18 Comments

As Iā€™m reading, Iā€™m thinking ā€˜oh yes - youā€™re right!ā€™ This is exactly what we expect if consultants now! Itā€™s not just about articulating the problem and identifying recommendations, itā€™s also about implementing the fix! Iā€™ve worked with two different consultants in the last year and both of them have produced presentation slides, reports etc. it feels less like an inspectoral relationship and more like a fixed term employee contractā€¦..

Expand full comment

Next time, I'd suggest you try to vet for strategy+execution and make it clear that you expect outcomes, not documents.

Maybe thay could work? I agree this trend has to reverse.

Expand full comment

I should have made clear - the documents were the outcomes I wanted!

Expand full comment

A good read.

IMHO, one angle of disruption (happening already) is thru networks and consortia of independents or small bit players, buddying up around common client problems etc.

These individuals and micro-consultancies can be at a time in their career or family that suits working independently.

The other thing to keep asking: is what do people need. As Gen-X approaches retirement, could there be generational shifts in what consulting buyers might look like and need?

Much to ponder.

Expand full comment

Iā€™ve done an informal version of this. I have 3 friends that own software consulting companies and we regularly share leads, tips, etc.

Expand full comment

Brilliant observation.

I agree, and something that I think will converge with the roboconsulting trend I expect to explode in the next decade.

I don't think the "big elephants" will dissolve, but perhaps opportunity for the micro-consultancies you mention to build something valuable (and then get acquired).

Expand full comment

Rather like the Big Companies they consult to...when they acquire start-ups. It can work. But takes each to respect and learn from the other. ;)

Expand full comment

Your article resonated so much with me that I was compelled to download the substack app and create an account just to comment.

Iā€™ve been consulting for ~15 years. Starting as a software developer, I began consulting on my own and now have a small team. Traditional consulting always bothered me because it appeared to never include ā€œthe fixā€. Instead, it seemed designed to ā€œkeep rhetoric patient sickā€ and keep the billing rolling.

Iā€™ve been biased towards ā€œget in, solve the problem, and get outā€.

My mindset is shifting now. Iā€™ve come to understand that Iā€™ve never been able to write software _without_ coming to understand the business, the ELT desires for the future, and the day to day pain of front line workers. Only then can I recommend and build right size solutions for the company.

Iā€™ve always done the above ā€œfor freeā€ as an accidental offshoot of building software because it was natural to me.

But something else you wrote makes sense as well: companies can only build so many capabilities internally. Further, software is massively misunderstood to be ā€œan assetā€ wherein reality, code is a liability. Software systems need constant care and feeding even if you donā€™t want any new capabilities.

Combining the ability to understand the business, apply well fitting solutions, and making running the software ā€œdone for youā€ is the direction Iā€™m heading.

Does that make sense given where you see the industry going?

Expand full comment

Thanks for the nice words, first of all!

And yes, you are right: that's the direction. One thing I'd recommend is to purposely avoid to create client dependency on your team. You are there to do a job, but not "their" job.

You should solve a problem for them as much as you should educate them so that they are able to run independently.

If this sounds like you're leaving money on the table, don't worry.

They'll never be able to pull that off, but you left them with all the ammunitions.

This means they'll call you back.

Expand full comment

I've spent a lot of time thinking about this in my consultancy work. Should we do more on the implementation side as well? Am I neglecting a potentially huge market by focusing only on the consultancy side of things - and if we do go down that road what is the best way to do it?

I suspect at some point we might need to head in that direction if we want to grow beyond where we're at today.

Expand full comment

The implementation side is certainly harder, but that's where the money and expansion opportunities lie imho.

I'd be happy to brainstorm with you if you ever wanted to, as I have significant experience in that space.

Expand full comment

Sure thing - happy to jam - want to drop me a line with any times that work for you?

Expand full comment

Nice one. šŸ™Œ

In answering your 2 questions - and with my bias front-and-centre - Solopreneurship - Business of One - Consultancies are a great pathway.

Very little overhead, full control, ability to say 'no thanks' or Fire clients. I choose who I work with now - very carefully. Only so much time on the planet, why squander it working for shitty clients and firms.

Plus, a commitment to building businesses around desired lifestyle (not the opposite) - and, thus, the more recent writing about Soul-preneurship.

Expand full comment

Soul-preneurship makes much more sense to me than solopreneurship I have to be honest.

Soul-preneurship is about values. And that's what matters.

Expand full comment

Great article as usual. Iā€™ve been pondering the same thing.

One thought is that consultancies are used to design ā€œgreat plans and strategies, as long as theyā€™re implementedā€ because their current staff/partner structure requires extremely high prices per hour. Conservatively, implementation lasts 3-5x longer than design. So a full project might cost 4-6x under this structure, which would be prohibitive except in very specific situations (Iā€™ve been in some).

Creating alternative structures for design and implementation is no help, as the Big 4 know and McKinsey is discovering. Different people, even if in the same company, no skin in the game either.

So far, one idea I had is to focus on the immediate impacts of good plans and strategies rather than the long-term ripple effects.

For example, good strategies aim to create long-term sustainable competitive advantage. But they also need to immediately inspire focused and aligned decisions. If this doesnā€™t happen, the long-term will never happen either.

Just an idea. Lots more where this came from! šŸ˜

Expand full comment

Agree on the analysis, I've had pretty much the same experience.

When you say "good strategies aim to create long-term sustainable competitive advantage. But they also need to immediately inspire focused and aligned decisions. If this doesnā€™t happen, the long-term will never happen either" are you referring to some sort of benefits realization metric in the short term?

How to evaluate value realized?

I've seen a few frameworks over the years, but I feel they end up in the same bucket... More numbers and PowerPoints, but what is the client left with ultimately?

Expand full comment

My reply kept growing, and growing, and growing... So I decided to make an article out of it:

https://makestrategy.substack.com/p/the-future-of-strategy-consulting

Cheers!

Expand full comment

I enjoyed this post!! Thanks for your thoughts!

Expand full comment
Error