The Boutique with Collective 54: Recent Episodes
Collective 54
In this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Tim Belden, a Collective 54 member, about why most boutique founders make a costly sequencing mistake when building their exit team — and what one founder did differently by hiring the transaction attorney before the investment bank. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are preparing for an exit, assembling an advisory team for the first time, and looking to protect both the outcome and the economics of the largest financial transaction of their lives. Topics covered are why bringing in the deal attorney first — before the banker — gives founders more control over the exit process, how to evaluate M&A counsel on judgment rather than brand name, and why staying the general contractor throughout the transaction keeps fees in check and protects founder interests from letter of intent to close. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
In this episode, Jeff Klaumann speaks with Frank Williamson, Founder of Oaklyn Consulting, about why a profitable boutique professional services firm is not automatically a sellable one — and what founders must do to close the gap between strong financials and genuine buyer appeal. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on preparing for an exit, understanding what acquirers evaluate beyond revenue and margins, and identifying the operational and structural changes that make a firm attractive to the right buyer. Topics covered are why profitability and sellability are distinct conditions that require different actions to achieve, what sophisticated buyers actually look for when assessing a boutique professional services firm, and the most common sellability gaps founders discover — and how to close them before going to market. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
In this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Noah Berk, Co-Founder of Aptitude 8 about how AI is reshaping service delivery and pricing in professional services. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on reducing delivery costs with AI, right-sizing their SaaS stack, and navigating the shift from traditional implementation models. Topics covered are how AI can cut HubSpot implementation costs from over $100K to as little as $10K, the AI sprawl challenge and why governance matters, and whether the SaaSocalypse is real or media hype. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
In this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Ben Edwards, VP of Consulting at CMap about where professional-services software is heading and how AI is changing the way boutique firms access and use their operational data. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on modernizing their tech stack, understanding how headless SaaS and MCP access work in practice, and determining which tools are worth keeping as systems of record. Topics covered are what headless SaaS and MCP access mean for a boutique firm, why your PSA and CRM data is an underused asset, and how to evaluate your tech stack when every tool now claims to have AI. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
In this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Peter Kang, Co-Founder of Barrel Holdings about how a boutique agency founder transitioned from owner-operator to pure owner by building a portfolio of specialized agencies. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on reducing owner dependence, exploring acquisition as a growth strategy, and building a business that generates durable cash flows without requiring the founder's daily involvement. Topics covered are how to structure a holding company, how to acquire agencies with little to no cash, and what it means to find operators before deals. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
In this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Chris Prinos, founder of Indigo Trigger about how a professional services firm solved building AI leverage without a technical hire. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on building AI tools without technical staff, scaling operations without adding headcount, and creating repeatable systems for AI adoption. Topics covered are a repeatable method for building your own AI tools, why clear instructions beat technical skill, and what to hand off to AI and what to keep. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Scott Gardner and Dennis Hahn, co-founders of Liquid Agency about how a professional services firm solved we hired a credentialed m&a advisor. it still went sideways. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on preparing for a profitable exit, maximizing enterprise value, and navigating an M&A process. Topics covered are Dennis wish they'd asked before signing, Why a specialist's rolodex can quietly limit your buyer universe, and What 'running a real process' looks like vs. fielding inbound. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Kyle Walbrun, founder of EfficientAide about how a professional services firm solved the january cutoff: rebuilding a services firm around human + ai. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on integrating AI into service delivery, building AI-native operations, and transforming pricing and delivery models. Topics covered are Why adding AI to the old delivery model fails, and what a rebuilt human + AI pair actually looks like, How to execute a hard cutoff on new business while transitioning legacy clients without losing the firm, and What changes in recruiting and compensation when AI proficiency becomes the hiring criterion, not EA experience. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Bart Bartlett, founder of DemandZen about how a professional services firm solved doubling margins in 12 months. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on improving firm margins, pricing for profitability, and moving away from cost-plus pricing. Topics covered are How to consolidate spend under a single approval and virtual-card system so every dollar is tracked, categorized, and controllable, The cadence and tooling, and Bart uses to get to a one-day month-end close. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with John Roberson, founder of Advent about how a professional services firm solved the anti-commodity move: winning on experience when ai flattens the work. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on integrating AI into service delivery, building AI-native operations, and transforming pricing and delivery models. Topics covered are Why the intangibles, not the deliverable, decide most close-vs-lose proposals, How to replace ''engagement manager plus three'' with named humans, and why that wins deals, and How to package experience as a distinct, premium offering in your proposal, not a throw-in. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Consulting firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Chris Fezza, founder of Operatus about how a consulting firm solved you built a firm on the wrong playbook. now what. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on growing a boutique professional services firm, improving operational efficiency, and building long-term firm value. Topics covered are Why the operating assumptions from corporate, America fail inside a boutique consulting firm, and What breaks first when you grow revenue without delivery methodology, scoping discipline, or the right comp structure. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Consulting firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Stephen Straus and Christian Barnard, co-founders of Kung Fu AI about how a consulting firm solved they 4x'd their average deal size. here's how. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on growing a boutique professional services firm, improving operational efficiency, and building long-term firm value. Topics covered are The specific moves one firm made to 4X average deal size, How to reposition an AI services firm to attract larger, more strategic engagements, and What changes inside the firm when deal size scales faster than headcount. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Marc Weiss, founder of Management One about how a professional services firm solved exit, return, reinvent – what changes the second time around. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on preparing for a profitable exit, maximizing enterprise value, and navigating an M&A process. Topics covered are What changes in a founder after experiencing an exit, The leadership habits that do not scale, even if they once worked, and How structured accountability reshapes strategic thinking. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Nick Anderson, founder of OneAccord about how a professional services firm solved from ai skeptic to ai believer. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on integrating AI into service delivery, building AI-native operations, and transforming pricing and delivery models. Topics covered are Nick stopped treating AI as noise and started treating it as leverage, How a skeptic evaluates AI use cases without getting trapped by hype, and Nick chose to build first and why that sequence matters. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Jonathan Slain, founder of Autobahn Consultants about how a professional services firm solved your competitor already replaced that role with ai. