Matthew Vollmer
00 / POSITIONING
I help businesses understand what is really happening, see where the opportunity lies, and turn insight into a practical way forward.
Curiosity drives me. It always has. As a kid I was labeled a "daydreamer," and I'm still asking questions today. I always want to understand the whole picture: what is happening, why it is happening, how the pieces connect, and what possibilities others might be overlooking.
It's this curiosity that's given me decades of lived experience and the wisdom to blend that with research and theory. I bring real-world operating experience, market insight, research-driven thinking, and a practical point of view to complex business problems. In other words, I turn insights into action and ideas into something tangible.
I work, teach, research, and keep learning across business strategy, marketing, branding, innovation, people, technology, and change. Moving between those worlds helps me consider a wider range of perspectives.
Continuous practice keeps me grounded in what works in the real world. Teaching requires me to explain ideas clearly to people looking for answers. Research helps me look for evidence, patterns, and cause-and-effect. Continuing to learn keeps me curious and willing to question my own assumptions.
That combination shapes how I approach complex challenges: understand the whole picture, listen closely, ask better questions, and find a practical way forward when the answer is not obvious.
Brand & Market Strategy
Don't leave it to chance. It has to be done, and it must be done well. Successful companies have a strong Mission / Vision / Values framework that guides and directs e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g they do. Clarify who you are, who you serve, and why customers should choose you. It also limits what you do, but in this case, limitations are a great thing.
Growth & Innovation
Growing a business usually requires innovation. You don't have to be the first, or even the best, to find success through innovation. The goal is not to implement change for the sake of change, but to identify areas of growth your business can successfully pursue to create real value. I help organizations identify where their best opportunities exist, determine which innovations are worth pursuing, and move them from possibility to execution.
Persona & Culture
A brand persona lives and dies in the details: voice, tone, style, language, aesthetics, behavior, and the countless signals that shape and communicate how people experience a brand. But those signals don't exist in a vacuum. And you can't set them in stone. Culture moves. Expectations change. What feels relevant today can feel like a moving target tomorrow. I help brands build a distinctive persona that can evolve, stay culturally resonant, and meet the moment without losing themselves.
Change & Technology Adoption
Change can be amazing. Change can bring new opportunities, fresh hope, and boundless potential. But change can also be hard. It brings new uncertainties, new fears, and might represent the beginning of the end to some. The most amazing ideas can—and often will—fail if people aren’t ready or able to embrace them. Successful and sustainable change is more about understanding what drives adoption and creating favorable conditions that foster adoption to set the stage for future success.
Data-Driven Sales & Enablement
If the future is "business analytics," then the future is already here. The best decisions are guided by understanding the numbers. But which numbers matter, and which numbers can you trust? Getting to a single number is the easy part, and it's only the beginning of the process. The hard part is transforming data into actionable insights that sharpen strategy, improve decision-making, and drive stronger business execution.
I’ve worked through complex business challenges, from the inside out.
Over the course of my career, those experiences have turned knowledge into practical wisdom and empathy for the people I work with. It's the kind of insight
that helps me understand what clients are facing, recognize what may be getting in
the way, and offer practical advice grounded in what actually works. And what customers really want.
Here's a quick snippet of some things I've accomplished, thus far:
After purchasing a long-standing, underperforming business territory, I combined customer development, account discipline, product knowledge, inventory management, and consistent brand execution to produce substantial year-over-year sales growth of 300%.
I help organizations find solutions and take their capabilities to the next level. I start by listening to and understanding the needs, motivations, and challenges of their unique situations. By fully understanding their situation and becoming their business partner, I'm able to propose, explain, and connect highly technical solutions to their actual business needs, help reduce friction while adopting the solution, and create elevated customer experiences that strengthen brand loyalty. That customer-centered approach builds confidence and turns satisfied customers into brand loyalists.
I have worked closely with over 200 independent business owners across a multi-state region, using a consultative approach to assess their businesses and develop holistic plans that strengthened sales, operations, merchandising, market execution, and overall performance.
As a college professor, I have developed a business analytic framework for better business decision-making. AC²TI²ON² guides decision-makers from curious inquiry and evidence gathering through analysis and interpretation. The framework emphasizes translating data and confidently delivering results of the analysis with a clear, actionable, data-driven recommendation.
I am drawn to the intersection of design, science, and technology—where analytical thinking and creative problem-solving work together.
Good. Those are usually the best and most interesting projects.
hello@mvollmer.com ↗
