The Consulting Success® Story
About Consulting Success® and Its Founders
Consulting Success® is the worldwide leader in coaching and training for entrepreneurial consultants. We are Michael Zipursky and Sam Zipursky, also known as the “Zipursky Cousins” to our clients and friends.
We are entrepreneurs, consultants, authors and strategic coaches. Over the past 20 years we’ve helped thousands of clients from around the globe to increase their impact, earn a higher income, enjoy more freedom and flexibility, and live a lifestyle they love and are proud of.
It Wasn’t Always Like This...
Like most successful entrepreneurs that built up their business, dreams and vision into reality, things weren’t always where they are today. We’ve definitely experienced our share of personal and professional challenges and tough times..
We know what it feels like to reach out to potential clients and get rejected, to work day after day, and month after month with little predictable income coming in. We understand the heartache and soul-searching when you realize you’re spending too much time working and not enough time with family and friends.
Some of our experiences included:
- The loneliness, and at times despair, of working hard every single day on building a new business with little financial results to show for the time and effort being put in
- Feeling like an outsider, and not always knowing what to do next, as we “knocked on doors” to grow the business
- “Imposter syndrome” and second-guessing the value of our own expertise
- Dealing with rejection while trying to keep a smile on our faces
- Neglecting family, friends, and even personal health at times for the sake of the business
Do any of these resonate with you? We’ve been there and want you to know you’re not alone on this journey!
Our Big Pivot & Turning Point
After several years of hustling and non-stop work we still felt we weren’t making the progress we wanted. We knew something had to change - so we did something we’d never done before. We decided to hire experienced consultants, coaches, and mentors who could help us to see what we were missing, and provide us with clear guidance and a proven strategic roadmap to accelerate our growth and success.
The impact these coaches and mentors had on us was profound. We went from spinning our wheels to making real progress. Things started to click and we’ve never looked back. Over the last decade we’ve consistently applied the best practices, systems, strategies and principles of success we learned from our coaches and mentors. This fueled our success and has led to massive growth in our business.
At Consulting Success® we teach and share with our clients these strategies, best practices, and real-world tactics and we’ve helped thousands of our clients to succeed in business and life - this is what brings us true joy and fulfillment!
What Success Looks Like to Us
Today we have a healthy 7-figure business with great clients from around the world, a great team, strong systems in place, and a lifestyle we love. For us success isn’t about flashy cars and private jets...
This is What Success Looks Like to Us:
- Having a growing business that we are excited to work on and are very passionate about, a team we love working with, and clients that we consider as family and friends.
- Spending plenty of time with our family, loved ones and friends.
- Being able to enjoy an amazing meal, gym class, or vacation whenever we want.
- An overall feeling of wellbeing, comfort, and stability.
- Living life on our own terms with a very flexible schedule we feel in control of.
Now you know a bit about our story, where we came from, what drives us, and our beliefs - let us now briefly introduce the team members behind Consulting Success...
The Consulting Success Mission
We wake up every day to help consulting business founders build successful businesses that create personal freedom and flexibility while making a lasting impact on their clients, families, and surrounding communities.
The Values We Live and Breathe By...
As a family-owned business, we treat our team, clients, and community like extended family. We value respect, honesty, and genuinely care, which means we're not afraid of tough conversations that help us grow. When working with Consulting Success it won’t feel like a typical business relationship – we go the extra mile to help our clients make sure they succeed.
World class is our standard in everything we do. From hiring the best coaches and team, to client interactions and program delivery, we're not just meeting industry benchmarks – we're raising them to world-class. It's not just about what we do, but how we do it. We're committed to helping our clients get real results, period. This drive keeps us pushing boundaries, and consistently exceeding expectations.
We believe growth and improvement makes life and business exciting and challenging. We’re always learning, growing, taking action, and surrounding ourselves with smart, ambitious and inspiring people. Reaching new levels of personal and business success is what gets us excited and we live this everyday!
We prioritize health. Mental health, regular physical exercise, and having a flexible schedule that allows us to recharge and create amazing life experiences inside and outside of work are key to how we operate and run our business.
