The Consulting Growth Podcast

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Tom is one of the nicest guys you could meet, but also an incredibly successful entrepreneur and CEO.
Tom currently leads and founded Profitable Ideas Exchange (PIE). PIE builds communities around the globe, helping senior executives at client firms understand, connect, and collaborate. This helps provide consulting partners with great insights and connections with client leaders around the world.
Prior to this, Tom was CEO for Orchard Holdings Group and Great Harvest Bread Co.
More information at www.joeomahoney.com.

Prof. Joe O'Mahoney helps boutique consultancies scale and exit. Joe's research, writing, speaking and insights can be found at www.joeomahoney.com

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Why do senior hires fail so often in consulting? What can we do to minimise this?
Join me as I sit down with Gary Lanz from Wilton Bain to explore the intricate art of talent acquisition and development within the consulting industry. We discuss finding the strong senior hires who can generate business, fit culturally, and harmonize with existing teams. We also tackle the ongoing debate between being a trusted advisor and the necessity of becoming a visible expert in today's content-driven world.
Navigating the complexities of partner recruitment, Gary and I explore lateral hiring in consulting and shed light on strategic growth strategies for small to medium-sized consultancies, like diversification into new markets, and the evolving landscape of consulting leadership.
We debate how smaller, agile firms can capitalize on these shifts, balancing business development with talent retention and strategic succession planning. We also explore innovative approaches to professional development, questioning the traditional value of universities and championing concepts like the "junior board" to empower the next generation. Listen in to hear how firms can foster a thriving culture and secure client longevity in competitive markets.

Prof. Joe O'Mahoney helps boutique consultancies scale and exit. Joe's research, writing, speaking and insights can be found at www.joeomahoney.com

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Have you ever wondered how an aspiring clinical psychologist ended up co-founding a successful tech consulting firm? That's exactly the intriguing journey of Meg Newhouse, our guest for this episode. We get a fascinating peek into Meg's career pivots, starting with her initial discovery of the field of instructional design and her subsequent roles in a tech company and a large consulting firm. Her company, Inspirant Group, was sold to 10Pearls in 2023.
Meg shares how she went from writing training programs to building her boutique learning and development consulting firm. She vividly explains how the Inspirant Group was born when a good friend asked her to help build a consulting firm. In this episode, we dig into the nitty-gritty of how the Inspirant Group's founding team disrupted the consulting industry. They established their core values and behaviors and created an attractive culture for potential team members. We also touch upon the importance of resource utilization and the pitfalls of solely focusing on it.
Our conversation takes us to the complexities of being a solo entrepreneur and the crucial role of transparency and trust among co-founders. Meg reveals how they balanced decision-making processes, incentivized employees beyond sales, and kept company secrets. To top it all off, she discusses the crucial aspects of preparing for exit strategies, constructing a fair bonus structure, and the importance of engaging a broker during a company sale. This conversation is a treasure trove of insights for anyone interested in entrepreneurship and team-building.

Prof. Joe O'Mahoney helps boutique consultancies scale and exit. Joe's research, writing, speaking and insights can be found at www.joeomahoney.com

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Daniel Litvin is the Founder of Critical Resource. He is a recognised thought leader on sustainability and political challenges facing global energy and resource investments, as well as societal issues facing business as a whole. Since founding Critical Resource in 2006, he has grown the company to be the leading provider of strategic advice to mining and energy firms and their investors on such ‘license-to-operate’ issues.
More information at www.joeomahoney.com.

Prof. Joe O'Mahoney helps boutique consultancies scale and exit. Joe's research, writing, speaking and insights can be found at www.joeomahoney.com

Send us a text

Richard Brackstone, the managing partner of Moorhouse Consulting, and I talk about growing consultancies. We talk about his time at Andersen Consulting and spearheading projects in the Blair-Brown government era to leading major projects at Lloyds.
We'll explore the interesting evolution of Moorhouse Consulting, tracing its rise from Dom Moorhouse's vision to the fast-paced expansion that followed their management buyout. We explore how leadership changes, a commitment to diversity, and service line transformations fueled the firm's expansion to a powerhouse of nearly 300 dedicated professionals.
Richard also offers an insider's perspective on the nuances of ownership transitions in the consultancy sector, illuminating the management buyout process when BT sold Morehouse. He discusses the strategic decisions that shaped the firm's future, from choosing between private equity and independent ownership to the cultural shifts that ensued. We delve into the importance of a robust operational structure, highlighting the role of a strong leadership team and strategic systems to support sustained growth.

Prof. Joe O'Mahoney helps boutique consultancies scale and exit. Joe's research, writing, speaking and insights can be found at www.joeomahoney.com