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on integrating AI into service delivery, building AI-native operations, and transforming pricing and delivery models. Topics covered are integrating AI into service delivery, building AI-native operations, and transforming pricing and delivery models. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: GRC firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Mike Gibbs, founder of SureStep Risk Management about how a GRC firm solved from billable hours to ai leverage summary. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on integrating AI into service delivery, building AI-native operations, and transforming pricing and delivery models. Topics covered are The trigger that forced a full business-model reset in a GRC firm, How to turn “consultants on a whiteboard” into an always-on AI application, and Pricing mechanics: replacing hourly billing with license, maintenance, and user-scale economics. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Brad McAllister, founder of WAP Sustainability about how a professional services firm solved the exit you don’t get by accident. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on preparing for a profitable exit, maximizing enterprise value, and navigating an M&A process. Topics covered are preparing for a profitable exit, maximizing enterprise value, and navigating an M&A process. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Dave Makerewich, founder of Maven about how a professional services firm solved the pod structure that breaks the founder bottleneck. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on scaling beyond the founder, removing operational bottlenecks, and building scalable delivery systems. Topics covered are scaling beyond the founder, removing operational bottlenecks, and building scalable delivery systems. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Darren Smith about how a professional services firm solved when a strategic partner becomes your buyer. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on preparing for a profitable exit, maximizing enterprise value, and navigating an M&A process. Topics covered are preparing for a profitable exit, maximizing enterprise value, and navigating an M&A process. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with David Ackert, founder of Pipeline Plus about how a professional services firm solved the community model for turning relationships into recurring revenue. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on building a repeatable sales engine, driving sustainable revenue growth, and winning and retaining ideal clients. Topics covered are building a repeatable sales engine, driving sustainable revenue growth, and winning and retaining ideal clients. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Marketing agency | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Matt Jenkins about how a marketing agency solved the breakthrough most professional services founders miss. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on growing a boutique professional services firm, improving operational efficiency, and building long-term firm value. Topics covered are growing a boutique professional services firm, improving operational efficiency, and building long-term firm value. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Andrea Fryrear, founder of Agile Sherpas about how a professional services firm solved from seo to aeo: winning discoverability in the age of ai. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on integrating AI into service delivery, building AI-native operations, and transforming pricing and delivery models. Topics covered are integrating AI into service delivery, building AI-native operations, and transforming pricing and delivery models. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Randell Mauricio about how a professional services firm solved the member playbook: how to extract maximum value from collective 54. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on growing a boutique professional services firm, improving operational efficiency, and building long-term firm value. Topics covered are growing a boutique professional services firm, improving operational efficiency, and building long-term firm value. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Bobby Greco, founder of CSI Group about how a professional services firm solved smell, don’t sell: how to scale business development without role corruption. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on preparing for a profitable exit, maximizing enterprise value, and navigating an M&A process. Topics covered are preparing for a profitable exit, maximizing enterprise value, and navigating an M&A process. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Darren Horwitz, founder of TenTen about how a professional services firm solved built for then, not now: how to rebrand when your firm outgrows its identity. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on scaling beyond the founder, removing operational bottlenecks, and building scalable delivery systems. Topics covered are scaling beyond the founder, removing operational bottlenecks, and building scalable delivery systems. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Brian Doyle, founder of Holden Advisors about how a professional services firm solved the pricing wake-up call: rebuilding margin in an ai-dominated market. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on improving firm margins, pricing for profitability, and moving away from cost-plus pricing. Topics covered are improving firm margins, pricing for profitability, and moving away from cost-plus pricing. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Brad Dower about how a professional services firm solved buy to build: the acquisition strategy fueling growth in a fragmented market. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on preparing for a profitable exit, maximizing enterprise value, and navigating an M&A process. Topics covered are preparing for a profitable exit, maximizing enterprise value, and navigating an M&A process. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Lori Turner-Wilson, founder of Red Rover Sales about how a professional services firm solved from chaos to cruise control: how hiring the right coo can transform a firm with lori turner- wilson. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on growing a boutique professional services firm, improving operational efficiency, and building long-term firm value. Topics covered are growing a boutique professional services firm, improving operational efficiency, and building long-term firm value. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Firm Type: Professional services firm | Boutique Professional ServicesIn this episode, Greg Alexander speaks with Adam Witty, founder of Advantage Media about how a professional services firm solved from startup to standout: how one founder used authority to build an enduring firm. This episode is useful for founders of boutique professional service firms who are working on growing a boutique professional services firm, improving operational efficiency, and building long-term firm value. Topics covered are growing a boutique professional services firm, improving operational efficiency, and building long-term firm value. Learn more about Collective 54, the community for founders of boutique professional service firms.
Artificial intelligence is transforming how boutique firms operate, and Darren Horwitz, founder of Tenten Group, is leading the way. By leveraging AI to process years of business data, Darren has identified high-value opportunities and optimized his firm’s service offerings. He’s also using AI to analyze patterns in client interactions, refine messaging, and develop a targeted content strategy that resonates with ideal clients. Additionally, Darren is integrating AI into client workflows, streamlining brand management tasks to enhance efficiency and free up time for strategic initiatives. Join this session to discover how AI can help you unlock growth by improving decision-making, refining client deliverables, and scaling operations with greater precision.
Scaling a firm with the ultimate goal of a successful exit requires a precise strategy, the right tools, and disciplined execution. By leveraging proven frameworks and actionable insights, you can position your business to achieve maximum value when the time is right. Join Brian Ackerman, Partner at Ascendient Healthcare Advisors, as he shares how he’s leveraging Collective 54 tools like the Firm Estimator, Exit Readiness Checklist, and EOS Integration Plan to scale his firm and maximize its value. In this session, you’ll gain practical insights into how to apply these tools, optimize your operations, and develop a roadmap that sets your firm up for long-term success.
Acquisitions can be a game-changer for scaling your business, providing access to new markets, capabilities, and talent. However, making the right acquisition requires a clear strategy and a founder’s perspective on what drives success.
Join Sam Shepler, Founder of Testimonial Hero, as he shares his journey of leveraging acquisitions to accelerate growth. In this session, you’ll learn how to identify opportunities that align with your vision, navigate the acquisition process, and unlock synergies that enhance your business. Whether you're exploring acquisitions for the first time or refining your approach, this session will provide actionable insights from a founder who’s been in your shoes.
