Operations & Strategy Consulting · Colorado Springs
Think it through with someone who isn't in it.
Overview
Operations and management consulting for owners, executives, and directors: one-on-one strategy sessions, project work, and team workshops for the problem you're too close to see clearly. Based in Colorado Springs.
Fresh eyes, real analysis, and your own team's wisdom. Never a report that gets filed and forgotten.
The Leader's Dilemma
The pressure
You're responsible for the whole thing. Margins, people, direction, the quarter, the next five years. And most of the people you'd talk it through with are inside it too, with their own stake in the answer.
The confusion
The problem keeps changing shape. Is it sales? Is it the team? Is it the model? Is it you? Advice comes from everywhere (mentors, books, peers who've never seen your numbers), and none of it quite fits.
The risk
You fix the symptom and the problem comes back. You reorganize, or hire, or launch something, and the same friction shows up in a new place. Meanwhile the thing you were avoiding gets more expensive every quarter.
The solution
You don't need more advice. You need the right problem, defined clearly, and the people closest to it empowered to solve it.
Why hire a management consultant?
It's a fair question, and a smart operator asks it: why would I bring in someone who hasn't built a business like mine to help me build mine?
The skills that build a business and the skills that diagnose one are different. A great founder often has remarkable instincts, and a natural tendency to assume that what worked for them will work for everyone. Consulting is its own craft: asking good questions, staying curious, holding judgment until the problem is actually understood, analyzing what's really happening, and seeing your situation without the baggage that comes from living in it. The proof is whether operators find the help useful and what changes afterward.
So here's an honest guide to who to hire for what:
- If you want a mentor or a particular entrepreneur's network, find a retired entrepreneur who has built what you want to build.
- If you want the entrepreneurial equivalent of therapy, hire a business coach.
- If you want deep knowledge of your industry's mechanics, hire an industry expert.
- If you want insightful, catalyzing questions; clarity; game-changing problem definition; creative problem-solving; insights that can change this year's profitability; and the beginner's mind that can unlock a seemingly intractable situation, hire a management consultant.
PROCESS
How we work: Listen, Define, Decide
Listen
1-2 weeks
We start with discovery: calls with you, and where it helps, with your team. We read what you share, look at your numbers, and do our homework before we offer an opinion. You get the benefit of a thoughtful outsider without needing to explain everything in one meeting.
Define
1-2 weeks
Most problems arrive mislabeled. We work with you to name the real one, often a structural or relational problem that looks like a performance problem. A well-defined problem is already half solved.
Decide
ongoing, as needed
We move from understanding to decisions: what to do, who owns it, and in what order. You leave with a clear roadmap, assigned action items, and the confidence that your team helped write it.
Problems We Solve
When things are slipping
- Competitive decline: you're losing ground and aren't sure why
- Profit squeeze: revenue holds but margins don't
- Operational friction: bottlenecks, handoffs, and processes that make good people work harder than they should.
When the structure is the problem
- Org structure and design: your system is perfectly designed to produce the results you're getting
- Mission drift: the organization has quietly become something other than what it set out to be
- Misalignment and friction: teams, departments, or leaders working at cross-purposes
When you're ready to grow
- New markets and verticals: where to go next and how to enter well
- Product and service development and launch: from idea to market
- Low-risk experiments: small, designed tests of new ideas before you bet the company
How we can help.
1:1 Strategy Session
Get started: 1:1 Strategy Session (opens in a new tab)starting at$500per hour, First Session Free
For executives, directors, and owners who want a sharp, confidential thinking partner for a specific problem or decision.
- A focused conversation on the decision or problem in front of you
- Questions that reframe it and surface what you haven't considered
- Clear next steps by the end of the session
- Follow-up notes so nothing gets lost
- Book one session or a regular rhythm
Nonprofit pricing available.
Strategy Project
Get started: Strategy Project (opens in a new tab)starting at$2,500Ongoing available
For problems too big for one meeting. We work through calls and correspondence over time, so you get depth without scheduling everyone into a single room.
- Discovery through calls and shared materials, at your pace
- Analysis and homework between conversations
- A written read on what's really going on and what to do about it
- Ongoing support through implementation if you want it
- Your team's input built in (see Team Listening below)
Nonprofit pricing available.
Executive Team Workshop
Get started: Executive Team Workshop (opens in a new tab)starting at$5,300
For leadership teams (managers, directors, and executives) that need to resolve a core objective or a complicated pain point together.
- A focused session built around your specific objective or problem
- Strategic planning facilitation and decision-making with your whole team in the room
- Strategic decisions made, not deferred
- Assigned action items and a roadmap going forward
- In person at your location, a Colorado Springs space of ours, a venue, or over Zoom. In person is better, and we're glad to travel.
Nonprofit pricing available.
Custom Solution
Tell Us What You Need: Custom Solution (opens in a new tab)custom pricing
Have a more specific situation in mind? A combination of the above, an ongoing advisory relationship, or something we haven't named yet? Tell us and we'll craft the right package.
Nonprofit pricing available.
Not sure which fits? Book a free first session and we'll figure it out together.
“Mast's expertise and attention to detail brought my website and branding to the next level. Anthony is that rare consultant who is able to see a project through from its highest-level strategy all the way down to the nuts and bolts of smaller tasks. He has a great eye for UX, and you can tell he brings years of experience and insight to his solutions. A true craftsman.”
Joshjoshuaskaggs.com“I can’t recommend Anthony highly enough. He’s professional, extremely knowledgeable, and thorough, and he brings real care and integrity to his work. He did an excellent job improving our business website and took the time to explain what he changed and why. I had complete confidence in him throughout the process. He’s someone you can trust to give honest advice, pay attention to the details, and take your business seriously.”
