Escape the Grind and Build a Lasting Consultancy for Freedom & Legacy with Craig Herd

04/30/25 • 48 min

Host Craig Herd
Guest Matt Hodkinson
In this special crossover episode, Craig Herd, host of the Consultancy Growth Podcast, flips the mic as he joins Matt Hodkinson on The Consultancy Edge to talk openly about founder burnout, building a sustainable consultancy, and why most marketing advice for boutique firms is dead wrong.

Craig shares his own story of nearly losing it all, rebuilding from the ground up, and the hard-won insights he now brings to boutique consultancy founders trying to scale beyond themselves.

Why many consultancies get stuck around the £1M mark.
The two dead-end paths most founders take when trying to grow.
The real reason marketing agencies fail consultancies.
What it means to go from "Trusted Advisor" to "Visible Expert".
Thought Leadership and Craig’s 90-minute capture method.
How to productise your consultancy and build a sellable firm.
Why niching isn’t risky it’s the only path to scale.
How Craig bounced back from 75% client loss in one week.
What every founder should know before burnout takes hold.

Plus, Matt and Craig riff on personal energy, succession planning, personality profiling, and why every founder should take time to redesign the business from first principles.

If you're a consultancy founder who's feeling stuck, tired, or unsure what the next stage looks like this one’s for you.

Craig shares his own story of nearly losing it all, rebuilding from the ground up, and the hard-won insights he now brings to boutique consultancy founders trying to scale beyond themselves.

Why many consultancies get stuck around the £1M mark.
The two dead-end paths most founders take when trying to grow.
The real reason marketing agencies fail consultancies.
What it means to go from "Trusted Advisor" to "Visible Expert".
Thought Leadership and Craig’s 90-minute capture method.
How to productise your consultancy and build a sellable firm.
Why niching isn’t risky it’s the only path to scale.
How Craig bounced back from 75% client loss in one week.
What every founder should know before burnout takes hold.

Plus, Matt and Craig riff on personal energy, succession planning, personality profiling, and why every founder should take time to redesign the business from first principles.

If you're a consultancy founder who's feeling stuck, tired, or unsure what the next stage looks like this one’s for you.

Previous Episode

He Scaled a Consultancy to 80 People, £10 Million, and a PE-Backed Exit with John Howard

Host: Craig Herd
Guest: John Howard
In this episode of the Consultancy Growth Podcast, I’m joined by John Howard to unpack what it really takes to move from founder-led sales to leadership-led growth, and why that shift is so critical if you want to scale sustainably.

We dive into how to build a senior team you can trust, how to evolve your commercial decision-making as you grow, and how to keep your culture intact during big transitions. John also shares what makes a consultancy more attractive to buyers, how to prepare for an exit, and the emotional rollercoaster that can come with handing over the reins. Plus, we explore the changing dynamics of the consultancy marketplace and the new challenges that come with it.

If you’re thinking about growing beyond founder-dependence or eventually selling your consultancy, this one’s for you.

00:00 - Introduction to the Consultancy Growth Podcast

00:25 - Making the Leap: From Founder-Led to Leadership-Led Growth

05:07 - Building a Senior Team You Can Actually Rely On

09:09 - Evolving Without Losing Your Culture

13:11 - Making Smarter Commercial Decisions as You Scale

18:29 - Why Bigger, Longer Contracts Matter for Growth

21:02 - Thinking About Exit? Here’s What Buyers Really Want

28:03 - How Long It Actually Takes to Sell a Consultancy

32:26 - The Emotional Side of Letting Go

34:43 - Navigating the New Challenges in Today’s Consultancy Market

Next Episode

How to Build a Consultancy Team That Scales to £10 Million with Caroline Boston

Host: Craig Herd
Guest: Caroline Boston

In this episode of the Consultancy Growth Podcast, I’m joined by Caroline Boston, Managing Director of New Minds. We dive into the critical role people strategy plays in scaling a consultancy to £10 Million and why getting your organisational design right is essential for sustainable growth.

We unpack the patterns that hold consultancies back as they scale, from over-relying on founder relationships to under-investing in career paths and leadership succession. Caroline shares practical strategies on balancing employees and associates, building structures that support commercial growth, and retaining top talent without overpromoting. We also explore how benchmarking roles and salaries can protect profitability and how founders can step back without losing momentum.

If you’re navigating the challenges of growing a high-performing consultancy team, this episode is packed with strategic insights you can apply immediately.

Topics
– Why People Strategy Must Sit at the Heart of Business Strategy
– The Patterns That Stall Consultancy Growth Beyond £1M
– Organisational Design: Building a Structure That Scales
– Employees vs Associates: How to Get the Balance Right
– Career Paths, Culture, and Retaining Top Talent
– Preparing for Leadership Succession: Growing Leaders Internally
– Benchmarking Salaries and Roles: Protecting Your Profit Margins
– Founder Transition: Replacing Yourself Without Losing Momentum
– First Steps to Build a Scalable People Strategy