In the seller-doer model, where professionals both deliver services and generate new business, relationship selling is a powerful approach for driving growth. By focusing on authentic connections, you build trust and credibility, positioning yourself as a trusted advisor while fostering lasting partnerships. Join this session with David Ackert, CEO of Pipeline Plus to explore how to leverage the seller-doer advantage, tailor your approach to client needs, and create genuine value in every interaction, enabling sustainable business development through meaningful relationships.
Transitioning from consulting to a product-driven model can unlock growth but requires strategic decisions and innovation. There are graveyards full of services companies that tried to make this pivot and have not survived it. Lawrence King, founder of Headstorm, shares his journey of transforming his consulting firm into a product powerhouse in the agriculture industry. If you’ve ever considered developing a product, this session will help you understand what it takes to be successful. Join to learn how to achieve product-market fit, how to navigate operational shifts between consulting and product models and how to build a roadmap for innovation and sustained growth.
Exiting your business is a multi-step process that requires strategic planning and the right team at the right time. This session breaks down the timeline of an exit, from assessing your firm’s worth and preparing marketing materials to managing buyer interest and creating competitive tension. Learn when to hire key advisors, what each phase entails, and how to make a strong first impression with potential buyers. By understanding the process and investing in top-tier expertise, you can navigate the complexities of an exit and maximize your outcome.
How can you leverage your membership to its fullest? What does it take to become an exceptional member of our community? In this inspiring session, our 2024 Member of the Year will share the mindset, actions, and strategies that set them apart. Learn how to manage the volume of ideas you get from the community, how to get ideas implemented and how to build meaningful relationships with fellow members. Whether you’re a new member or a seasoned veteran, this session will leave you inspired to elevate your own engagement and impact.
Next-generation technologies are revolutionizing the professional services industry. Join Alex Bratton, CEO of Lextech and practical tech futurist, for an insightful session exploring how next gen technology will reshape the way we work and serve clients.
Gain clarity on disruptive trends and learn how to harness their potential for strategic advantage in professional services. From AI's immediate impact to future disruptive technologies, this session will help you stay ahead in an industry on the cusp of transformation.
Harness LinkedIn to become the go-to authority in your industry. This session covers building trust and awareness at scale using thought leadership and a formula for cutting through the noise. Discover strategies to stand out, track essential metrics, and align LinkedIn with your broader marketing efforts. Leave with actionable tools to enhance your LinkedIn presence and drive engagement.
At Collective 54, we often discuss the “Valley of Death” firms face when moving from Growth to Scale. But what if the cost of this journey is too high? In this session, C54 alumni Julian Lumpkin shares his story of deciding to close his firm and what came next. He’ll reveal the tough questions he asked himself and offer strategies for communicating this decision both internally and externally. Walk away with insights on how to navigate this turning point and confidently plan your next chapter.
2024 was challenging for many professional services firms, but those that optimized cash flow are now better positioned for 2025. Join this session to uncover the root causes of poor cash flow management and learn how operational factors impact cash flow. Gain insights on weekly cash flow management and aligning it with KPIs. Leave with actionable strategies to optimize cash flow and strengthen your firm’s resilience.
Are you struggling to grow revenue and win new business? Do you know the trigger events that put prospects in the market for your services? Are you talking to the wrong prospects? In this session, we'll dive into strategies for identifying these trigger events and refining your ideal client profile (ICP) enabling you to offer a focused, niche service that resonates with the right prospects. Gain actionable insights on how to continuously focus your ICP to recognize when clients enter your market, helping you attract and win ideal clients that lead to revenue growth. Whether you’re defining your ICP for the first time or sharpening it further, this session will provide you with practical strategies to grow your business by targeting clients with high potential for alignment and success.
As founders, many of us dream of a successful exit, but what happens when you're ready to sell part of your business while keeping a stake in its future growth? In this session, we’ll explore the dynamics of a partial exit—a strategy that allows founders to take some chips off the table, while still staying involved and benefiting from the company’s ongoing success. Whether you're considering selling a minority stake or a significant portion of your business, this session will arm you with the strategies, insights, and practical knowledge you need to approach a partial exit with confidence. Join us to learn how to unlock value while keeping a seat at the table for future growth.
In today's fast-evolving business landscape, the demand for fractional CxO services is growing rapidly. Join this session to learn what a fractional CxO is, how it's different than consulting, which funcitonal areas are being fractionalized and why this model is gaining in popularity. We will explore common use cases and leaders in the space, and what to consider before using a fractional CxO. Whether you’re looking to hire a fractional leader or become one, this session will equip you with actionable strategies and a clear understanding of the landscape.
Many boutique pro serv firms are hesitant to pursue large deals without a delivery team in place or have concerns that they can hire to meet demand without compromising on quality. Join this session to learn from a pioneering firm that has developed a unique approach to solving talent supply chain challenges when pursuing large deals. Ben Johnson, CEO at Particle41 will share the innovative strategies that the firm uses to ensure they have the right people in place to deliver on large deals.
In this session, you will discover the immense value of client testimonials in selling your services. We will explore how testimonials serve as powerful social proof, helping to build trust and credibility with prospective clients. You will learn strategies for soliciting authentic and compelling testimonials from satisfied clients and techniques for presenting them in various formats, including case studies and video testimonials. The session will also cover best practices for integrating testimonials into your marketing and sales materials, such as websites, proposals, and presentations.
This session will explore the journey to building a $3M book of business, focusing on the importance of authenticity, vulnerability, and forming deep, meaningful relationships. Participants will learn how to strategically position themselves to be chosen for work, while also incorporating business development activities they genuinely enjoy, alongside people they like. The session will also reveal one simple, daily habit—taking just 10 minutes—that has proven to generate more business than any other strategy.
Join this session to gain a deep understanding of how to set, adjust, and optimize your pricing to enhance profitability, attract and retain clients, and stay competitive in the marketplace. We will explore cost-based, value-based, and competition-based pricing, helping you determine which approach aligns best with your firm's goals and market position. You will learn how to analyze your costs and market conditions to set prices that reflect the value of your services while ensuring profitability. The session will also cover techniques for communicating your pricing effectively to clients, handling pricing objections, and implementing dynamic pricing strategies to respond to market changes.
