The capability of your leadership team is, in many ways, more important than your EBITDA when it comes to a sale. I have seen several sales of otherwise decent firms scuppered when the leadership team say ‘no’, leave, or hold the transaction hostage. My own research indicates that most buyers would put a strong, committed […]
Building the Best Leadership Team for an Exit Read More »
The rise of AI in Professional Services is a formidable challenge for HR and change managers, targeting the very essence of human expertise, trust, and judgment that traditionally define these fields. In many ways, AI is a continuation of a long history of technology-driven transformation, yet that process is one which professional services, with their
Shrinking in Order to Grow: A Case-study A few years ago, I was invited to join the advisory board (well, BE the advisory board) of a 43-person consultancy that was struggling with margin and revenue growth. They’d achieved their growth through the good looks and charm of the founder but had never really hit decent
Improving Your Consultancy’s Profit and Revenue Growth: A Case-study and Strategy Read More »
How Boutique Consulting Has Changed Founders of consulting firms often expect their senior consultants to replicate their own success as highly networked, trusted advisors. While this aspiration is understandable, it’s rarely realistic. The gap between expectation and reality is down to some structural shifts in how consulting careers are developed today, particularly in limited companies,
For many consulting firms, one of the most frustrating hurdles is a client who seems ready to move forward but then hesitates, delays, or sends your proposal into a black hole of stakeholders. You’ve had all the right meetings, delivered a tailored solution, and yet months go by without a final decision. Here’s how you
When Leads Kick the Can: How to Overcome Prospect Indecision Read More »
Do your employees trust your leadership? This will determine your success now more than ever. I completed my PhD 24 years ago, comparing the conditions for success between Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR). BPR typically involved senior managers working with consultants to redesign organisational processes based on new technology. This approach
Boutique Consultancies vs Big Firms: The AI Advantage Explained Read More »
The traditional consulting pyramid—where a wide base of junior consultants supports a narrowing hierarchy up to partner level—has long been the backbone of the industry. It is the basis of the traditional leverage model where seniors sell in large numbers of juniors to generate the firm’s profits. However, in recent years, this structure has come
The New Pyramid: Leverage is Becoming More About AI, Not People Read More »
There’s a lot of nonsense written about pricing which is based on zero evidence. The general advice from ‘gurus’ appears to be (i) raise your prices (ii) use value-based pricing. As we shall see, this is usually bad advice. Pricing isn’t everything. Margins are more important. Revenue is half the story of margins (along with
Pricing services for consultancies: why value pricing rarely works. Read More »
  If, like me a few years ago, you have not heard of PSA, you may find the data and processes of your firm are a combination of spreadsheets, apps, Office documents, and a few storage platforms like Drive or DropBox. If you’re technologically minded, you may even have connected some of these with
Professional Services Automation for consultancy growth. Read More »
 A governance checklist for small management consultancies. Download Now Governance concerns the systems of decision-making, control, and accountability, by which the firm is directed and controlled. At its heart is generating trust: for partners, investors, employees, clients and society at large in the stewardship of their asset.At its most basic, the rules of governance
A governance checklist for small management consultancies. Read More »
