“Collaborative, friendly, yet direct and calls the shots where they should. A great forcing function especially for start-ups to focus on what matters most.”

“Helpful forcing function to drive decisions. Our coach provides useful templates and frameworks.”

“Our coaches do a good job of realigning/pulling back to the plan & methods: herding the cats.”

“In comparison to the first meeting and the one before in 4Q22 - we are finding greater alignment as a team and seem to be more cohesive as a group with a focused few priorities - I feel that this will help us as a team execute and make better choices.”

“The planning sessions are very interesting and informative and I can see the change these sessions are making. We learned about the strength and the importance of focusing on no more than 2-3 things”

“FOCUS: We lack focus all too often. This workshop provided us with actionable areas of focus. We need to have our feet held to the fire this year. If we do, we'll be successful!”

“Because of the planning sessions, we see gradual alignment around the senior C-Suite team.”

“Good working sessions - like getting together and hearing others' thoughts. Working alone, these are the only times I get to be face-to-face with the team.”

“These planning sessions are essential in aligning our dispersed leadership team around near and mid-term priorities, defining strategic initiatives and milestones”

“Without the Midstage Institute, we'd probably not have course correction happen as often or as well.”

“Very well structured and lead planning session. It's aligning our leadership team.”

“Always valuable to have a third party/Coach to help formalize the process and provide outside direction.”

“I feel like the structure and use of a facilitator helped drive productive conversations. I felt like we are better aligned.”

“Our coaches get us and push us in the right direction; by letting people vent and be heard and eventually getting everyone's buy-in.”

“The planning sessions have helped us in establishing the focus on our goals each quarter. I would recommend it to other company owners I know.”

“We made significantly more progress than if we had tried to cover this content by ourselves.”

“I thought the right amount of directness and pressure was applied to the team and individual leaders. I thought feedback was delivered with respect and there was a helpful amount of energy.”

“I think this is what we needed to upgrade and ramp up; there needed to be a gear shift at the top of the company to ensure the rest of the business takes note.”

“An excellent and valuable workshop that was facilitated skillfully. Encouraged direct dialogue amongst the group to reach a structured outcome.”

“It was a positive experience! I would generally recommend the Midstage Institute, depending on the company/group's objective.”

“During the planning session, we did essential work that we would not otherwise have done.”

“The planning session provided us with focus by mapping out our priorities.”

“What I appreciate the most in the planning session is the perspective and challenges issued to our thinking. Expanding our thinking and way of looking at things was most valuable as it will stay with us long-term.”

“Very beneficial for a variety of businesses, but definitely focused on tech-forward companies.”

“These quarterly planning sessions are always eye-opening.”

“The planning session was well led, flexed to change in needs and direction.”

“Continued improvement in management and better alignment within the company”

“The company is different than it was a year ago. We are making changes slowly but surely. That is all I can ask as I see better alignment quarter over quarter.”

“I appreciate Midstage Insitute's advice and counsel so much in my professional life. I would pay using my funds to have these levels of coaching and advice for the rest of my life on a personal level.”

“The best money I've spent is on the Midstage Institute. Not only are they helping scale our business, but they personally help me to become a better leader”

“Your process helps build and develop clarity in developing effective objectives.”

“Our coaches keep us focused and working towards the right goal.”

“Future planning in a structured obtainable way.”

“I would definitely recommend to a good fitting client looking to grow or improve.”

“Helps teams remain focused and accountable which leads to higher success rates of goal achievement.”

“The structure breeds a great degree of trust amongst teammates and keeps everyone focused in a single direction.”

“Formalized our thinking and helped us work through unclear aspects of the plan, fill in gaps and assign roles.”

“Helps you take a step back, question your strategy, and really determine the best course of action.”

“Good insights and kept the team on course to finish the Business Model Canvas.”

“Well structured, engaging, and interactive. Experience with similar companies in similar stages.”

“Very helpful to get out and formalize the plans and strategy that is already in the team on a more informal level.”

“Very helpful if your team needs to align on strategic priorities.”

“It's adjusted to the level of the company. Our coach is not forcing us to follow strict rules, he applies to what our level is and how experienced (or not we are) in particular topics.”

“In my opinion, it gave us the clarity we needed to focus on the most important items to focus on a the moment.”

“This process allowed us to allign on some issues that, surprizingly, we hadn't discussed yet. Our coach was awesome and he is very knowledgeable.”

“I felt that a concrete and efficient structure was provided that helped organize what can easily devolve into chaos without a moderator and without the tools. Additionally, providing insight and guidance on best practices at every step kept the compass pointing north.”