Join us for an in-depth session on thematic investing, a powerful strategy embraced by private equity (PE) firms to capture emerging trends and drive superior returns. Mark Gartner, Managing Director at RLH Equity will help you understand what thematic investing is, why it is gaining traction among PE firms, why you should care and what it could mean for your firm.
Join us for an insightful session that explores the strategic considerations and benefits of scaling through a portfolio of firms versus scaling a single firm. This session will provide a comprehensive analysis of both approaches, helping you determine the best path to sustainable growth and market dominance. We will delve into strategies for managing risk, allocating resources, and driving innovation across multiple firms compared to focusing on a single entity. The session will provide insights into how diversification through a portfolio can mitigate market fluctuations and foster resilience. You will also gain practical tips on evaluating your current business model to decide which scaling strategy aligns best with your long-term goals.
In this session we will explore the journey of converting a non-recurring revenue business into a sustainable recurring revenue model. Brick Thompson, CEO of Blue Margin will share the challenges he faced, the steps taken to implement change, and the benefits realized from establishing a steady, predictable income stream. This session is perfect founders looking to stabilize and grow their revenue.
Join Jamie Shanks, Founder & CEO at Get Levrg, for an enlightening session on the current trends with offshoring and nearshoring. We will explore which regions are trending for which skillsets and cost differences between regions. We will delve into how to leverage offshore talent for both back office and front office work. Discover the numerous benefits of offshoring, including cost savings, access to a global talent pool, and increased operational efficiency.
In this session, John Arnott, CEO at C1M, will share how AI can revolutionize your business strategy and significantly increase profits. We will explore the transformative power of AI, demonstrating how it can streamline operations, enhance innovation, and drive measurable financial results across various aspects of your business. Join this session to gain a solid understanding of AI technologies and their applications in optimizing processes, improving decision-making, and boosting overall profitability.
Join this session to learn what an expert network is and how it can be a game-changer for your firm. Member Thom McLeod, Founder and Managing Partner at Tenzing Consulting will share with members the myriad ways an expert network can accelerate growth, enhance client offerings, and foster innovation within your firm. We will explore how to identify opportunities to leverage expert knowledge to create value-added services and differentiate your firm in a competitive market.
Join John Sherk as he shares a compelling story of navigating leadership transitions in a boutique business. Over the course of a decade, John mentored a young founder who, at 33, has built a remarkable company but struggles with the challenges of scaling up. Now, at 55, John has stepped into the role of interim COO, not only to guide the company's growth but to develop the next generation of leadership. John will discuss how he's strategically planning for a 5 to 10-year transition, preparing the company for an eventual exit while ensuring its current and future leaders are equipped to sustain success. Learn how this model of "mentorship in action" is filling crucial leadership gaps, aligning with long-term business goals, and creating a roadmap for both personal and organizational growth.
Join this session to hear the remarkable journey of how member Tim Foster achieved a successful exit in just three years, compared to the industry norm of 15 years. Discover the innovative strategies and key decisions that enabled Tim's firm to fast-track its growth and gain valuable insights from the lessons learned from the exit process. Tim will also share what he would do differently next time and provide practical advice and actionable tips for founders who are contemplating an exit. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from someone who has navigated the exit process successfully in record time.
In this session we explore the remarkable journey of a consulting firm that expanded from a small team of 12 to a robust organization of 250 employees over 14 years. Discover the strategic decisions, leadership principles, and innovative practices that fueled their growth and led to a successful exit. Join us as we delve into the challenges they faced, the lessons they learned, and the key factors behind their impressive transformation.
Join us for an enlightening session where Jamie Wasserman, Leader at Geigsen, will share the inspiring story behind her decision to write a book. Gain insights into the thought process and motivations that led to the creation of the initial manuscript. We will explore the decision to hire a publishing partner rather than opting for self-publishing, and the factors that influenced the choice of publisher. Join this session to learn from an author’s firsthand experience and gather valuable tips for your own writing and publishing journey.
In this session we will delve into the fascinating story of transforming a lifestyle firm into a thriving boutique business. Miles Kailburn, Founder and CEO of OTM will share how and when the decision was made to shift from a freelancer model to a true boutique, to today’s efforts to scale the firm. Discover the challenges, strategies, and lessons learned along the way, and gain valuable insights for your own business transformation.
In this session, we dive into the incredible journey of a consulting firm founder who found a pivotal ally in their number two. Join Brian Albers, COO at Data Clymer, and discover how his dynamic partnership with his founder drove the company’s growth, navigated the scaling challenges, and ultimately led to a successful exit. Through candid conversations and valuable insights, we explore the essential role of a strong second-in-command in transforming vision into reality.
In this session, we explore what to do when the rosy forecast does not materialize, and you need to restructure your firm. This includes how to determine who to layoff, when to lay them off, how to do so in the proper way, how to support the now former employees during the transition and how to preserve the culture and keep morale up with the remaining employees.
Join us as we delve into the gripping tale of a marketing agency's journey through the tumultuous waves of cancel culture. In the height of societal pressure, the agency's founders, driven by fear and uncertainty, offered their employees overly generous contracts. As the dust settled, they realized the unsustainable nature of their decisions and faced the daunting task of restructuring their workforce agreements. Tune in to discover how Ryan Gill and Chris Kneeland, Partners at Cult Collective, navigated this challenging terrain, replacing idealistic contracts with market-based, realistic agreements, and emerged stronger than ever before. This episode is a testament to the power of resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.
In this session, we delve into the strategic journey of an accounting firm that has mastered the art of scaling by franchising its proven system. Collective 54 Member Matthew Peterson, Owner at True North Accounting, will share how they've transformed their business model to offer franchise opportunities that empower other entrepreneurs to build their own successful accounting firms. We explore the benefits and challenges of this approach, the critical components of their franchise system, and hear a firsthand account from a franchisor who has thrived under this model. Join us to discover how franchising can be a game-changer in the accounting industry.
In this session, we delve into the strategic approach of leveraging an anchor account to establish and grow a small service firm. Exploring the real-world example of how an IT Service firm was built with MetLife as the anchor account, we uncover the keys to success in building a thriving business around a single, foundational client. From cultivating strong relationships to diversifying services and expanding clientele, our discussion with Collective 54 Member Michael Gibbs, Founder & CEO at SureStep, offers actionable advice for entrepreneurs looking to navigate the journey of entrepreneurship with confidence and purpose. Tune in to learn how to harness the power of an anchor account to propel your service firm to new heights of success.
