SECTOR EXPERTISE
Sports & Sporting Goods
20+ years. Golf, archery, pickleball, soccer, team sports, cycling, watersports, athletic apparel, sports fandom. Nate understands the sporting mindset because he's lived it.
Nate was a high level athlete (college basketball and track & field); He has worked as a youth coach, and has 2 daughters who play college sports. On the client side Nate worked at TaylorMade golf when they were a part of the adidas group, and also for Fila in New York (and Italy). The client base for his first agency was strongly rooted in the sports and fitness industry industry - brands, leagues, orgs, and related. Nate also was the author or the Sports & Fitness Industry Association's (SFIA) 'U.S. Trends in Team Sports' report for four years.
CPG
23 years. Snacks, coffee, condiments, household cleaners, dietary supplements, spirits. Deep expertise in consumer psychology and market dynamics across income levels and geographies.
Nate's work with agencies (branding, advertising, packaging, design, digital, PR) has involved a high level of in-depth understanding of how consumers move through the shopping and purchase journey in CPG. In addition to CPG customer journey qualitative, many engagements have been about uncovering true human need states for these products, the tangible and the intangible. Layered on all of that is the understanding of how general market dynamics (the "noise" in the market) works for or against a brand. Syntnesizing all of these dynamics with the realities of the client's business model and operational realities are where Nate shines as a qualitative research strategist.
Education
Education
19 years. Higher education enrollment, curriculum development, brand positioning, secondary education strategy. Authentic passion for this sector.
One of Nate's first clients when starting his insights agency was his alma mater, Point Loma Nazarene University. Says Nate, "I was proud to keep the institution as a client through 3 university presidents and many marketing leads." Other in-depth insights in the education sector spanned from 6th graders talking about charter schools to grad students talking about MBA programs. As a father of three, two of whom are still in school, and as a participant in many education related activities in personal and professional life, this is an area of both experience and passion for Nate.
Sports — Strategic Positioning & Alignment
Archery Brand: Challenged Assumptions & Aligned Strategy
The Challenge: The No. 1 and oldest bowhunting brand in the U.S. had internal misalignment. Leadership, sales, and product teams held fundamentally different views on brand identity and positioning.
Our Approach: Diagnosed the problem through research with hunters, retailers, and internal stakeholders across all functions. Explored brand perception, emotional drivers, competitive positioning, and internal alignment gaps.
The Outcome: Surfaced a clear positioning that aligned everyone around one coherent brand narrative. Internal teams moved from debate to consensus. Messaging clarity strengthened.
WALKING S: Sees strategic vision without losing detail | Brings candor to conversations
Sports — Product Strategy & Segmentation
Golf Equipment: Tested & Validated Strategy
The Challenge: A golf equipment brand was developing a new product line. They needed to understand consumer segmentation across different golfer types—from pros to casual weekend players—to inform positioning and go-to-market approach.
Our Approach: Jumped into the mix with the marketing and product teams with speed and learning posture. Conducted segmented qualitative research with different golfer personas. Explored product features, price sensitivity, performance claims, and messaging preferences.
The Outcome: Identified clear segmentation insights showing which messaging resonates with which golfer types. Validated pricing strategy and go-to-market approach across segments. Fast turnaround without sacrificing depth.
WALKING S: Efficiency without sacrificing depth
CPG — Market Entry & Positioning
Gourmet Popcorn: Market Entry & Positioning Strategy
The Challenge: A premium popcorn startup needed to validate brand positioning, understand consumer perception of gourmet popcorn, test pricing strategy, and develop a go-to-market approach for market entry.
Our Approach: Conducted deep-dive interviews and in-home ethnography across income levels. Explored consumer willingness to pay for premium, brand perception, purchase drivers, and market opportunity.
The Outcome: Validated premium positioning and informed pricing strategy. Positioned for market entry. Result: Oprah's Favorite Things → Williams-Sonoma distribution → Disney corporate gifts.
WALKING S: Sees strategic vision without losing detail | Professional execution
CPG — Brand Positioning & Messaging
Household Cleaner: Candor on Greenwashing & Authentic Positioning
The Challenge: A household cleaning brand was repositioning around sustainability. Leadership needed to understand how consumers perceive "green" claims—what feels authentic vs. performative.
Our Approach: Conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with sustainability-minded consumers. Explored perception of eco-claims, skepticism about greenwashing, messaging preferences, and price tolerance for eco-products.
The Outcome: Surfaced what makes eco-claims credible vs. performative. Recommended candid messaging that addressed consumer skepticism directly. Informed pricing and competitive positioning.
WALKING S: Brings candor to conversations | Challenges assumptions
Education — Enrollment Strategy
Private University: COVID-Era Crisis & Enrollment Strategy
The Challenge: During COVID-19, a private California university faced unprecedented uncertainty. Leadership needed to understand what parents and prospective students were thinking and prioritizing—to inform critical programming and messaging decisions.
Our Approach: Conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with families and prospective students during the height of pandemic uncertainty. Explored concerns, priorities, decision-making factors, and what matters most in crisis.
The Outcome: Insights informed programming and messaging decisions with confidence. University made decisions addressing real family concerns. Result: Anticipated 15% enrollment loss was cut to below 5%.
WALKING S: Quick turnaround under pressure | Sees strategic vision
Education — POSITIONING Strategy
Charter School Network: Cross-Segment Messaging Strategy
The Challenge: A growing charter school network needed to understand what parents—across different socioeconomic segments—were looking for in schools. Goal: refine enrollment strategy and audience-specific messaging.
Our Approach: Conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with students and parents across income levels and geographic locations. Conducted in-school interviews with instructors and administrators. Explored decision criteria, concerns about quality, perceptions of charter vs. traditional schools.
The Outcome: Identified diverse decision drivers and messaging that resonates across segments. Informed competitive positioning and audience-specific enrollment messaging. Growth strategy informed by research.
WALKING S: Collaborative but independent-minded | Sees detail and vision
Growing a family business - for 8 straight years
LAUNCHING WITH PASSION...AND A PLAN
Apricot Yarn & Supply was envisioned by Sara Heckman as a place for community, a place for creating, and a place for growth of all sorts. In 2017 Sara and Nate started with the foundation of Sara's passion for hands-on artistic expression and her belief in sustainable business practice, and together they built a business plan and marketing strategy that would make Sara's vision come to life.
Through commitment to the planning, and finding a brand point of view that was both true/authentic and appreciated by the knitters and crocheters of Southern California, Apricot Yarn & Supply has steadily grown in traffic, email sign-ups, social media followers, class attendance, and sales - for eight straight years.
THE KEY STEPS
1) Started with a defendable brand point-of-view that is authentic.
2) Built a business plan based on the realities of the market.
3) Crafted a marketing plan with measurables built in.
4) Executed on product excellence and customer connections.