Our Story
Well, it started years ago when our CEO started Sprout chewing gum, the first gum that could regrow hair. It didn't pan out, but our desire to help people continues. Fast forward a couple of decades, gaining marketing experience in operations, consulting, category management, academia, consumer packaged goods "big data," and quantitative and qualitative research, our CEO would consistently see small, medium, and large businesses failing at facets of marketing that could be addressed by better understanding customers and employees needs and wants.
For large companies, analyzing “Big Data” is accessible, but trends in sales data only tells part of the story. Small and medium-sized businesses often interact with customers directly but lack the time and resources to collect and quantify data, and connect the shopper experience dots. Already challenged by heavy competition, small and medium-sized businesses' challenges were exacerbated by the pandemic and the need to test various strategies and tactics to stay afloat.
While walking around neighborhoods with and speaking to local business owners and mangers, it was clear there was an opportunity to provide marketing support to businesses. The four branches in our logo represent our pillars of successful marketing research:
1) Customer, 2) Team, 3) Process, and 4) Tools. These pillars are based on a foundation of continued understanding, implementation, and action.
​​
Sprout23 was established February 23, 2024.
Our Founder
Hey there - thanks for spending a minute of your day reading (i.e., skimming) our website. We think marketing and using tree puns are fun. So much fun that we branched out of a desk job to grow a company that aims to help small and medium-sized businesses get to the root of their problems. Okay, enough puns. Our founder has 15+ years in marketing research roles, working with hundreds of clients in a variety of industries, including CPG/BWS (MarsWrigley, Fiji, Pepsi, and Mike's Hard Lemonade to name several), retail and convenience (Speedway, 7-Eleven, CVS), IT consulting, academia, and international associations (ALA, IAB, IFT, TPI). All of our founder's previous marketing research roles have led to extensive knowledge of marketing strategies and tactics that you can use. Whether you're a new business or an assistant to the regional manager for a regional paper company, we hope to help you.​
​​
Follow us for marketing tips
Nick Fernandes
President and CEO
-
Nick has successfully led hundreds of clients through customized research projects to grow their business. He's a passionate marketer, lifelong learner, and loves uncovering insights for clients through research.
-
Education: MBA from Pace University in New York; B.S. in Marketing Management from Quinnipiac University. Member of the American Marketing Association (AMA).
-
Certificates: “Using Data to Improve Pricing Performance” from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP) from the AMA and Digital Marketing Institute (DMI).
-
Volunteer: Secretary of the board of his HOA and advocates for building a better and safer community as featured in this Block Club Chicago article. Volunteer for the Chicago chapter of Quinnipiac University.
-
When not being a Boston sports fanatic and frequently attending Cubs games, he's creatively thinking and listening to insights podcasts while walking his best bud, Sabo, who recently lost his eyesight to Blastomycosis. (More on this soon.) Favorite travel places include Italy and Costa Rica.
Email : nickf@sprout23.com
Our Team
Tails held high, stress levels low. That's the Sprout23 way.
Mr. Sabo
