the Salesforce CRM, adding pertinent details following any outreach or interaction that would help turn prospects into clients
•	Single-handedly revamped the company’s automated phone response to route inbound calls to the correct departments and decrease the previously recurring need for manual call transfers

Business Development Specialist

* Book of business of up to 650 accounts, acting as a single point of contact and a product specialist; responded to all inquiries regarding the online search platform, training sessions, data file uploads and downloads, and data integrations for DMS/CRM systems including Salesforce and Blackbaud’s Raiser’s Edge, among others
* Conducted upwards of 100 weekly training webinars per year, with up to 150 attendees per session; provided an in-depth understanding of the online search tool, leading to an enhanced use of the product and allowing clients to meet and exceed their fundraising goals
* Identified product bugs from user-reported issues and requests, managing the feedback loop and escalating cases as needed; took ownership of issues and drove their resolution to closure
* Responded daily to the main client support phone line and general emails sent by all clients in a queue, while also maintaining relationships with the aforementioned assigned accounts
* Composed and edited internal documentation as well as client-facing how-to guides and documentation for a wide variety of corporate usage, including training, software integration, and client knowledge
* Assisted in transitioning clients from the older version of the online search tool, FindWealth Online, to the new platform, FindWealth 8, while fielding all incoming feedback regarding the new interface and functionalities
* Ensured client retention via client phone calls to address concerns and ensure contract renewal, while also helping to increase revenue by identifying the opportunities for up-sells

Customer Care Specialist, Non-Profits

Feminist Majority Foundation

•	Developed news reporting skills by writing two articles daily for the Feminist Daily Newswire and weekly entries for the Campus Blog, gaining valuable experience about working for a non-profit organization and writing on a tight deadline
•	Conducted online and print research to learn about political procedures and the political and social arena worldwide
•	Assisted in the planning, preparation, and execution of an annual conference with nationally recognized speakers for 400+ attendees from all over the U.S.

Intern

The Washington Center

• Attended Presidential Series Speaking Events across the city
• Participated in civic engagement through volunteerism at the 40th Anniversary of the Earth Day Climate Rally, created an informative multi-media presentation about the event and my experience 
• Took part in a discussion-based Peaceful Solutions seminar

Contributing Writer, Edgewise Magazine - Oct 2006 - Oct 2008
* Co-wrote the fashion column for the online magazine, which focused on finding a broad topic and fusing many different perspectives of it in each monthly issue

Contributing Writer, The Penn (University Newspaper) - Oct 2006 - Oct 2008
* Wrote articles about a variety of IUP campus and community issues or events for the Accent feature section, began the Full Frontal Fashion column for the IUP campus fashion forecast and critique

Media and Communications Program, Student & Writer (Various Publications listed below)

Client Enablement & Training Consultant | Cross-Functional Collaborator | Community Engagement & Management | Education & Professional Services | Humanitarian | Observational Humorist

Great to meet you! I’m a passionate customer success and enablement manager, with experience in both the SaaS and the nonprofit spheres. I specialize in helping people see the value of a product, or the impact of their donation. 

On the SaaS side, I provide an immersive adoption experience post-onboarding, and create an intuitive user experience. I help shorten the feedback loop. The result? A boost in retention & an increase in brand ambassadors! 

My nonprofit expertise is centered on community engagement and fundraising success. 
 
I care as much about the population I serve as I do about my fellow teammate; everything is connected. 
In my work, as in life, I bring: 

*Honesty
*Humility
*Curiosity
*Humor
*Teamwork
*Respect 
and 
*Integrity
~As within, so without~ 

I have 13+ years experience in most functional areas of customer success, including onboarding, user enablement, retention, program management, consulting, and training. I've managed project teams in: tech, nonprofits, community organizations, SaaS, communications, & healthcare. 

~*~*~*~

SaaS EXPERIENCE: 

After completing my BA in journalism, I landed at WealthEngine as a customer care specialist (primary POC), where I managed 350-600 nonprofit accounts annually, collaborating cross-departmentally to amplify the customer voice, and maintaining a renewal rate of 93%, exceeding the team goal of 90%. 

And as the adoption/enablement specialist & program manager at Salsa Labs (now Bonterra Tech), I was responsible for a rolling book of business of $5M+ in revenue (400+ clients). My program covered product adoption and user enablement in the client lifecycle (6-9 months) . Here, my live webinars and consultations accelerated platform usage rates by up to 30%. During my 6+ years here, I played a critical role in Client Success, boosting customer enablement and satisfaction (CSAT) scores by 18%.

NONPROFIT EXPERIENCE: 

I also bring donor relations and events management experience from my time at the Jewish Federation. Currently, I'm the Communications Consultant at Woodhull Freedom Foundation, a 501(c)3 human rights advocacy organization. Here, I overhauled the email campaign strategy, surpassing the annual goal by raising $25K, decreasing unsubscribe rates by 30%, and growing subscribers by 21%. 

~*~*~*~

From strengthening start-ups and scale-ups that empower social change, to working directly with NPOs and SMBs, I am committed to making a difference, championing the customer through powerful communication, & positively impacting any work culture. 
 
LET'S CONNECT!

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The Battle

S Brian Smith 🪜

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