Hunter HopkinsHopkins Pro ServicesMast Strategy was awesome to work with! They didn't just help us design a great website... They helped us craft our digital strategy, clarify our goals, and develop an approach that aligned with our organization's vision and purpose. Throughout the process, Mast brought creativity, thoughtful insights, and practical solutions to the entire experience, all while being incredibly responsive, communicative, and efficient...If you're looking for a company that can help you think bigger, sharpen your strategy, and turn your vision into something impactful, I can't recommend Mast Strategy enough! I highly recommend.
CoreyWellspring UMCAnthony is a rare kind of strategist. He listens first. He takes the time to understand what you’re actually trying to accomplish. Then he takes the complicated thoughts you bring him and turns them into a clear, useful understanding of who your company is and what it’s about. What sets Mast Strategy apart is that the work is meant to be used. This isn’t a document that goes in a drawer and never gets seen again. It’s something you can put to work right away. If you need clarity on your company’s identity and direction, and you want something you’ll actually use, I’d recommend Anthony without hesitation.
ToddTrellis AdvisingStandard on every project
Your team already knows.
We listen first.
Your team is the best source of information in the building.
We make it safe.
Honest input only happens when people trust where it goes.
We hand it back.
Leaders get a clear picture and the people who helped shape it get to see their ideas carried out.
organizational assessment
Team Listening
Available on its own or as an add-on to any session, project, or workshop.
Organizational assessment, done by listening.
Surveys tell you what people will check a box about. Conversations tell you what's actually going on. We combine both:
- 1:1 interviews with people at every level, confidential and candid
- Department interviews to understand how each team sees its own work and everyone else's
- Surveys to measure what we hear and give quieter voices a way in
- Cross-department collaboration sessions, so teams solve shared problems together
You get a plain-English report: what we heard, what it means, and what to do next. No names, no blame, no surprises for the people who spoke up.
Quoted with your project. Nonprofit pricing available.
Our commitments
What you can count on.
- We'll do what's best for your business. If a conversation will do, we won't sell you a workshop. We won't recommend work that raises our profit without raising yours.
- You'll actually enjoy the process. The work is rigorous, and it doesn't have to be onerous.
- Plain-English reporting. Every report says what we found, what it means, and what to do next.
- You own what we make. We never want to boost customer retention by holding you hostage. The outputs are yours.
What we won't do.
- We won't parachute in, tell your leaders what's wrong, and disappear.
- We won't ignore the people closest to the problem.
- We won't promise results we can't control. We promise rigorous work, honest reasoning, and the best chance of the outcome you want.
Who we work with
For good people doing good work.
Nonprofit and ministry leaders
Nonprofit management consulting. Executive directors and senior leaders of mission-driven organizations, where strategy, funding, culture, and mission are inseparable. We bring the same rigor, with nonprofit pricing and an understanding of how mission-driven teams actually work.
Owners and executives who want a real thinking partner
Directors, executives, and owners carrying decisions that have no obvious right answer. You want someone who will ask better questions, tell you the truth, and sit across the table from you.
Colorado Springs businesses, and values-driven businesses anywhere in the U.S.
Local, boutique help in Colorado Springs, or remote and traveling help for organizations nationwide that care how they treat their customers and their staff.
FAQ
Everything you need to know before starting
What is a Strategy Session?
A focused one-on-one conversation between you and a management consultant about a specific business problem or decision. You bring the challenge; we bring questions, analysis, and a fresh perspective. Most sessions end with a clear next step.
What is management consulting, and how is it different from coaching?
A consultant helps define and solve a business problem: analysis, strategy, structure, and decisions. A coach helps you as a person: your habits, your confidence, your leadership. Many leaders benefit from both. If the question on your mind is about the business, start with a consultant.
Do I need a business consultant?
Probably not for every problem. A consultant is most useful when you're too close to the problem to see it clearly, when you've tried the obvious fixes, or when a decision is high-stakes enough to be worth thinking through with an outsider. If it's something else, we'll tell you.
Why hire a consultant instead of a successful entrepreneur or mentor?
Mentors give you what worked for them. Consultants help you work out what will work for you. If you want a network or a role model, find a retired entrepreneur. If you want rigorous questions, clear problem definition, and a fresh perspective on your own situation, hire a consultant. Many operators use both.
How does the free first session work?
Your first session is free. We'll talk through your situation, and by the end you'll know whether and how we can help.
How does a Strategy Project work?
We do discovery through calls and shared materials, then deliver analysis and recommendations over time. Projects run a minimum of two weeks and can continue as long as it's useful. You don't need to gather everyone in a single meeting.
What do we walk away with from an Executive Team Workshop?
What you walk away with depends on the objective. Typically: strategic decisions that were actually made, action items with owners, useful documentation, and a roadmap for what comes next.
How do consultants work with employees?
We talk to them, early and often. Through 1:1 interviews, department interviews, surveys, and cross-department sessions, we gather what your team knows and present it to leadership constructively. People can speak candidly because we protect confidentiality, and leaders can act on it because we frame it as insight, not blame.
How do I get my team to buy into a new direction?
By involving them in defining it. Buy-in usually fails when a plan is delivered to people rather than built with them. Team listening and facilitated workshops are designed to do exactly that.
How much does this cost?
Starting prices: 1:1 Strategy Session $500 an hour (your first is free), Strategy Project from $2,500, Executive Team Workshop from $5,300, and custom solutions quoted individually.
Do you offer nonprofit pricing?
Yes. Nonprofit pricing is available; ask when you book.
Do you work with organizations outside Colorado Springs?
Yes. We work with owners and organizations nationwide by video, and we're glad to travel for workshops.
Take the first step
You don't have to carry this one alone.
Bring the problem you can't stop thinking about. We'll think it through together and you'll leave with a clearer picture, whether or not we ever work together.