In this session, we delve into the art and science of hiring the perfect sales leader for boutique professional service firms. Join Collective 54 member David Kendall, President & CEO at KAI Partners, as we discuss the unique challenges these firms face, the qualities that define a successful sales leader in this niche, and practical strategies to identify and attract top talent. Whether you're in the early stages of building your sales team or looking to elevate your firm to the next level, join us for expert advice and real-world examples to guide you through the hiring process.
In this session, we delve into the ambitious journey of a CEO who took the bold step of buying out the founder of a boutique professional service firm. Through an intimate conversation with Collective 54 Member Jessica Knox, CEO at Metrix, we explore the intricate negotiations, strategic planning, and the emotional rollercoaster that defined this pivotal transition. Discover how this daring move not only reshaped the firm's future but also set a new course for its legacy, culture, and the very essence of leadership within the industry. Join us as we unveil the challenges, triumphs, and the profound lessons learned along the way in transforming vision into reality.
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In this session, we discuss some of the secrets of unlocking expansion revenue from within existing accounts. You'll learn from Collective 54 Member Phil Leary, Chief Operating Officer at Allata, on how nurturing and developing employees who begin their careers in non-revenue generating positions can lead to a surprising uptick in your bottom line as they learn how to become natural rain makers. Discover the approaches used to transform these high potential employees into powerhouse revenue generators, and how this approach not only boosts your firm's financial health but also fosters a culture of growth and innovation.
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In this session, we delve into the challenges and opportunities presented when your industry segment suddenly becomes the hotbed of competition. With both heavyweight corporations and agile boutiques flocking to capitalize on the trend, how do you ensure your firm doesn't just survive but thrives? We'll explore strategic insights, share expert advice, and discuss real-world examples that have successfully navigated these waters. From differentiating your firm to innovating your offerings and optimizing operations, get ready to learn how to stand out and stay ahead in an increasingly crowded market.
Join us, together with Collective 54 Member Brad McAllister, Co-Founder & Director of Operations at WAP Sustainability, as we uncover the keys to turning industry heat into your competitive advantage.
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In this session, we peel back the layers on how a seasoned ERP implementation consulting firm revolutionized its business model, moving from the traditional time and materials approach to a groundbreaking fixed fee structure.
Join Collective 54 Member Alan Wyne, CEO at Innovia Consulting, and discover the strategic decisions that led to this bold shift, the challenges overcome along the way, and the significant impact it had on their competitive edge and profit margins. Tune in to witness a story of adaptation, resilience, and success that could redefine the way you think about how you monetize your expertise.
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In this session we delve into the fast-paced world of an executive coach in the interior design industry, exploring the methods that she uses when it is time to stop studying and start doing.
Our role model, Collective 54 Member Gail Doby, Co-Founder at The Pearl Collective, shares her expert insights on how to deal with a large volume of ideas, how to prioritize them, how to sequence them, and how she includes her executive team to quicken implementation.
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In this session, we delve into the science of time management and the art maximizing employee productivity within boutique professional service firms. From strategic time management techniques to fostering a culture of efficiency, we explore actionable strategies to ensure every hour counts. Discover how to optimize resources, streamline processes, and empower employees to thrive, ultimately driving success for both individuals and the organization as a whole.
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In this episode, we delve into the remarkable journey of Collective 54 Member, Dave Makerewich, Founder & President at Maven, who transitioned from being a client to establishing a thriving boutique professional service firm. Discover how his firsthand experience as a client shaped his understanding of the industry's needs and fueled his entrepreneurial spirit. Through insightful anecdotes and lessons learned, uncover the unique challenges and triumphs of building a business from a client's perspective.
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In this session, Collective 54 Member Tom Zucker, President at EdgePoint Advisors, and Greg Alexander review recent research from over 200 acquirers that suggests the 5 attributes that make a firm an attractive acquisition target, and the 4 attributes that scare acquirers away. The research quantifies how “attractiveness” drives up valuations and how you can increase the worth of your firm.
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In this session, Collective 54 Member Andrew Thompson, CEO and Co-Founder at Notch Partners, LLC, together with their Head of Business and Financial Services, Jeff Weathers, will share how it is never too late to get serious about converting a lifestyle firm into a scalable boutique. This session will discuss the use of a dedicated task force to make up for lost time and how it can restart the boutique lifecycle clock. You will learn the who, what, when, where, why, and how to invest in a dedicated task force inside a small service firm to get back on track.
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In this session, Collective 54 Member William Lieberman, Managing Partner at The CEO’s Right Hand, and Greg Alexander, simplify the financial jargon surrounding a boutique professional service firm's Profit and Loss (P&L) statement. Join us as we decode revenue, expenses, EBITDA and net income, offering insights applicable to any member, regardless of their financial expertise. Whether you're a consulting firm, marketing agency, systems integrator or another type of small service firm curious about financial matters, this exploration into the world of P&L statements provides valuable insights into understanding and interpreting financial health.
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Join Collective 54 Member Michael Ivie, Managing Partner at Phyton Consulting, and learn how his firm got to $3 million per month in revenue before their second birthday, crashed because of a Black Swan event, and executed a world class recovery, emerging stronger than ever. This session will help members identify risk, in all its forms, and develop a risk mitigation strategy to bullet proof their firms.
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In this session, Collective 54 Member Jamey Harvey, CEO at Agilian, will share how he addressed one of the biggest risks for small service firms- client concentration. Items discussed will be benchmarks to measure client concentration, an early warning detection system, the impact on strategy client concentration should have on your firm, how long it takes to fix the issue, the most successful risk mitigation strategies, and how to prevent client concentration from destroying your firm.
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According to the US Bureau of Census, 90% of small businesses in America are family-owned and operated. Many Collective 54 members work alongside family members daily. Are you? Should you? There is a different set of management best practices used to grow, scale, and exit a service firm owned and operated by a family.
Attend this session to learn from Collective 54 Member Carajane Moore, President, together with her brother Tom Searcy, Founder and CEO, at Hunt Big Sales, on how mixing family and business can be an effective way to fulfill your dreams—personal and professional.
