EMPATHY AS STRATEGY
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EMPATHY AS STRATEGY :
Business Strategy Begins and Ends with People.
Using empathy to bridge the gaps between intentions and outcomes in support of systems-level application and change.
EMPATHY REVEALS
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STRATEGIC OPPORITUNITY
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CREATES (HUMAN) RESPONSE
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EMPATHY REVEALS → STRATEGIC OPPORITUNITY → CREATES (HUMAN) RESPONSE →
THE CUES™ FRAMEWORK
A four-part strategy used to navigate us through the advising process
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CONTEXT
We capture the complete strategic context: your mission story, market position, and the human experience at the center of your work.
I'm listening for cues about what's really driving your work and affecting the humans you serve, learning the full emotional and strategic landscape.
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UNIFY
We unify the captured context with your current positioning to identity patterns and opportunities.
This reveals positioning opportunities that connect your authentic mission to your audience’s genuine needs.
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ELEVATE
We elevate those insights into sharp positioning that differentiates you authentically in the market.
This type of positioning reshapes or amplifies your current impact by responding to the emotional through line we've uncovered together.
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STRENGTHEN
We strengthen your positioning by creating frameworks your team can use independently.
You get strategic guidelines for maintaining authentic positioning across key moments and decisions, building internal capacity rather than external dependency.
The CUES™ framework provides:
Clarity for
Founders
What’s impacted you relates to your business impact. The personal journey that led you to create change is often your strongest positioning tool.
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Description.
Clarity for
Organizations
I see possibility where there's tension. Those friction points and challenges don't scare me. They often reveal the most authentic positioning opportunities.
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Description.
What sets this apart?
While most consultants start with market analysis, I start with human understanding:
A business strategy built on empathy doesn’t just position you better. It positions you authentically.
CUES™ IN ACTION
CUE: Consulting x Case Study
See how CUE: Consulting shifted a community-driven non-profit’s positioning.
The Challenge
What happens when you challenge the belief that people experiencing food insecurity — especially unhoused individuals — "will eat anything?"
The food bank served quality hot meals and maintained relationships with unhoused community members who had specific dietary needs. But their community fridge — designed for ongoing food security — was stocked with degraded items based on the assumption that people experiencing food insecurity would accept any food.
My Approach
While others focused on pounds distributed and waste diverted, I focused on dignity patterns and choice availability. This revealed that their "waste reduction" success was actually creating waste — premium items going unnoticed while degraded food filled community fridges wasn't real access, it was abandonment dressed as charity.
Using my CUES™ framework, I identified the emotional through line between what the organization felt (urgency to distribute everything) and what their community felt (need for dignity and choice). The positioning shift from "reduce waste" to "ensure quality access" drove measurable transformation.
The Results:
● 50% increase in premium brand consumption
● 70% increase in weekly food intake for clients
● 30-40% reduction in food waste
● +1 additional community fridge added
Common Curiosities
If you don’t see what you’re looking for here, email me and I’ll get back to you.
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Most consultants optimize existing strategies. I question whether your fundamental approach creates the problems you're trying to solve.
Emotions provide information tied to challenges and solutions — addressing root causes means understanding impactful moments and the emotional response attached to them.
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Strategic positioning work requires challenging assumptions that may feel foundational to your identity.
I present evidence and alternative frameworks, but you decide what to implement. The goal is better outcomes, not being right.
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I work with impact-focused leaders open to discovering their current approach might undermine their mission.
This work requires intimacy, trust, and willingness to take a new approach that may feel a little foreign. If you're not prepared for that level of strategic challenge, we're not a good fit.
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My approach combines strategic analysis with nearly a decade in impact-driven spaces — from grassroots organizations to corporate social responsibility initiatives to fieldwork worldwide, alongside over 500+ hours of healing arts training.
Additionally, I navigate the world as a black biracial, queer, neurodivergent, transracial adoptee. My existence inevitably challenges and opens hearts and minds. That, in itself, is impactful.
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Investment varies based on scope and engagement type. I'm happy to discuss options during our initial conversation.
Regardless of investment, my work uses empathy to challenge fundamental assumptions.
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I'm Carly Q.
My experiences navigating barriers have shaped how I think about strategy — I know what it feels like when well-intentioned approaches don't account for real-world constraints. This drives my commitment to use empathic insight to challenge assumptions that might undermine the impact you're trying to create.
I bring both analytical rigor and genuine care to this work because I've seen how much difference it makes when strategies actually align with people's lived realities.
My first business concept (at 19!) was a pay-what-you-can cultural fusion buffet, inspired by my time spent in Sydney, Australia and a desire to positively impact my hometown community.
I'm the founder of CUE: Consulting and am currently based in Los Angeles, CA.
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Brand messaging helps you communicate what you already believe about your work. Strategic positioning questions whether your current approach actually connects with the humans you're trying to serve.
I investigate the gaps between your intentions and outcomes.
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I believe that humanity is the throughline and variable in any business challenge. Understanding how actions affect feelings ultimately drive responses on an internal and systematic level. Additionally, my lived experience with systemic barriers informs my big-picture thinking to identify connection points and gaps that others miss.
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Results vary, but questioning limiting beliefs typically unlocks measurable improvements. For example, I helped one client across an 8-week project increase premium brand consumption by 50% and weekly whole-food intake by 70%, starting by challenging their core belief.
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I work with founders and organizations genuinely focused on authentic impact, whether for-profit or nonprofit.
If you're primarily concerned with market fit rather than mission alignment, traditional brand consultants may be better suited for your needs.
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I investigate disconnects between stated goals and actual outcomes, identify limiting beliefs driving those gaps, then develop alternative approaches based on what would actually serve your audience.
Processes range from 8-week sprints to 6-month embedded sessions depending on needs.
EMPATHY
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AS
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STRATEGY
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EMPATHY : AS : STRATEGY :
CUE: Consulting
When you feel ready,
this is your CUE.
Tell me about your organization and the positioning challenges you're facing, and we’ll face them together. I typically respond within 48 hours.
For faster service, consider booking a 1:1 Rapid Strategic Session below.
1:1 Rapid Strategic Session
Need deep emotional insights, but with speed?
Gain momentum and clarity with a 1-hour strategy call.
Immediate insights for founders who move fast.