The world is a vibrant tapestry of diverse people, cultures, and landscapes and we embrace this. We're passionate about this global richness, thriving on collaborations with folks from all corners of the earth. This outlook keeps our ideas fresh and our work exciting—it's like we're on a constant adventure, growing with every new encounter.
Meet the Team
Michael and Sam Zipursky’s work has appeared in the Financial Times, FOX Business, Maclean's, HR Executive, Marketing Magazine, Huffington Post, Certified Management Consultant News, and many other media outlets and publications. Both Michael and Sam speak English and Japanese fluently, and they love traveling, music, fine wine, and world cuisine, especially sushi. More than anything, however, they treasure spending time with family.
Michael and Sam are grateful to the many consultants and contributors who share their wisdom on the blog. Let’s take a moment to introduce to the team, beginning with the “Zipursky Cousins,” founders of Consulting Success®.
Michael Zipursky
CEO and Co-Founder
Michael has advised business leaders and consulting firms throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East. He has consulted in more than 75 industries, working with service providers to billion-dollar multi-national corporations, including Panasonic, Dow Jones, Sumitomo, Financial Times, Royal Bank, and many others. Michael is an in-demand speaker, giving keynotes and leading workshops for the Certified Management Consultants Association, Canadian Internet Marketing Conference, IvyExec, Predictive Index and more.
His work has appeared in Forbes, Entrepeneur, CEO World, MarketingProfs, Huffington Post, Financial Times, FOX Business, Maclean's, HR Executive, Marketing Magazine, and several other media outlets and publications. He is the author of several best-selling books on the topics of consulting and business growth including: The Elite Consulting Mind, Act Now, and Consulting Success, the book. Michael has been a featured consulting expert on podcasts such as Conscious Millionaire, Unstoppable CEO, Daily Grind, Duct Tape Marketing, and the How of Business and many more. Michael loves spending time with his wife and two daughters, being in the nature, listening to music and traveling the world.
You can follow him on Twitter (@MichaelZipursky) and LinkedIn (Michael Zipursky).
Sam Zipursky
Business Development and Co-Founder
Sam has more than twenty years of consulting and business experience with companies all over the world, with a particular focus on the connection between the internet, branding, design, and marketing. In 2001, Sam co-founded the international brand design and consulting firm Kankei Culture with his cousin Michael.
Over the last several years, Sam has spent time in North America, Europe, and Asia, where he has worked on several cross-cultural business projects. When not focusing on the business side of things, he can often be found relaxing at coffee shops with a good book, traveling the globe, or producing underground jazz and hip-hop instrumentals.
You can follow Sam on LinkedIn (Sam Zipursky) and Instagram (Sam Zipursky).
Michel Fortin
Head of Growth
Michel Fortin is a globally recognized marketing leader and growth strategist with over 30 years of experience helping businesses achieve transformative success. As the Head of Growth at Consulting Success®, Michel spearheads demand generation for one of the world’s premier training organizations dedicated to empowering consultants, coaches, and entrepreneurial professionals to build thriving, scalable businesses.
With a career spanning 200+ industries, Michel has earned a reputation for driving organic visibility, increasing revenue, and crafting innovative marketing strategies that deliver measurable results. His expertise lies in identifying visibility gaps and unlocking untapped growth opportunities. By combining modern SEO, branding, digital PR, AI, and content strategy, he has helped countless clients elevate their brands and achieve explosive business growth.
An accomplished author of several books, including Power Positioning: How to Stand Out in a Hypercompetitive World, Michel is also a sought-after speaker and mentor. Based in Ottawa, Canada, he continues to inspire professionals at Consulting Success® to refine their strategies, establish their authority, and achieve extraordinary levels of success.
Daniel Liu
Client Success Manager
Daniel specializes in helping entrepreneurs run their business more smoothly and managing the day to day. His role at Consulting Success is making sure everything runs like a well oiled machine and that our clients are fully taken care of.
He brings great attention to detail and organization to the team and is always there to assist Consulting Success clients. With his commitment towards client success, he enables us to provide exceptional value that support our clients to move their success forward.
In his spare time, you catch Daniel teaching swimming at the pool and exercising in the gym. He loves staying active and loves to pass on his active lifestyle knowledge to the next generation. He is also a Huge foodie and loves trying new restaurants!
