Some time ago, I advised a boutique US consultancy 4 years out from an exit (at the time, we thought 3, but we’ll get onto that). Over the years, it became a high-growth, high-profit firm likely to command a high price in the market. However, no matter how I phrased it, the owners were incredibly […]
Why Equity Incentives Matter in Consulting Read More »
Turbulent markets. Slowing demand. Clients tightening their budgets. If you’ve been running a consulting firm for long enough, you know that downturns are inevitable and recently, it seems to be part of the new normal for some firms. The question isn’t if you’ll face challenges—it’s how you’ll respond. Cost-cutting alone won’t save your firm, but
Navigating Tough Times: A Practical Cost-Management Checklist for Consultancies Read More »
A Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) is sometimes known as a pitch book, deal book, offering memorandum or confidential business review. It is the sales brochure for your firm and typically 20-50 pages long. Feel free to use the template here. A year or two prior to a sale, get in the habit of preparing and
Confidential Information Memorandums for Consultancies Read More »
Rebranding, done badly focuses on creating a new logo and a prettier website. This is a waste of time if your proposition isn’t reviewed, and your messaging sharpened. Rebranding done well will improve your sales by redefining what you are as a company by listening to the market and your clients. The Rebranding Workshop template
Rebranding Your Management Consultancy for Growth Read More »
Storytelling is a powerful tool for management consultants to build trusted relationships with clients. Stories allow consultants to make personal connections, demonstrate empathy, establish credibility, and foster a shared understanding with clients. This ultimately enables consultants to become trusted advisors. There are several reasons why storytelling is so effective in a professional context: Firstly, stories
A story-telling workshop for consultancy partners Read More »
There are lots of benefits to using a virtual assistant if you’re a small consultancy leader. Download my eBook on how to find and manage them. Some benefits include: Join the Boutique Leaders Club here for monthly masterminds and exclusive resources designed specifically for CEOs of boutique consultancies. If you would like my help to
E-book: How to Use Virtual Assistants Effectively Read More »
Selling your firm is a project with a series of sub-projects. The biggest of these sub-projects is preparing your financial and operational documents for inspection by potential buyers and ensuring these are easily accessible, secure and well-organized. Here I have provided a comprehensive check-list of the documents that a buyer will want to see. I
Preparing to Sell Your Consultancy: Creating the Data Vault Read More »
There are three major symptoms of a firm without a succession plan – do any of these ring a bell? First, you are founder of a 30+ person boutique but can’t free up time to work on the business instead of for the business. Second, is a lack of skilled managers with the right mind-set
Does Your Boutique Consultancy Need a Succession Plan? Read More »
In management theory, professional service firms are said to grow through a series of S-shaped stages from their founding through to billion-dollar multi-nationals. The S-shapes (Figure 3) are theorised because each stage of growth prompts new challenges which impact growth, causing the leaders to invest time and resources into structural (for example, governance, organizational, financial)
How Boutiques and Consultancies Grow Read More »
The impact of digital on consulting firms has been well covered in the business press. However, this work has mostly focused on the disruptive nature of service platforms (such as Consignium) and less on the potential of digital technologies to help the growth of small consulting firms. In this talk (for the Institute of Consulting,
The potential of digital for small consultancy growth Read More »
