Xcel Consulting is an independent consulting practice founded by Ximena López after a decades-long career in operations and organizational excellence. With a people-first, systemic approach, Xcel helps teams improve performance, culture, and collaboration across industries.
Client
Xcel Consulting
Services
Strategic definition Branding Content strategy Design system AI enablement
Industries
Operations
Engagement
Fixed-scope & embed team
Date
February 2025 - present
The Challenge
After 20+ years of experience in operations, logistics, and organizational excellence within large multinational companies, Ximena was ready for a shift. She envisioned a new professional chapter where she could apply her knowledge independently and selectively, working with clients on her terms.
What began as a request for design support quickly revealed a deeper need: clarity. Her extensive experience gave her a wealth of knowledge and potential directions, but she needed an external perspective to help her shape it: clarifying her value proposition, ideal clients, service offering, and more.
The Solution
We started small and focused.
To help Ximena move forward independently, we designed a lean, fixed-scope collaboration. Together, we defined her positioning, built her brand identity, created custom content tools, and launched a site for sales enablement.
After her launch, she came back for growth support: this time for ongoing content and business development. We adapted into a flexible rhythm that supports visibility without adding pressure.
Phase 1: Foundation & Brand MVP
Defined her strategic core: audience, tone, strengths, positioning
Built her visual identity: logo, palette, typography
Created custom content & design tools: tone guide, templates, AI support, sales enablement materials
Delivered LinkedIn revamp + a bilingual, personality-driven website
Phase 2: Embed team
Manage a monthly LinkedIn content calendar
Support outreach and networking with aligned connections
Create specific designs for social media and materials (decks, diplomas, etc.)
Offer a flexible workflow that respects her time and pace
The Result
This engagement helped Ximena go from an experienced executive with a vision, to a clearly positioned independent consultant with a defined brand, professional materials, a sales strategy, and a consistent online presence.
She cut down proposal prep time from 10 hours to 2 thanks to her new deck template.
Her LinkedIn activity became more consistent and impactful, leading to significant growth:
Impressions: +65.6% since we began working together, and +2000% since embedding into her team.
Engagement: +132% since we began, and +9800% since embedding.
Members reached: +25.8% since we began, and +1600% since embedding.
Followers: +26.7% since we began, and +4.7% since embedding.
Within the first three months, she closed at least one new deal sourced from her social media presence.
She reported feeling more autonomous and confident in her ability to handle content and branding decisions.
“Flor, Santi, and Vir (Ricas) were key during this stage of my entrepreneurial journey. For the first time, after 30 years of corporate experience, I was building my own company from scratch.
Strategy, brand development, sales, communication, and design were concepts that felt very far from my background and career; and integrating them was essential for this project to take off.
It might sound too ‘professional’ or ‘executive’ to say they were excellent providers of strategic services (which they clearly were), but to be true to my heart, they became,without meaning to or even knowing it, the closest thing I had to teammates.
Thank you to all three of you for your talent, your commitment, and your support on this new path in my professional life.”
— Ximena López, Founder @ Xcel