Financial Tech Company

“Good lead on tasks, creative atmosphere, outside view to the team's pain points.”

“Great shepherds in guiding a company in the right direction. Teaching you not what to do, but how to think about growth.”

“At the end of the day, it's the people that work in/on the business that are going to fix things. We can't rely on outsiders to fix our problems however, the Midstage Institute's program was key in helping us identify the root issues and creating alignment on how to address those issues.”

“Because small changes require introspection and the team is realizing what to do.”

“A safe place to discuss openly issues facing the company with a focus towards finding solutions and creating greater collaboration.”

“We need to make changes, and embrace the change or acknowledge that change is needed; not just repeat what we have been doing and expect a different result.”

“The workshop is targeted towards producing results and it gets the job done. The exercises are delivered in casual, relaxed atmosphere and involve everyone in the decision making process.”

“Having our coaches manage and control the meeting allowed us to stay on track! The coaches questioned our thoughts to make us think in a way I believe alot of us aren't use to.”

“I would tell them that this is the first step in transforming a company that has peaked or is in a rut or a malaise into a company with direction.”

“Our coaches have been around the block and obviously know what it takes to drive RESULTS. Your experience with other companies will allow anyone to learn from both successes and failures and how to address both. The drilling of structure - strategizing and planning is beneficial beyond business walls.”

“This is a true master class in what it takes to turn good leadership into great leadership. It is clear that our coaches care very much about who they coach and show buy in from the very beginning and throughout.”

“Very helpful to have a break from the day to day to refocus and have moderaters to keep us on track for tough decisions.”

“I agreed with almost everything you presented :). 3rd party validation, without bias, is always great for a company.”

“Is all 10s really useful feedback? Helpful to have an external driver of process and outcomes - with the context of referenceable examples (other midstage companies).”

“Helpful forcing function to drive us toward hard conversations and clear direction. There is still some ambiguity that we need to solve and we probably didn't get as button down on certain topics. We only had so much time.”

“Super valuable to have an independent advisor/moderator with relevant domain experience to drive to decisions and consensus.”

Data Platform Tech Startup

“3rd party facilitation is invaluable because it forces our team to take a dispassionate approach to identifying our problems and aligning on priorities.”

Data Analytics Tech Startup

“Good forcing function to discuss weighty topics”

Data Analytics Tech Startup

“Expert facilitation with a neutral (yet tactically opinionated) perspective.”

“The Midstage team brings strong operating cadence to a process that can be very tedious. It's incredibly valuable to let the executives focus on the business, and the challenges, needs, and vision for the future, and not the process of planning out and aligning on OKRs.”

Data Analytics Tech Startup

“I think the facilitation was effective and allowed all of us to participate. The continuity the coaches brought from the last meeting was very valuable too.”

“I like the balance of moderation levels, giving structure where we need it, and letting the conversation run when warranted.”

Data Analytics Tech Startup

“A structured way to have discussions and to focus on things that will matter most for strategy and decision making.”

“If you think your team is communicating well in your normal meetings then you're wrong. Our coaches can actually help your team tease out the important bits without a lot of businessy "fluff".”

“The format and structure for the strategy analysis sessions seemed just right - there was enough time to discuss key questions or issues because of the pre-reads and time allocated.”

“Good facilitation of business relevant and constructive conversation.”

“Excellent knowledge, good articulation and depth on subject, good facilitation, real world examples”

“Good business acumen. Solid reference points from other companies. Fun to work with. Ensure we make progress with tangible results.”

“The examples of other companies and key learnings is really useful and insightful”

“We often dive into complex topics which our coaches were able to help the team navigate leading to productive conversations.”

“Our coaches' facilitation skills are excellent, they have provides us with a framework to solve our problems.”

“Bespoke helps facilitate necessary conversations and provides direction on our business goals. It feels as if we are more and more aligned as a team after every workshop.”

“Bespoke to the challenges of the org. Keeps us focused and productive. Stylistically may only work for specific culture/size of an organization”

“Tailored agenda and facilitations specific to business needs and priorities”

“Growing from a small to medium sized company is extremely challenging and Midstage helps companies identify key challenges, works with the executives to key in on a few items to propel the growth. They don't try to address too many items which can overwhelm an organization, rather try to focus the team on what matters for them, and then move towards it.”

“During the planning session, our coaches were able to herd the cats of a management team and get everyone to focus on the tasks at hand and add value in the process. The coaches were adept at reacting to the situation at hand to capitalize on the aha moment rather than follow the pre-determined agenda.”

