About Top Level Thinking
A Practical Growth Partner for Local Businesses
Top Level Thinking helps local businesses find practical growth gaps and put useful solutions in place.
Our approach is simple: solve a real problem, earn the relationship, and add more only when the business needs it.
I’ve spent more than a decade learning what actually helps small businesses grow, largely by having to figure it out for my own businesses first.
A lot of that came from learning how to stay lean, test ideas without wasting money, and focus on what actually moves a business forward. I was also heavily influenced by my dad, Pat, who shared a lot of practical business thinking and gave me opportunities to apply those ideas across his businesses and projects.
Over time, that led to long-term clients who came primarily through referrals and word of mouth. Those relationships helped shape Top Level Thinking today: identify the gaps that matter, solve useful problems, and add complexity only when there is a clear reason for it.
Stephen Markfort
Founder, Top Level Thinking
Based in Rochester, Minnesota. Working with businesses locally and beyond.
Useful Work. A Fair Relationship.
Good growth work should be understandable, practical, and connected to what your business actually needs.
Practical Recommendations
Clear advice you can understand, with a useful next step instead of a long list of services.
Implementation Where Useful
Help putting solutions in place when doing the work is more useful than simply talking about it.
Affordability & Fair Exchange
Straightforward scope and pricing, with a focus on useful work that fits a small business.
Real Problems First
Start with the clearest gap. Add complexity only when there is a legitimate business need.
Useful Technology
Use technology and automation when they make running the business simpler or more effective.
Long-Term Relationships
Earn the relationship by solving something useful, not by selling services you do not need.