[ Industry advisory · Professional services ]
Strategic advisory for consulting and specialist professional services firms.
Consulting firms scale on reputation and stall on commercial discipline. Day-rate creep, scope creep and capacity decisions made on instinct are the quiet killers. We help consulting owners run on the numbers that actually drive partner returns.
[ What we hear, again and again ]
The pressures inside consulting & professional services firms.
None of these are signs of a poorly-run business. They're signs that the financial relationship around the business hasn't kept up.
- 01Day rates set against last year, not against current cost and demand
- 02Utilisation and realisation drifting quietly across the team
- 03Scope creep absorbed engagement after engagement
- 04Recurring retainer revenue under-built relative to project work
- 05Partner economics out of step with actual contribution and effort
[ How we work ]
What strategic support actually looks like.
- 01
Utilisation, realisation and lock-up reviewed monthly, by consultant
- 02
Engagement margin tracked against scope, day rate and recovery
- 03
Retainer and recurring revenue mix built deliberately over time
- 04
Partner profitability and contribution analysed honestly
- 05
Tax, structure and personal wealth integrated into the operating rhythm
[ The numbers that matter ]
What good operators in this industry actually watch.
Not a long list — the handful of numbers that, watched consistently, change how the business is run.
01
Utilisation rate
Productive days vs available days, by consultant
02
Realisation rate
Billed vs recorded vs originally scoped
03
Engagement margin
Per client, per engagement, real-time
04
Profit per partner
The number that actually reflects firm health
- 01
Monthly utilisation, WIP and realisation review
- 02
Quarterly partner / owner conversation on profitability and capacity
- 03
Half-yearly tax, structure and partner / shareholder economics
- 04
Annual long-term plan — equity, succession and wealth outside the firm
[ The honest line ]
Consulting firms that run with commercial discipline compound powerfully. We help partners build that discipline — without losing the consulting craft.
[ The next conversation ]
Run the firm on real partner economics.
Bring the messy stuff. The numbers, the pressures, the decisions you've been putting off. The first conversation is structured, candid and obligation-free.
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