Great Custom Research Fuels Understanding, Authority, and ROI

We are experts in thought leadership research.
Ask our 140+ clients.

At Thought Leader Research, we are your partner for custom, statistically accurate research that reveals exciting discoveries, unexpected trends, and actionable insights that you own and can share immediately. 

Some Of Our Great Clients

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Hersheys
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Hilton
expedia
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advent health
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broadridge
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televisaa
principal
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Brand Builders Group worked the TLR team on our first-ever Trends in Personal Branding National Study. We are thrilled with the findings from the study and its impact on our business. It’s helped elevate our positioning in the marketplace, helped us to raise our prices, and been a huge asset in supporting us in adding world-renown clients. Plus, within 24 hours of the release of the study, our co-founder was featured on Good Morning America! We wholeheartedly recommend TLR and its step-by-step research and thought leadership process. They are the best in the business!

Rory Vaden

Co-Founder Brand Builders Group
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We have worked with Jason and his team in fielding primary generational research in digital banking. His team are experts in their field. They are abundant in both talent and humility, which is a rare combination. They helped us frame and communicate the insights in a variety of content vehicles to support our thought leadership and demand generation efforts. They are customer-centric at their core and an amazing business partner who seeks to understand and deliver on client needs.

Allison Cerra

Chief Marketing Officer, Alkami Technology
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Working with Jason and his team at CGK on our study has been one of the highlights of our year. They are professional, exceptional, and passionate about their work and genuinely enjoyable to work with, making the process fun and exciting from start to finish. Thanks to their expertise and collaborative approach, our study resulted in incredibly powerful findings that will help us shape the next decade of our work. I highly recommend Jason and the CGK team to anyone seeking world-class research and an outstanding partnership.”

Michelle Poler

Global influencer, bestselling author, founder of Hello Fears
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Partnering with CGK on multiple research projects has been an absolute game changer for me and my business. Jason and his team bring so much more than just data—they deliver insights, expertise, and actionable advice that help me leverage my findings to strengthen my market position, own my niche, and stay ahead of the competition. With just one study, I went from being another business strategist to one of the few well-recognized experts in my field.

Meridith Elliott Powell

Former President, National Speakers Association cc

Lead Research That Drives Your
Business Forward

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Become a research-based thought leader in your area of focus

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Own original data unique to you that enables you to become the source of facts

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Craft and share your discoveries through powerful stories that drive action

We transform your vision, expertise, and desired brand position into custom research studies that bring to life new perspectives, inform media conversation, and create measurable outcomes. 

We can complete your national study in as little as 6 weeks!

Trusted by
Leading Brands Worldwide

Our repeat clients range from global Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups to numerous authors, speakers, coaches, and CEOs. As our founder says, “Own the data. Own the conversation™.”

Ultimate_Software
We worked with the TLR team on three national studies focused on discovering workforce trends that our customers and prospects needed to know. The studies led to 25 television news interviews which reached 11 million viewers. The team was excellent to work with throughout the research process. They designed a custom strategy for each study and uncovered unexpected and actionable insights that were valuable to our customers and for internal innovation. I highly recommend them for their custom research and unique approach to thought leadership. They deliver results.

Adam Rogers

Former CEO, Ultimate Software

We Make Custom
Research Easy for You

Our strength is our Stats to Stories™ process. Our PhD-led research team are experts at partnering with you to make your custom research easy and exciting. We can then partner with you to create fully-designed Thought Leader White Papers, Influencer Infographics, and more so you can easily share your discoveries with the world. 

How Thought Leadership Research Can Help You

Become a Leader in Your Industry

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Add immediate authority through original research that enables you to become the “source of facts” for your area of expertise and industry.

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Uncover never-before-seen strategic insights and must-know data that attract new clients and conversations in support of your brand position, offering, and messaging.

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Fuel faster growth by uncovering hidden trends, behavioral drivers, and new strategies that drive content creation and lead generation.

Custom Research that Delivers Measurable Results for Your Business

  • Earned Media Coverage – Our clients have been featured for their research studies on media from Good Morning America to USA TODAY!
  • Immediate ROI – Transform your discoveries into stories that drive inbound leads, trust, and authority
  • Rapid Innovation – Implement your findings to drive strategy, growth, answer key questions, and fast-track sales
  • Endless Content – Your study’s findings can easily become 6 to 12 months of original, research-backed content
  • Monetize Your New IP – Integrate the findings into books, speeches, and reports as well as create assessments, indexes, and more!
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In fact, over

90%

of all our clients are repeat clients or direct referrals from past research clients! 

Our Team Has Been Featured On:

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How long does it take to
deliver a custom study?

45 to 90 days depending on complexity, fielding, and analysis. You approve every step so we go at the speed that works for you! Half of our clients have never led a study before and the other half have teams of researchers we work alongside. We are here to deliver on your vision and make the process easy, exciting, and (dare we say) fun! 

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Do you lead studies in different languages around the world?

Yes! As a PhD-led research firm, we lead custom studies around the world and in multiple languages. We are great partners and collaborators dedicated to statistically-accurate research that advances understanding, enables you to separate myth from truth, and provides valuable insights that drive a direct ROI. Our work always has a low margin of error which is why it is ideal for you to share with media, influencers, and customers. 

Who are our clients?

