About us
Guard Hill is a boutique consulting firm that specializes in delivering high-quality customer insights to private equity investors, entrepreneurs, corporations, and non-profits.
We believe that 80%+ of business problems can be diagnosed by engaging in honest and direct dialogue with customers.
01
Unique mix of top-tier consulting expertise and practical entrepreneurial experience
02
Flexible engagement models
03
Significant senior time and attention
04
Bain & McKinsey quality work at a fraction of the cost
The Guard Hill Advantage
How we help
Customer research
-
Customer survey design, fielding, and analysis
-
In-depth customer interviews
-
Net promoter score and customer loyalty program design
-
Focus group facilitation
Strategy design and support
-
Business strategy workshops
-
Data synthesis and visualization
-
Board-level strategy presentations
Investor support
-
Private equity market and customer diligence
-
Buy- or sell-side market studies
New venture evaluation
-
Market sizing and opportunity analysis
-
Business case development
-
Pro forma financial models
-
Investor pitch decks
Industry focus areas
CPG & Retail | Industrials | Energy & Utilities, including Renewables | B2B Services
Hospitality | New Ventures | Non-Profits
About our team
Carolyn and Matthew Guard bring a unique and complementary mix of talents and expertise from two decades in business, management consulting, and entrepreneurship.
As a consultant, Carolyn Guard began her career in HR and talent consulting at Towers Perrin, and then moved to McKinsey & Company, where she worked in the CPG, retail, and energy sectors. Meanwhile, Matthew Guard spent five years at Bain & Company, focusing on private equity diligence and portfolio value creation. As a consultant and then as a manager, Matthew took part in ~25 PE diligence assignments across a wide range of industries and business models.
After their first career in consulting, the Guards founded and grew two successful ventures in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Babiators, an eyewear brand for children, was named one of America's Most Promising Companies by Forbes Magazine and has grown to be one of the most beloved and recognizable brands in the baby/toddler accessory market. Skylark, a non-profit professional chamber choir, has been nominated for three GRAMMY® awards and has been featured by the Boston Globe, the BBC, and the Times of London.
Realizing that their accumulated experience and skills have a unique ability to help other organizations, Matthew and Carolyn founded Guard Hill Consulting in 2023. They enjoy lending their skills to a variety of bespoke consulting engagements. Carolyn and Matthew also enjoy serving as advisory partners to MarketOnce, a leading provider of market research, data, and software solutions to the consulting and research industries.
Both Guards earned undergraduate degrees from Harvard University and MBAs from Emory University's Goizueta School of Business. They live in Bedford, NY, right around the corner from Guard Hill Road, with their two sons and Golden Retriever.
Contact
Email us to schedule a consultation