Jacqueline Marroquin
Clarity Success Coach + Marketing Communications
As a Clarity Success Coach, Jacqueline matches potential clients with their ideal program and coach. She prioritizes world-class service and focuses on ensuring that potential clients feel understood, guided, and supported.
Jacqueline also oversees the Podcast and Design for our marketing communications. She is an advocate of “working smart”, embraces radical productivity, and enjoys leveraging new technology, streaming work processes, and keeping top-notch quality and sky-high standards.
She is also the founder of Consciousness Liberty, a pioneering platform that merges science and spirituality for personal, professional, and spiritual development.
Nathan Ostler
Director of Program Enrollment
Nathan has built a diverse career over 15 years, with experience spanning the retail, technology, and energy sectors. Specializing in driving business growth and building strong, long-term client relationships, he has developed deep expertise in understanding client needs and delivering tailored solutions. His commitment to a growth mindset drives him to continuously learn and evolve, drawing insights from leading experts in both business and personal development. Outside of work, Nathan is a proud father of three who values family life and enjoys staying active through personal fitness, golf, and hockey.
Cloris Kylie
Clarity Coach
Cloris Kylie, MBA., is an expert in helping companies build authority, grow their database, and get ideal clients by collaborating with influencers. She leverages her background in industrial engineering, marketing, and project management to design digital marketing systems for her clients. The host of a top rated podcast and author of an international bestseller, she has been featured on platforms with millions of followers including network TV, top-ranked podcasts, YouTube channels, and blogs.
Patrick Farran
Clarity Coach
Patrick Farran, PhD, MBA has 20+ years of corporate consulting experience across multiple industries and currently runs a B2B consulting practice helping executive leaders implement organizational transformation initiatives and align their teams for peak performance. His past work also includes teaching and coaching in the full-time MBA program at the University of Notre Dame, where he focused on coaching and mentoring MBA's pursuing careers in consulting and entrepreneurship.
Grant Fisher
Clarity Coach
Grant is an International Multi-Award Winning Speaker, Coach & Trainer with over 25 years of extensive business leadership experience running small, medium and global businesses. He has launched new and grown existing businesses. Worked hard to train and develop high performance teams. Grant is also a certified business coach, Brian Tracy trainer, Evernote certified consultant and MBA graduate with tens of thousands of hours of ongoing professional development, training and coaching with individuals and groups including Brian Tracy, Anthony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Franklin Covey, to name just a few.
Terri-Ann Richards
Clarity Coach
Terri-Ann Richards has over 17+ years in business ownership experience across multiple industries and currently runs a leadership coaching and consulting practice, helping ambitious leaders implement the key levers that will have them unveiling that untapped potential within. She is also is the founder and host of an annual sold-out event for female leaders called the BE event where the focus is on developing the leader behind the title through stories of others' trials and triumphs. She's the founder of the leadHER Brave program developed for young girls, and the host of the popular leadership podcast, the Balanced Perspective. She's currently is working on her 2nd book, Success Takes Courage, a playbook for finding fulfillment and joy again in life.
Michelle Sanford
Clarity Coach
Michelle has 25+ years of corporate consulting, executive, and leadership coaching, and is currently a consultant, trainer, and coach for several B2B consulting companies. Michelle specializes in championing mid-career leaders and entrepreneurs to change careers or job scope in order to live a Career on Purpose... not by accident. With a special focus on mindset, clarity, and consistent action toward their goals, Michelle helps leaders achieve big dreams, and stay healthy along the way. She earned a bachelors degree in Individual & Organizational Leadership from DePaul University and is a seasoned Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). She is currently earning a certification as a mental fitness coach through the Positive Intelligence (PQ) organization. Michelle is comfortable in the boardroom, at the front of the room teaching, or on the front line and she brings a solid performance focus and a heart of compassion to every client interaction.
Missy Lafferty
Clarity Coach
Missy Lafferty has over 15 years of business experience with global media and technology companies, serving roles in strategy, operations, and talent acquisition. She has a background in B2B software, both as a buyer of HR tech and in marketing and business development roles at tech startups. Missy currently leads an award-winning talent advisory practice, helping leaders to grow and develop top talent and build high-performing teams. Outside of work, Missy stays busy with her two small children and enjoys hiking and volunteering in her local community.