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In this session, we delve into the pivotal function management meetings serve during the intricate
process of selling a firm. We'll explore how these gatherings can effectively showcase the company's
strengths, address potential concerns, and foster a sense of trust and transparency with prospective
buyers.
Attendees will learn from Collective 54 Member Matt Rosen, Founder & CEO at Allata, how to
leverage management meetings to not only impress buyers but also to secure a favorable sale outcome.
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Join Collective 54 Member Andrea Fryrear, CEO and Co-Founder at AgileSherpas, to learn how to make
growing revenues easier by implementing content driven inbound marketing.
In this session you will learn what real content marketing is- why it works, how it is different than fake content marketing, how to engage an audience, create compelling content, use tech to scale, how content marketing scales a founder’s impact exponentially, ways to convert time wasted creating thought leadership into time well spent generating revenue, and ways to get started.
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In this session, discover the inside track on how small service firms can punch above their weight and
land lucrative government contracts. Join Collective 54 Member Paul Karch, Founder at Gardant Global,
as he guides you through strategic partnerships with large contractors, providing the roadmap to
navigate the complexities of government procurement processes. Learn the secrets to leveraging these
alliances for growth, stability, and success in the public sector marketplace.
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In this insightful case study, we delve into the remarkable journey of a nimble 10-person professional
service firm as they navigate the complexities of selling their business to a 300-strong industry leader.
From leveraging their specialized expertise to fostering a culture that resonated with their larger
counterpart, Bart Mroz, Engagement Lead at ITX Corp., shares the key steps their small firm has taken to
position themselves as an indispensable asset, paving the way for a merger that promises to be a win-
win for all parties.
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In this session, join Collective 54 member John Kearney, Founder at The Buyer’s Way, as he discusses
how to build compensation plans for the sales function inside a boutique pro serv firm. He will share
how the comp plans need to change as a firm migrates from founder-led sales to a part-time sales force
to a mature fully function commercial sales team. Learn how to figure out how much to pay, the proper
split between salary and commission, the measures to pay commission on, and the costly mistakes to
avoid.
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Embarking on the journey of selling your firm can be as complex as it is exciting. In this session, join
Collective 54 member Jay Smith, Vice President of Sales at Integris IT, as he helps demystify the due
diligence process, ensuring you navigate these critical waters with confidence. From legal audits to
financial analysis to customer references and employee satisfaction reviews, we delve into the essential
steps every seller should undertake to secure a transparent and advantageous deal.
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Attend this session as Collective 54 member Tony Amador, Co-Founder & Chief Client Officer at Proxxy,
outlines the crucial steps for a small service firm to reposition its value proposition based on actual
client needs and desires. This session discusses the importance of listening to client feedback, extracting
actionable insights, and then applying them to refine the firm’s strengths and offerings.
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Many professional service firms foolishly think the path to scalability is to become a software company. However, founders of service firms make more money than founders of software firms, generate more wealth for themselves at exit, and succeed much more often.
Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member Nathan Kievman, Co-Founder and CEO at Linked Strategies, on how you can avoid making the devasting mistake of trying to become a software company.
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Generative AI is transforming the professional services industry, lifting productivity levels to heights thought unobtainable. Interacting with large language models has become a required core competency. This is best done via prompt engineering.
Attend this session and learn what prompt engineering is from Collective 54 member, Stephen Straus, Managing Director at KUNGFU.AI, together with their Principal Machine Learning Engineer, Numa Dhamani.
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Small service firms are overly dependent on a few key employees. The departure of one can cause much pain for the Founder and impede the progress of the firm, especially if it was unexpected.
Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member, Phillip Acosta, CEO at GuROO LLC, on how you can prevent this trouble from stinging you.
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Your brand matters. In the professional service industry, Founders need a brand for the firm, the service offering, themselves, and their talent.
Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member, Chad Prinkey, Owner at Well Built Construction Consulting, about how brands are built
inside small service firms, and how they help boutiques punch above their weight class.
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The personal lives of the Founders evolve as a firm advances. And the professional lives of the Founders morph as a firm matures. How can partners stay in harmony with themselves, and with each other, along the entrepreneurial journey?
This session with Collective 54 members Matt Jenkins and Nick Moretta, Partners at Other., shares how partners work well together and use a tool called The Commitment Letter.
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Boutique service firms often confuse staff augmentation work with advisory work and with managed services work. These are three different types of services that are marketed, sold, and delivered differently. Each has its own margin profile. Balancing the mix of these three correctly can be the difference between running a firm with good margins or a firm with poor margins.
Attend this session with Collective 54 member Ryan Buell, Founder & CEO at Sayva Solutions, and get clear on how to manage the revenue mix.
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Uncle Sam is the world’s biggest client. Yet, many boutique service firms do not do business with the government.
This session with Collective 54 member Frank Tsamoutales, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Tsamoutales Strategies, is for firms who do not do business with the government but wonder if they should. We will cover the basics such as why elections matter, understanding legislation, and partnering.
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Recruiting for sales positions in a small service firm is not the same as recruiting for sales positions in a large service firm, or in a product company.
This session with Collective 54 member Carter Hopkins, Founder & CEO at Pursuit Sales Solutions, will help you avoid making costly hiring mistakes as you build out your sales team.
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What role should the Founder of a boutique professional service firm play in the process of acquiring new clients? That of an Executive Sponsor. And how can a Founder perform in this role with excellence? By using executive language.
Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member, Carajane Moore, about executive sponsor programs and executive language.
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Small service firms need to generate leads but are constrained by limited resources. Budget and talent are in short supply. Therefore, what works in a small service firm is different than what works in a large service firm, or in a product company.
Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member Christian Banach, Principal & Chief Growth Officer at Christian Banach LLC, what works, and what does not work, for small service firms.
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Listening to clients intentionally is a core competency for service firms attempting to scale. There are 5 listening techniques appropriate for a boutique service firm. They are: 1- client advisory board, 2- post-project reviews, 3- client satisfaction program, 4- win-loss program, and 5- conferences. In this session, we take a deep dive into #2 post-project reviews.
Learn from Collective 54 member Nicole Merrill, Co-Founder and CEO at Vecteris, what post-project reviews, why they are required, the benefits they produce, and how and when to perform them.
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Quality work is table stakes, not a competitive advantage. Lots of firms deliver quality work and many clients cannot tell the difference between great work and average work. In contrast, the client experience is a powerful differentiator. Very few firms can deliver outstanding client experience consistently. Those that can scale. The tool they use to do so is called a journey map.
Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member Miles Kailburn, Chief Executive Officer at Old Town Media, what a journey map is, and how to create and use them effectively.
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A collection of tactics is not a strategy, nor is a financial forecast or a budget. A strategy defines who you serve, what you do, how you do it, and how you do it differently. And a strategy begins with a clear set of goals.
In this session, learn how Collective 54 member Jason Mills, Director of Engineering at TribalScale, and his team, adopted a formal goal-setting methodology, called OKRs, to get focused on what matters most.
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Podcasting is a perfect marketing channel for boutique professional service firms. It allows a firm to authentically connect with its target market at scale cost effectively. Yet, many members are not taking advantage of this tool.
In this session, Collective 54 member Tom Schwab, Founder at Interview Valet, will teach members how to leverage the podcasting channel to grow their firms.
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As a firm scales, bureaucracy creeps in and slows the growth trajectory. Culture is a substitute for bureaucracy, and it allows a boutique to retain its identity as it scales.
In this session, learn from Collective 54 member George Jagodzinski, Managing Partner at Intevity, on how he as a founder built a powerful culture with a fully remote workforce, and how it led to outstanding business results.
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Offshoring, or Nearshoring, is a proven method for founders to earn more. However, in a post-pandemic world, the acceptance of remote work has increased, and this has had a profound effect on labor costs across the globe.
In this session, learn from Collective 54 member Satyam Kantamneni, Managing Partner at UXReactor, on how the cost per hour shifts by location, and how to take advantage of the opportunities being created.
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Collective 54 member Jamey Harvey, CEO at Agilian, has doubled revenue and tripled margins in 18 months. This session shares how he did it by implementing the Boutique Framework, in its entirety, instead of one idea at a time. Hear how this remarkable entrepreneur went for it and won.
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Pro serv firms are people-driven businesses, therefore, getting the people’s decisions right is mission critical. As a result, many members are using assessment tools, or have in the past. However, the results have been mixed.
In this session, learn from Collective 54 member Ted Jackson, Owner at SIGMA Assessment Systems, Inc., together with his Vice President & Head of R&D, Dr. Julie Carswell, on how to improve the results you are getting from assessment tools. Dr. Carswell is an expert on this topic, with a PhD in organizational psychology.
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Some members want to exit, but they cannot. The reasons are many. For example, insufficient EBITDA, high client concentration, over-dependence on a founder, and many others. The journey to fix these issues is clear but can take many years and millions of dollars. And for some, this is unattractive. An alternative is a merger of equals.
Attend this session and learn from the discussion with Collective 54 member Jonathan Wilson, President & Chief Value Creator at Dubb Value Creation, on how a merger of equals can convert an unsellable boutique into an attractive firm for many acquirers.
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Sei-Wook Kim ran his agency for 16 years and never had to lay anyone off. Then, in year 17, he had to lay off 15% of his work force. Layoffs are a fact of life when you run a boutique, especially if you do not have much recurring revenue. Sei-Wook will share lessons learned from his experience. These lessons will help you execute a layoff if, or when, the time comes.
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In this session, member Ken Yager shares how he discovered that his traditional client was not going to get his firm to reach its full potential. Ken shares how he changed his ideal client profile, and as a result, has significantly improved his margins. Attend this session and learn how to adjust your target client profile as your firm progresses along its lifecycle.
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Scaling boutiques need to build a sales team yet delay doing so because of the perceived risk and expense.
In this session, member Dan Morris shows us how to reduce the risk and ease into it by leveraging fractional sales leadership. Most boutiques use fractional finance, HR, IT, and Legal executives and it may be time for you to deploy the same approach to sales.
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Moving away from hourly billing leads to better margins, higher client satisfaction, and happieremployees. Yet, many boutique founders are afraid to do it, and do not know how.
In this session, member Sonia Miller-Van Oort shares how she built her 12-person law firm using alternative fee structures.
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Selling and delivering insight is at the heart of what professional service firms do. Some pro serv firms have packaged their expertise into research and sell it as a “product” via subscription. Attend this session and hear how member Mike Ellison has done this and built a 95-person firm in the process.
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Member Mike Braun started Pivotal Advisors with his brother to get off an airplane and make a living with less stress. One day he realized he wanted more than a lifestyle business. This required the recruitment of the next generation of leaders who wanted a piece of the pie. Mike masterfully created a plan to allow for equity to be shared with the new team. And in the process, he built a legacy, a firm that would last long after he and his brother were gone.
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Power members Eric Weisgarber and Adam Diesselhorst have implemented succession planning at their marketing agency, inspired in part by the Collective 54 book The Founder Bottleneck. As a result, they have identified their high potential employees and are preparing them to take over the firm upon exit. This has allowed them to scale smoothly without the employee headaches and drama found in many firms.
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Member Jeff Pedowitz was one of the pioneers of the SaaS era by driving adoption of marketing automation technology from Eloqua, Marketo and others. This allowed his firm, The Pedowitz Group, to dominate his niche for almost two decades. Now, Jeff sees the next big wave, AI, and he shares with Collective 54 how to ride it all the way to the bank.
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Win/Loss reviews are a powerful way to improve your sales results. Yet, most members are not doing them because they incorrectly think they are hard to do and require lots of time.
In this session, member Brady Jensen, and expert in win/loss reviews will give members the method, tools, and templates to allow them to do this correctly, quickly, and cheaply.
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The average boutique pro-serv firm is using 10-15 SaaS applications yet none of them talk to each other. This makes it hard to get a true 360-degree view of your firm.
In this session, data warehousing expert and member Aron Clymer will show members how to solve this problem easily, and cost effectively.
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Building a sales team inside of a consulting firm is hard. However, it is a requirement if a firm is going to scale beyond a Founder led lifestyle business. Adding to the difficulty, is the need to go through an expensive and time-consuming trial and error period. It takes patience and many experiments before a firm figures out what works for them.
Listen to this episode and hear from Collective 54 member, Scott Arias, how he figured out the model that worked for him. Scott is a war hero, and he has applied what he learned in the Navy to go from $0 to $20+ million in just 14 years. Members are encouraged to attend the exclusive Q&A session with Scott and his more about his inspiring story.
