Case Study: How an Advisory Board Helped Fresh Consulting Break into Microsoft and Scale Globally

Founded in 2009 in Redmond, Washington, Fresh Consulting began as a scrappy digital consultancy created by three co-founders with big ambitions. The firm quickly carved out a niche, landing a mix of small clients and a few notable enterprise accounts, including OpenText, T-Mobile, and Boeing. But there was one elusive goal: winning business from Microsoft, located quite literally in Fresh’s backyard.

At the time, Microsoft worked exclusively with a small roster of preferred vendors—major players like Accenture, Deloitte, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Fresh, with a team of ~55 people, wasn’t even on their radar.

To bridge the gap between where they were and where they wanted to be, the founders made a pivotal decision in 2012: they would create an Advisory Board, a group of outside experts to help Fresh scale.

Strategic Guidance from the Inside Out

The Advisory Board was composed of executive-level professionals from some of the most influential companies in tech: Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Apptio, and Microsoft’s PR firm of record. These were individuals who not only understood how enterprise deals were made but had spent their careers working on enterprise projects supported by vendor partners.

Early on, one of the Amazon board members asked a defining question: “You’re doing all these cool projects—but to what end?” It was a challenge to articulate Fresh’s purpose beyond chasing revenue. The company lacked a clear mission, vision, and set of guiding values. With the Advisory Board’s prompting and guidance, Fresh began the internal work of defining its “why”—an essential step toward maturing as a firm.

From Scrappy to Scalable

Another insight came from the Microsoft members of the board: Fresh needed to define, document, and systematize its service offerings. If the company hoped to scale or work with Fortune 100 clients, it couldn’t simply tailor every project from scratch. With the Advisory Board’s input, Fresh built scalable processes and frameworks that would support long-term growth.

Turning Insight into Opportunity

Mike Whitmore, President of Fresh at the time and head of business development, seized on an opportunity identified by the Advisory Board. Through the board’s connection to Microsoft’s PR agency—one of the few firms already under contract—Fresh was able to secure initial projects by partnering with the PR firm and splitting the revenue. This indirect channel opened the door, and over the course of 18 months, Fresh proved its value. Eventually, the company was added to Microsoft’s coveted Tier 1 vendor list.

Fresh has remained a Tier 1 supplier to Microsoft ever since.

The Results

The Advisory Board played a pivotal role in shaping Fresh’s strategic vision, refining its service delivery model, and unlocking key enterprise opportunities. With the board’s input, Fresh evolved from a local consultancy into a global company with offices around the world and more than 500 employees.

For Fresh, the Advisory Board wasn’t just a formality—it was a force multiplier, asking the tough questions, opening new doors, and guiding the company through transformative growth.