Tony Velasquez
Clarity Coach
Tony “Mr. Energy” Velasquez, MBA, PMP® has 25+ years of extensive experience in corporate consulting, program/project management and system integration of complex system implementations, which also involves managing large cross-functional, multicultural and fast paced teams. He currently runs a successful ERP boutique consulting firm partnering with large (Fortune 500) to midsize (Industry-Leading) firms through selection, implementation, and support of innovative ERP/HRIS solutions. Outside of work, Tony is on daddy duties with two small kids. He also makes time for having a date night with his wife when the grandparents can babysit, attending a sporting event, running a half marathon, or playing a poker tournament.
Aaron Cruikshank
Clarity Coach
Aaron Cruikshank is a market intelligence and research consultant with more than 20 years of experience in dozens of sectors. He is the founder and President at CTRS Market Intelligence, and helps leaders in go-to-market strategy, public policy, and product development make confident strategic decisions through rigorous market intelligence. His unique approach, combining investigative techniques with advanced analytics, has delivered clarity and results for over 850 clients over the past 20 years, ranging from startups to Fortune 500s, public-sector organizations and non-profits worldwide.
After a career in the public service, Aaron began working as a freelancer/researcher in 2003. Including a stint as an Associate Vice President with Ipsos in 2011-2012, Aaron has worked with many large clients including Bosch, Bosa Properties, London Drugs, FortisBC, BC Hydro, the Government of Canada, BC Lottery Corporation, Ontario Power Generation, Vancity Credit Union, New York Institute of Technology, Nintendo and the Business Development Bank of Canada. His areas of expertise are market intelligence, competitive intelligence, qualitative market research, market validation, public policy research and strategy, and business strategy in heavily regulated industries. Aaron holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Master of Public Policy from Simon Fraser University. He also has an Executive MBA from the University of Fredericton and a diploma in Adult Education.
Aaron lives with his family in Maple Ridge, BC, Canada and in his spare time, loves to read, cook and entertain guests in his home.
Tara Wilson
Clarity Coach
Tara Wilson helps founders and executive leaders cut through complexity, align their teams, and execute with precision. With nearly 30 years of experience across the tech, fintech, corporate retail and startup ecosystems, she has worked with organizations like MCAP, Canadian Tire Corporation, and BlackBerry.
She specializes in turning vision into action through clear strategy, operational structure, and hands-on leadership. In her consulting practice, Tara is often brought in as a fractional COO to lead go-to-market initiatives, scale teams, and drive results—without the burnout.
In addition to her corporate work, Tara is an active community builder. She leads initiatives that connect neighbors, support local businesses, and create meaningful impact. In her spare time, Tara loves travel and hanging out with her son (even if he doesn't want to).
Kathy Keating
Clarity Coach
Kathy Keating is a technology executive, board-certified director (CDI.D), and multi-time founder with over three decades of experience helping high-growth companies scale with clarity and resilience. She began her career pioneering commercial AI systems still in use today and has since led major transformations across multiple industries. She is co-creator of the CTO Levels framework and co-author of Liquid: How CEOs & CTOs Unlock Momentum in Complex Systems. As an advisor and board member, she brings expertise in governance, AI strategy, cybersecurity, and operational effectiveness, and is known for helping leaders cut through noise, focus on what matters most, and thrive in complexity.
John Quirk
Clarity Coach
John Quirk is an accomplished technology executive who joined PSC Group as a management consultant in 2004, quickly advancing to Vice President of Operations by 2008. In 2013, he and three other managers acquired PSC Group, where as Partner he drove exceptional growth over nine years—expanding revenue to $15 million through strategic client diversification, building an award-winning culture that earned multiple "Best Places to Work" recognitions, and developing the innovative "Five Points of Excellence" talent framework. His visionary leadership culminated in successfully selling PSC Group to Netrix Global in 2021, where he continued as VP of Modern Applications & Data Intelligence before pursuing his current venture bringing advanced metrics to the professional services industry.