Outcome Study: Lumen Creative

Company Snapshot

Company name Lumen Creative

Industry Creative & Professional Services

Company size Mid-sized agency

Pain point Unpredictable revenue and slipping profitability from taking on too many low-value projects

CoreTheorem product used Outcome Intelligence Platform Outcome Strategy Support

About the company Lumen Creative is a US-based agency providing design and branding services to a wide range of clients. Known for high-quality creative output, the firm built its reputation on referrals and word-of-mouth. By the time they engaged CoreTheorem, the agency was profitable on some projects but inconsistent overall, with leadership spending more time on delivery than on guiding growth.

By The Numbers

• 30% increase in project profitability

• 3x higher margins in their new core niche

• Record number of high-value client wins

• Improved retention as ideal-fit clients returned

• Founders freed from day-to-day delivery

The problem

Lumen Creative had been running for years with a steady flow of client work. Most of it came through referrals. That kept the lights on, but it made planning unpredictable. Some projects were highly profitable. Others soaked up time and attention but barely covered their costs.

The team was stretched across too many types of work. Without a clear direction for sales, they took on almost anything that came in. Margins slipped, revenue became inconsistent, and the founders were spending most of their time managing projects instead of shaping the future of the agency.

The founder admitted:“We weren’t running the business. The business was running us.”

The solution

We gathered several years of data, from briefs and invoices to timesheets and client records, and put it through Outcome Intelligence. The findings were unambiguous.

• A handful of client types consistently produced strong returns and long-term relationships

• Other projects lost money once time overruns were factored in

• Sales efforts were almost entirely reactive, leaving little control over the quality of work coming in

• Leadership was pulled into the day-to-day instead of driving growth

With the evidence in hand, Lumen made decisive changes. Together we:

• Identified their most profitable niche, where margins were three times higher than the average project

• Rebuilt the sales process to target only those clients with sharper positioning and tighter proposals

• Designed a structured delivery framework to keep projects within scope and protect profitability

The results

The changes took effect quickly.

• Profitability increased by 25% across projects

• Record wins were secured in their high-margin niche

• Retention improved as satisfied clients came back with repeat work

• Founders regained time to work on strategy and growth

As their founder said:“We thought we needed more leads. What we really needed was proof of where the profit came from. Once we had that, the right choices were obvious.”

Why it matters

Agencies often try to grow by saying yes to everything. Lumen’s experience shows that the opposite can be more powerful.

By focusing on the work that produced the greatest value, and building systems to deliver it consistently, they reshaped the business into something more profitable and more sustainable.

Outcome Intelligence turned years of raw project data into the evidence the founders needed to change course with confidence.

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Disclaimer: The company names, characters, and identifying details used in these Outcome Stories are anonymised unless explicitly stated otherwise. Each story is derived from real client engagements and represents a synthesis of data, insights, and results drawn from CoreTheorem’s work with businesses in similar contexts. Figures, timelines, and outcomes are based on actual performance data but may be generalised, aggregated, or adjusted for confidentiality. Any resemblance to specific individuals or organisations, living or defunct, is coincidental where names are not disclosed with permission. Images, trademarks, and design elements remain the property of their respective owners and are used here solely for illustrative purposes. These stories are intended for informational use only and do not constitute guarantees of future performance or results.