We make good consultants better!
Master Strategy to Elevate Counseling.
Strategy is foundational. But, most business advisors don't have a framework for strategy-based counseling. So, they focus on tactical efforts. Every tactical effort is improved by the addition of strategy.
Your team is good at counseling on planning, marketing, sales, operations, finance, etc. Improve counseling outcomes in these areas by adding strategy.
We make strategy easy. Small adjustments will significantly improve your counseling for greater client success and economic impact.

CASE STUDY: SBDC
Increasing Economic Impact - Wyoming SBDC Network
The Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network hosted Grow Your Business, Strategy Guidemap’s premier masterclass, to boost economic impact and client growth. SBDC business advisors participated and enhanced their counseling skills while local business owners created personalized growth strategies. One participant called it “the best training I’ve attended in years!”
Following the event, advisors earned their Business Strategy Advisor Certification through a brief online assessment. Wyoming SBDC State Director Jill Kline praised the training as “extremely valuable.”
Some organizations prefer shorter, advisor-only Summit Guide training, while others, like Wyoming SBDC, include both advisors and clients in the full 4-hour masterclass. As a follow-up to their face-to-face event, the Wyoming SBDC network later hosted a Summit Guide Refresher event for their business advisors. Refresher events are offered online, allowing business advisors from across large areas to convene without the time and cost of travel. Refresher events provide additional opportunities for expert answers to questions to fine the application of important business advising concepts.
4-hr or 2-hr Training
Complete the "Grow Your Business" masterclass on growth strategy or the "Summit Guide" training.
Online Assessment
Complete a brief online assessment for professionals in business advisory roles.
Receive Credential
Receive "Business Strategy Advisor Certification" certificate and the digital badge. Share his verifiable credential (from Certifier) in your online profiles.
Improve Counseling!
Incorporate what you've learned to elevate counseling, improving outcomes and economic impact.

Adelita Duryea
Founder and Principal Consultant at
Sprout & Scale Marketing
"It was absolutely worth my time, and I would definitely do it again. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to sharpen their understanding of strategy and drive real results!"

Jill Kline
State Director of the
Wyoming SBDC
"Extremely valuable training."

Ethan Migliori
Regional SBDC Director (former) and Training Director (current) at
Utah State University Eastern
"You will walk away just shaking your head saying I wish I knew this 20 years ago."

Ryan Murray
Founder and Consultant at
LearnBiz
"He corrected some mistakes I've been making ... He really is the expert and the master."

Ben Wolford
Business Professor at
Utah State University
"He is an expert in his field and able to make complex concepts understandable and engaging. The information was interactive and ... helped foster a deeper understanding, solidifying my skills. "

MaLinda Perry
Consultant and Coach at
MaLinda Perry Consulting, LLC
"Best training I have attended in years! Fun, informative and thought provoking! Do this and don’t think twice or look back!"
"He corrected some mistakes that I've been making"
"I wish I knew this 20 years ago"
"He really is the expert and the master"
Select a Training
Click or tap on a training to learn more. Then use the form below to receive a no-obligation quote.

Accelerate Small Business Growth (4 hours)
Grow Your Business is Strategy Guidemap's premier training event. In only 4 hours of highly interactive and engaging training, participants answer key strategy-related questions specific to their business. Participants leave with a clear understanding of strategy and a personalized guidemap to begin accelerating growth! This program is hugely beneficial for small business owners and managers.
Businesses may request an exclusive training for their leadership team or register to attend an event being hosted near them. We welcome inquiries from organizations interested in sponsoring or hosting an event for their area's businesses.
For business consultants and advisors, the clear, easy-to-apply principles of strategic growth enhances the quality and impact of their business counseling. Business Strategy Advisor Certification is available to consultants who complete the training and a brief online assessment.

Follow-up event for Grow Your Business training (1 hour)
Our Grow Your Business Refresher is a one-hour online refresher offered exclusively for previous Grow Your Business attendees. It reviews key principles from the Grow Your Business training, helping past participants maintain clarity and enhance their application of strategic growth concepts.

Making good business advisors better (2 hours)
Summit Guide transforms good counselors into great counselors. Built on the principles of Strategy Guidemap’s flagship Grow Your Business event, it condenses strategic growth principles into a focused two-hour session tailored for business coaches, advisors, counselors, consultants, instructors, and mentors. Summit Guide equips business counseling professionals to effectively engage clients with strategic growth concepts that accelerate their business growth. Business Strategy Advisor Certification is offered to those who complete the training and a brief online assessment.

Follow-up event for Summit Guide training (1 hour)
In one hour, Summit Guide Refresher reviews the principles taught in the Summit Guide training. It helps coaches, advisors, counselors, consultants, instructors, and mentors who have completed the Summit Guide training maintain clarity and improve their application of strategic growth principles in advising and teaching. This live online event is exclusively available to prior participants of the Summit Guide training course.

Master Strategy
Alan Christensen founded Strategy Guidemap after 15 years as a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) director and business advisor, and over 10 years as a team leader successfully leading strategic growth consulting engagements for 500+ small businesses in many industries across 20 states. While at the SBDC he presented at the National SBDC Conference, receiving this accolade from C.E. "Tee" Rowe, President and CEO of America's Small Business Development Centers: "...your participation in particular helped make this year's Annual Conference one of the largest and most successful in the Association's history."
Christensen understands small business. He has received national accolades for expertise in business counseling. He is a master of strategy and was handpicked as one of an elite few "team leaders" for the National Strategic Research Team of the National Center for Economic Gardening - helping hundreds of businesses successfully accelerate growth.
Proven Record

consulting
500+
small businesses
- From small "solopreneur" ventures to multimillion dollar companies in every industry, Christensen has over two decades of consulting experience.
Broad Experience

led strategic growth engagements in20
states.
- Christensen has helped improve business strategy and provided strategic growth insight for over 150 companies in 20 states over the past 10 years as a certified team leader on the National Strategic Research Team of the National Center for Economic Gardening.
Premier Trainer

trained
2200+
Business Owners and Managers- As a seasoned professional trainer, Christensen has provided business training to over 2,200 small business owners and managers.
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You're in Good Company
SBDC Directors/Advisors
Seeking more high impact clients! We can help!
Business Consultants
Make foundational improvements in your consulting.
Finance and Lending
Improve client advising and lending decisions.
Marketing professionals
Strategy is at the core of marketing. Get clear principles of strategy.
Economic Developers
Understand and better support accelerated business growth.
Professors and Mentors
Enhance teaching and mentoring significantly with small changes.