GoodTime

“Helps the team stay high level & focused”

GoodTime

“Well run sessions and able to keep participants engaged.”

GoodTime

“Structured but Flexible. Best I've experienced in explaining one page planning; getting participation; moving team forward”

Interview Scheduling Tech Company

“Very engaging in helping with providing a framework for growth”

GoodTime

“Very helpful and informative (even on day 1)”

Interview Scheduling Tech Company

“Good way to kick start quarterly planning for an executive group”

Redox Engine

“Our Coach has gotten us into a consistent cadence of focusing on the highest impact issues in our business. This is so valuable to our growth and our confidence in each other.”

Redox

“We're making good progress making decisions about our rocks.”

Redox Engine

“Our coach keeps us focused and on track.”

Redox Engine

“Our coach helps us identify and focus on key problems.”

Redox Engine

“The initial effectiveness as a group is quickly observed.”

Avana

“The information and knowledge they provide will make you think of the organization differently and will teach your team to prioritze goals and align everyone around them.”

Avana

“If you want to go further go as a team and to do that you really need to get everyone aligned. Thank you.”

Avana

“Great process for strategic alignment”

Avana

“The overall process solicited feedback in neutral manner and provided clarity in identifying the "rocks".”

Avana

“Facilitated an open discussion and helped streamline our thoughts”

Avana

“having an outside, knowledgeable facilitator helps the process move forward in a given framework more quickly and successfully”

Avana

“Good information on getting us all on "one page". Had hoped to have more specifics as to how we would accomplish what we need to accomplish, but maybe that comes as we continue in this effort and this is simply providing the basis.”

Avana

“It was great to have a third party who could facilitate this kind of discussion. It would have been more helpful though to see more examples of how our goals could be accomplished, based on other companies' experiences.”

Avana

“MidStage provided a safe environment to hold candid conversations on what is important to the company. This allowed to dispel any misconceptions and ultimately align on corporate objectives.”

Financial Tech Company

“Was looking to have more of the how's outlined at the department level so we could show the impact the teams have on the overall success”

Financial Tech Company

“They helped us all see the CEO's vision for the company and helped point us all in that same direction with a solid execution plan.”

Avana

“Open and frank dialgoue and facilltator ensured we say focused. Metronome worksheet shows a one page solution on how we scale and is simple to track. Recommend that you also focus on how communication can be improved within the company as that is key ingredient for our success.”

Avana

“As a team we have discussed about what is important for us. We should have also discussed about current challenges to create a path to achieve the goals.”

SoundCommerce

“Lessons learned along with applicable take aways will help make an immediate impact on how we operate”

SoundCommerce

“The frameworks and facilitation make it a lot easier to think and talk about the challenges and opportunities that are ahead of us.”

InRule

“It requires us to make decisions in real-time on items that are sometimes nebulous leading up to the workshop.”

InRule

“Our coach excels as reading the room in order to keep the meeting momentum going and draw people out of their shells to share concerns and frustrations - as well as keep the focus”

Barium

“Good structure and even if it was a long workshop they manage to get up the energy all the way onto the end.”

InRule

“excellent facilitation with insightful and subtle course correction when needed”

InRule

“I have recommended and told them that our coaches gets a team to think together and make real plans with accountability”

Barium

“Great facilitation, planning and mix of joint sessions and breakouts.”

Barium

“Fun, creative and to the point”

InRule

“Our coach pushes us out of our comfort zone and encourages creativity”

InRule

“Expert facilitation and insight into how to move the group.”

InRule

“Methodical and consistent framework that guides the team through the entire value chain of a software company.”

NZXT

“Good Structure, Well-prepared - allowed us to focus on strategy. Good push by our coaches to stay within structure and to help clarify goals and momentum”

NZXT

“If you are looking for some structure and a way to move along the definition of your plan, our coaches are your guys”

NZXT

“well designed and planned. Clear on process and what we were doing at each point. good interaction facilitated amongst virtual and live participants”

NZXT

“Structured, well planned”

NZXT

“Systematic, insightful, thought provoking, collaborative.”

NZXT

“High structure, tangible next steps”

NZXT

“Very well organized and effective in team building. Great way for all teams to get aligned and get clear focus on next steps for company strategy/vision.”

NZXT

“Required if you need structure and have clear vision, direction.”

NZXT

“Very structured, not gimicky, fostered great and REAL results”

NZXT

“Structured , systematic, direction”

NZXT

“Reasonable systematic approach”

NZXT

“Well structured and systematic approach. Relevant to companies in this critical stage of their growth.”

