Strong business growth often starts with better insight. For B2B brands, that means understanding the market, listening to customers, and using credible research to guide smarter decisions.
On The Horse’s Mouth: Movers and Shakers with Tom Reber, Todd Lebo, CEO of Ascend2, brings that perspective to the conversation. As the founder and leader of Ascend2, Lebo has built a business focused on helping B2B brands strengthen thought leadership, improve decision-making, and drive measurable growth through high-quality custom research.
Meet Todd Lebo, CEO of Ascend2
Todd Lebo is the CEO of Ascend2, a company based in the publishing industry and headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. His biggest career achievement is founding and building Ascend2, a business dedicated to custom research for B2B brands.
Ascend2 delivers high-quality, custom research designed to help companies make smarter decisions, strengthen their thought leadership, and support measurable growth. In a business environment where buyers expect useful, relevant, and credible information, research can be a powerful foundation for marketing strategy.
What Ascend2 Does for B2B Brands
Ascend2 focuses on helping B2B organizations create research-driven content and insights. For companies looking to stand out, custom research can support more informed campaigns, stronger brand authority, and clearer strategic direction.
Smarter Business Decisions
Research helps leaders move beyond assumptions. By gathering and interpreting meaningful information, B2B brands can better understand their audience, identify opportunities, and make decisions with more confidence.
Stronger Thought Leadership
In competitive markets, trust matters. Research-backed insights give brands something valuable to contribute to industry conversations. Instead of simply promoting products or services, companies can educate, inform, and lead with substance.
Measurable Growth
Ascend2’s work is centered on helping B2B brands drive measurable growth. When research is used effectively, it can shape messaging, guide marketing priorities, and help teams focus on the efforts most likely to support business goals.
Why Custom Research Matters in B2B Marketing
B2B buyers are often looking for clarity before they make important decisions. They want useful information, credible expertise, and confidence that they are choosing the right solution. Custom research can help brands provide that clarity.
For marketers, research can also make content more valuable. Reports, insights, and data-informed perspectives can become the basis for campaigns, sales enablement, public relations, and executive thought leadership.
The key is not just having information, but knowing how to use it. A strong research strategy connects audience needs with business objectives, helping brands communicate with purpose.
Leadership, Faith, and Community Involvement
Lebo’s leadership is also shaped by his commitment to faith and community. He mentors high school boys through his church, leads a student program for Bible Study Fellowship, and recently joined the board at the Williams YMCA.
When asked about meaningful encouragement, he pointed to passages from Philippians that emphasize faith, humility, prayer, and peace. His perspective reflects a belief in taking ownership of one’s faith, developing a deep respect for scripture, and staying grounded in truth.
That sense of purpose can be seen in the way he approaches leadership and service. Building a business, supporting clients, and investing in the next generation all require consistency, humility, and long-term commitment.
Practical Takeaways for B2B Leaders
For business owners, marketers, and executives, Todd Lebo’s work with Ascend2 offers several practical lessons.
1. Build Strategy on Real Insight
Effective marketing starts with understanding. Before launching a campaign or developing content, take time to identify what your audience needs, what challenges they face, and what information will help them move forward.
2. Use Research to Create Authority
Thought leadership is strongest when it is grounded in substance. Research gives brands a credible way to contribute to important conversations and provide value beyond a sales message.
3. Focus on Measurable Growth
Marketing should connect to business outcomes. Whether the goal is better engagement, stronger brand positioning, or more informed decision-making, research can help teams focus their efforts with greater precision.
4. Lead with Purpose
Business growth is not only about strategy. Leadership, service, and personal conviction can shape the way a company operates and the impact it has on clients, employees, and the community.
The Horse’s Mouth: Movers and Shakers with Tom Reber
The Horse’s Mouth highlights business leaders, entrepreneurs, and community voices who are making an impact. Through conversations with professionals like Todd Lebo, the show gives viewers a closer look at the people and ideas shaping business in Northeast Florida and beyond.
Lebo’s appearance on The Horse’s Mouth: Movers and Shakers with Tom Reber brings attention to the role of custom B2B research in today’s marketing landscape and the importance of building a business with clarity, purpose, and value.
Conclusion
Todd Lebo’s journey as CEO and founder of Ascend2 is a reminder that meaningful growth starts with insight. For B2B brands, custom research can be more than a marketing asset. It can be a strategic tool for smarter decisions, stronger thought leadership, and measurable progress.
To learn more about Ascend2 and its custom research solutions for B2B brands, visit https://ascend2.com. To follow conversations from The Horse’s Mouth, visit https://horsesmouthtv.com.
