35 percent.
Did I get your attention? It got mine. Only 35% of consulting startups make it to 10 years. Today, I’m proud to say that Kith is part of that 35%.
That statistic says a lot. It says that what we do matters. It says that our clients have trusted us through some of their hardest moments. And it says that a scrappy little firm started a decade ago is still standing, still evolving, and still committed to helping organizations navigate crisis with clarity and confidence.
Where We Started
Kith began ten years ago, founded by Bill Coletti, with a sharp focus on crisis communications. It was 2015, the height of Scandal on TV. Everyone wanted to be “the real-life Olivia Pope.” Crisis communications was glamorous, dramatic, and — if you were on the outside looking in — intoxicating.
But anyone who has actually been inside a crisis knows the adrenaline rush is quickly followed by the hangover: exhausted teams, frayed trust, damaged reputations, and a sense that no one wants to go through that again.
Even in those early years, Kith’s DNA was different. The firm wasn’t about spin or quick fixes. The name “Kith” itself came from an idea that is both ancient and deeply relevant today: your kith are the people you look to when deciding what to think, how to act, and what to believe. Your peer group. Your compass.
Bill’s very first blog captured that idea with a story. You’ve probably seen it yourself: one person looks up at the sky, and no one joins. But when a small group starts looking up, everyone else follows. The power of kith is the power of influence. Who you look to in those moments matters. That’s what Kith was built on.
How We’ve Evolved
I joined Kith in 2021, and by then, the ground had already started to shift. Clients were tired of the adrenaline hangover. They weren’t asking, Who can clean up the mess? They were asking, How can we prevent the mess in the first place? How do we make this less painful?
That question was a turning point.
Since then, we’ve expanded our work far beyond communications triage. We’ve built frameworks, tools, and approaches that help organizations not just survive crises but thrive because of how they handle them. And while we are still huge fans of communicators, we’ve expanded our work into the strategic management realm.
- We’ve codified what “crisis readiness” actually looks like — not vague slogans, but a structured way to measure preparedness and identify gaps.
- We’ve worked with leaders to make sure their organizations don’t just have plans, but the authority, culture, and muscle memory to use them.
- And we’ve shifted the conversation from response to resilience. Because resilience is the only sustainable strategy.
The organizations that thrive aren’t the ones that can deliver the most polished statement in a crisis. They’re the ones that know, deep down, who they are, what they stand for, and how they will act — no matter what’s coming.
Where We Are Now
Today, Kith is known as much for building resilience as for guiding clients through crises. Our Executive Guidance service helps leaders face into societal and reputational challenges with clarity and conviction. Whether it’s navigating cultural flashpoints, stakeholder expectations, or shifting political winds, leaders need more than comms advice. They need trusted guidance to make decisions that balance values, risks, and long-term reputation.
We’ve also expanded our training and simulation work — not as “fire drills” but as board and executive-level exercises that uses cutting edge technology that sharpen decision-making and build the kind of confidence executives need when everything is on the line.
At every step, we’ve kept the same core belief: speed comes from clarity, and clarity comes from trust. That’s the formula. That’s how organizations move fast without breaking things.
What Comes Next
Ten years is a milestone, but it’s also a launching pad.
The world isn’t slowing down. Crises are bigger, faster, and more complex. Leaders are expected to weigh in on societal issues that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. And stakeholders — employees, customers, communities — expect not just competence, but alignment with values.
That’s why our focus now is on embedding resilience into the everyday. Making preparedness part of the rhythm of business, not a box to check. Taking the lessons of elite crisis response and making them accessible, repeatable, and scalable across an organizational footprint.
Kith’s next chapter is about making our repositioning clear: we are not just a crisis firm. We are a management consulting firm that works at the intersection of business resiliency, reputation management, and corporate strategy. Because crises don’t happen in a vacuum — they expose weaknesses in how organizations are governed, how leaders make decisions, and how reputations are built or broken. By sitting at that intersection, we help executives strengthen the systems that carry them through disruption, align strategy with values, and protect the reputational value, which costs real money when it’s damaged. .
That’s where Crisis Resilient 365 comes in. It’s our newest platform, designed to give every organization — not just the Fortune 50 — access to the same caliber of preparedness trusted by global leaders. It delivers a clear-eyed diagnostic, a tailored roadmap, and ongoing guidance so leaders can invest wisely in their future.
In the coming months, you’ll see more from us on:
- Bringing CrisisResilient 365 to market where the risks are high and the resources are thin.
- Building partnerships that bring crisis readiness into boardrooms and governance conversations.
- Growing the business continuity aspect of our business that will provide a full picture of protection for our clients.
- Continuing to share insights, tools, and thought leadership so that preparedness doesn’t feel like a luxury — but like the standard.
Our new positioning is simple: we’re here to make every organization crisis-ready, every day throughout their ecosystem.
Thank You
Kith doesn’t get to 10 years on grit alone. We’ve had the privilege of working with incredible clients who believe in preparedness, partners who challenge us to think bigger, and colleagues who bring expertise and heart to every engagement.
And we’ve had our kith — our community of people who look up with us, who share our vision of organizations that don’t just respond, but respond well.
So thank you for being part of our journey. Thank you for trusting us in your hardest moments and for believing in a future where crisis doesn’t have to mean catastrophe.
Here’s to the next 10 years — to more resilient organizations, steadier leaders, and a world where clarity, trust, and speed aren’t just crisis tools, but everyday strengths.
But most of all, we set out to turn our friends into clients and our clients into friends. Thank you for that above all else.