Likely a leader just like you! Our clients range from the biggest global brands to media outlets and personal brands passionate about bringing a new, research-driven perspective to those they serve.

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Corporate clients

For corporate clients, we’ve led numerous studies for industry leaders and fast-growth challenger-style brands in enterprise technology, CPG, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, restaurants, consumer technology, real estate, private equity, trade associations, and countless more.

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Personal brands

For personal brands, we’ve led numerous studies for bestselling and first-time authors, famous speakers, influencers, consultants, coaches, and visionary entrepreneurs. Our personal brand clients span almost every area of every aspect of personal and professional development.

What makes TLR unique? 

We only do custom research specifically designed to uncover unexpected insights, discoveries, trends, and behaviors not available anywhere else. Our unique approach is built on our proven Stats to Stories™ solution which consistently leads to unexpected, actionable, immediately valuable discoveries for you and those you serve. The findings we uncover are ideal for amplifying expertise and messaging to stand out in competitive markets and niches. 

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You own your study. You can share your favorite discoveries and keep the remaining data for core IP and strategy.

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Do you have to know how
to do research to become
a TLR client?
 

Not at all! Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies with teams of experienced quantitative and qualitative researchers to first-time authors seeking original data and data-driven stories to include in their new books, speeches, and online content—and everyone in between! We work closely with you at every step of your study’s custom design and creation. You provide the vision and expertise.

We design your study outline, write the first draft of questions, and then you review, iterate, and approve each step. We meet you where you are to ensure that your study is fantastic. We then conduct an extensive multivariate analysis of your study’s findings to uncover all the best stories, stats, and insights from your custom study. We then present your findings to you through a clear narrative, wow stats, charts, graphs, and our favorite headline-style discoveries. You can then start sharing your study’s findings immediately!

How long does it take to complete a custom study? 

We have two types of custom national studies to fit your goals and timeline. We can explore both of these and other questions on your 30-Minute Study Strategy Call. Your proposal will include all the details, deliverables, timelines, and more so you have everything you need to confidently move forward.  

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Fast Findings National Study

Our Fast Findings™ National Studies take 45-60 days. This study is entirely custom, shorter in length, and very focused on select areas of inquiry tied to must-deliver discoveries. These are ideal when you have a very specific, targeted focus and want a great study finished quickly.

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Flagship National Study

Our Flagship National Studies™ take 90 days to complete. These are very in-depth studies covering a variety of areas of inquiry and include a larger study sample and more extensive multivariate analysis. These are ideal when you have a little more time to do a much deeper dive into 2-3 strategic areas that build on one another and you want to really go very deep in owning the data in your space.

Both of our study solutions are entirely custom to you including questions, answers, and analysis. All of our studies include a beautiful PowerPoint findings deck with all your best discoveries highlighted for each question and with charts for fast visual impact. We also provide our Findings Activation Framework training for transforming all your favorite discoveries into thought leadership deliverables and messaging for fast impact and ROI.  

What is your time commitment to collaborate on your custom study?

The time commitment varies based on your desired involvement. Most of the collaborative work is upfront with you to uncover your vision and priority areas of focus. You then provide your input, review, and approval at each step including study strategy, design, and questionnaire. Our collaboration work is remote and fits your schedule, but if you’d like to meet in person we’d love to host you at our office in Austin!

You bring the vision and areas you’d like to explore. Our experienced research team will work with you to make it happen. Collaborating on great research with great people is our passion.

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What is included with your custom study? 

Everything you need to share your discoveries with the world: 

  • Custom study design and all question writing

  • Fielding nationally or globally and in the language(s) of your choosing

  • Multivariate analysis based on your priority stories and discoveries

  • Beautiful PowerPoint Highlighted Findings Deck with every question analyzed and showcased by your key variables and all the best stories

  • Complete, live crosstabs file and online training for ongoing storytelling and additional layers of insights

  • Video recording of the presentation of your study’s findings presentation for ongoing training

  • Activation Framework training and messaging insights for data-driven storytelling

  • And we make it all easy for you!

We can create your study’s thought leader white paper, infographics, executive reports and more!

We specialize in turning study findings into tangible thought leadership tools that drive measurable results for you. These tools can range from beautifully designed white papers with your branding written to your market, infographics for fast visual impact online, and executive briefings ideal for media outreach and thought leader presentations. Plus, we save you a lot of time by doing these for you with your approval at every step. We believe great research is the essential first step to becoming a research-based thought leader. Transforming the findings into tools that tell you and your study’s story is the second step to amplifying and solidifying impact and influence.

What is the first step to see if a custom national or
global study is right for you?

Reach out to our friendly team for a study strategy call. We’ll get to know you. You’ll get to know us. We’ll talk about your vision and see if we’re a great fit to collaborate on bringing your study to life! We are on a mission to elevate the expertise of the world™ through great research.

Three fun things to know
about our research team:

1

We are a female and minority-owned business.

Our CEO is a first-generation college student and has a PhD. She loves mentoring in her local community.

2

We are passionate about rigorous research.

Our studies have a low margin of error and each participant sample is custom to you so you can rely on the findings and confidently share them.

3

We’re based in Austin, Texas, and love the outdoors.

We have opinions about coffee and queso (just not together!). We love live music and every one of our research team members has a furry pet.