VEDA Data Solutions

“Our coaches have a very clear and measured approach to help leaders think objectively about where their compnay is, and where they want it to be. They were able to walk the team through each of the steps and show how they connected. The outcome was a clear consensus for the team on what the key issues are that need focus in the coming months.”

VEDA Data Solutions

“If you are looking for a trusted partner/coach to help you scale to the next level, Our coaches bring a unique and valuable approach to pulling out the critical areas of focus, foster a workship that drives opennesn and collaboration while reamining mindful of the end goal in sight. Having coaches with their level of experience that have been through this with other scaling organizations is highly valuable in this stage of the game.”

VEDA Data Solutions

“Scaling is hard. Aligning your team around the same path forward is critical, and you can't do that without open conversation. Having skilled hands like like our coaches facilitating that discussion is incredibly valuable. They've been through this with many other companies, so they bring a lot of experience and guidance to the table.”

VEDA Data Solutions

“Having skilled facilitators to plan the session and guide us through the process is key to ensuring the right topics are covered to create a successful path forward.”

VEDA Data Solutions

“Having guidance in defining growth is as much needed as a coach for a team; there are goals that need to be accomplished, considered, and directed at different cadences that only be done when a team works towards those directives. The coaches are great at providing a layout to guide these discussions.”

VEDA Data Solutions

“Unifying ideas is a bit challenging, this workshop will help you do that and set your horizon on the goals you actually want to reach”

VEDA Data Solutions

“Our coaches guided us through planning and prioritization without judgement and helped us come to strategic decisions efficiently. Those decisions gave us actionable and measurable goals.”

VEDA Data Solutions

“You need to do some kind of workshop like this to get ready to scale. Do it yourself if you want, but probably a lot more successful with the experience of our coaches.”

Redox

“Our coach helps facilitate hard conversations. He helps coach for areas of growth and focus.”

Software Company

“Engaging; thought-provoking questions; challenges/pushes us - in a good way.”

Asset Management Tech Company

“Excellent facilitation, keeping things on track, focused discussions.”

InRule

“Our coach has a very effective style of facilitation and introspection injecting provocative points into the contexts that leade to valuable extensions to the discussion.”

Locatee

“Structured and guided approach of scaling a startup with a lot of experience & small valuable tips.”

Redox

“Structure! We stay on task, focus on what's important, and actually leave with work complete.”

Redox

“Our coach has gotten us into a consistent cadence of focusing on the highest impact issues in our business. This is so valuable to our growth and our confidence in each other.”

Redox

“Our coach pushes us to continually improve. He gives tools and coaching to level up at every interaction.”

Redox

“Our coach helped our team adopt priorities to level up quarter after quarter..”

Redox

“Our coach constantly pushes us to look further into the future, shift focus away from distractions and make big decisions we stick to.”

Locatee

“You finally learn how to structure decision making. It may not be comfortable, but it is worth it.”

Albert

“Our coach has a talent for distilling complex organizational subject matter into easy-to-digest nuggets that can be used as actionable steps.”

“I enjoyed how involved the audience was, and how engaged and encouraging he was for us to participate. Also, it brings to light how difficult it is to scale up a company.”

Roady

“This [scaleup] stage is critical to long term success and it was very valuable to hear the insights from someone who has actually been an active member of a scale up.”

1871

“I've done an audit of over 500+ workshops from the past few years and narrowed down to my favorite 48. Your workshop, at least from the deck and the feedback scores, is one of my favorites. I do a talk like this all the time and yours blows mine out of the water.”

Scandit

“Structured, not overloaded. Tells you exactly what a founder needs to be aware of when scaling. My takeaway was the need to shift gears along the stages proactively.”

Said Digital

“It's given me lots to think about and plenty of handy models to use as I scale up my company.”

MedTech Company

“The impact of a facilitator with significant industry experience to coach and guide is invaluable to accelerating team growth and achieving desired outcomes.”

Communications Tech Company

“Our coach makes it easy for us to bring up and discuss sensitive issues and improve our functions as a team.”

“Our coach is engaging & thoughtful about helping you build the muscles to identify and address your most pressing challenges.”

VGW

“Talking about elephants in the room is so important - getting them out the way so we can build trust.”

InRule

“Without our coach, I do not think we would be in the position we are in to execute; he really aligned our thinking towards shared outcomes and fostered our trust ecosystem. Thank you so much for what you did here!”