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Running a lifestyle business can lull a Founder to sleep. The days, weeks, months, and years pass by as you are “doing just fine”. Then, one day, you are in your mid-50s, and realize you cannot retire, and after all these years, you don’t have much to show for your life’s work. What then?
Listen to this episode and learn how Collective 54 member, Tad McIntosh, is dealing with this head on. Tad shares how after 20+ years he is trying to convert a lifestyle business into something he scale, and sell, someday. Members who attend the private Q&A with Tad can ask him the tough questions directly and learn from their peers, many of whom are in the same situation as Tad.
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The Pro Serv Podcast often discusses how to exit a professional service firm. But, on this episode, we flip the script and discuss how to scale by purchasing professional service firms.
Collective 54 member, Colton Hathaway, shares how Northern Commerce was created through a merger, and how they have grown by acquiring other firms. By listening to this episode, you will learn how you might do the same. If you are a member, be sure to participate in the private Q&A with Colton and ask him the specific how-to questions you will have after listening to this show.
Productizing a service can lead to fast growth and large scale. But, it seems scary and many Founders of service firms do not know where to start.
Listen to this episode, and hear how Collective 54 member, Nish Parikh, funneled cash from his staffing firm into the development of a product called Talent Arbor. As a result of this innovation, Nish is helping those on the Autism spectrum build rewarding careers. Members are invited to attend the private Q&A session with Nish and hear how leading with empathy drives innovation and impact.
The yield of a boutique is the ultimate measure of productivity. Yield is simply the average fee per hour times the average utilization rate. For example, $400/hr x 75% utilization rate = a yield of $300/hr. Increase yield and make more money. But, how? One effective technique is to tech-automate service delivery.
On this episode, Collective 54 member, Ehsan Mirdamadi, explains that small service firms can now afford to tech-automate service delivery by leveraging a fractional CTO (Chief Technology Officer). Listen to this episode and learn how the fractional executive model has entered the technology office. Many Collective 54 members use fractional finance, HR, IT, and Legal executives. Now, they have the opportunity to leverage fraction technology executives. And those that do will see an increase in yield. Members who attend the exclusive Q&A session can explore with Ehsan how to apply this to their firms.
In a post-Covid world, does geography still matter? Should you pursue clients, and employees, based on where they reside? It used to signal to clients that you were legit when your name was on a building downtown. Is this still true?
Listen to this show and learn how Collective 54 member, Ashok Sivanand, thinks geography is still a mission-critical element of strategy, but not for the reasons you might think. He moved to Detroit and is building a firm based on mid-western values. And it is these values, concentrated in this geography, which is contributing to his success. Members of Collective 54 can attend the private Q&A with Ashok and hear from him his remarkable story which started with him driving a forklift in a factory during the graveyard shift.
Key employee risk is a very real threat to founders of boutique professional services firms. Small, people-driven businesses are overly dependent on key employees. If a key employee resigns, the pain inflicted on the owner is intense, and the financial impact on the income statement is large.
Listen to this episode and hear how Collective 54 member, Kimberly Kraemer, suffered the loss of a key employee and how she survived it. In addition, hear how Kim re-engineered her firm to prevent this from ever happening again. Members are invited to attend the private Q&A with Kimberly and ask important questions. Kimberly does not hold back and we can learn much from her experience.
Boutique professional service firms need to listen to their clients intentionally. One effective way to do that is a client advisory board.
In this episode, Collective 54 member Luke Johnson, shares how he launched a client advisory board recently. Luke shares the early benefits, some mistakes to avoid, and how, exactly, he runs his. Listen to this episode, and if you are a member, attend the private member Q&A, and learn how a client advisory board can help you.
Generating revenue from sources other than the billable hour is a key part of scaling a consulting firm.
In this episode, Collective 54 member, Robin Way, shares how he is generating revenue from training products, licensing tools, and generating reports. Listeners of this episode will hear from Robin how he went from a single source of revenue- the billable hour- to four sources of revenue. Members who participate in the private Q&A with Robin will get to bounce their ideas off of him and get his advice.
Someday you will sell your firm. After all, none of us can run our firms from the afterlife. When your time to exit comes, you will need to know what your firm is worth. The tool often used to calculate a purchase price is called a QOE, or the quality of earnings report.
In this episode, Collective 54 member, and QOE expert, Elliott Holland, helps founders understand what a QOE is, when it is needed, who creates one, how it gets used, and why founders need to get familiar with it. By listening to this episode, you will know what you need to know about the QOE. Members attending the private Q&A with Elliott will get to ask him questions about using a QOE for their firms.
Hiring, or promoting, a person into an executive role often requires the Founder to offer an equity incentive to the key employee. This requirement drives a need to understand what the firm is worth today, and how much of the future value should be shared with the key employee.
In this episode, Collective 54 member, Michael Daoud, discusses how he valued his firm, and how he structured the equity share with the key employee. By listening to this episode you will learn when to use an appraisal firm, when to do-it-yourself, and get introduced to a new tool, The Firm Estimator. Members who participated in the private Q&A with Michael will hear the details of the offer, and the negotiations.
The design of your boutique’s organization can either aid or hurt a successful exit. Any astute buyer will factor this into their decision-making. This is why simple integrations are attractive. They are cheap, quick, and have a high success rate.
On this episode, Mike Desjardins, CEO at ViRTUS, shares their firm's best practices for a successful reorganization, including the much-awaited backstory of how his team redesigned key roles to keep their top individual contributors.
The number one reason that exits fail is a decline in performance during the sales process. Going into the sales process, you must ensure that you can sustain performance.
On this episode, Phil Alves, CEO at DevSquad, recalls how his firm was able to demonstrate sustainability to potential buyers by expanding their service offerings and reinforcing their business development efforts.
Those who buy boutiques buy management teams first and firms second. The due diligence process is heavily weighted to assess the quality of the management team.
On this episode, Amy Pyles, President at Saxum, examines her experience as the person replicating the founder, what worked vs what didn’t work, and how they continued to work together in this second installment of the Saxum series.
It is harder to sell a service than it is to sell a product. A service is an intangible that makes it harder for clients to buy it. Therefore, understanding your client takes on significance when starting a boutique. The better you understand your client, the better you can serve them.
On this episode, Jay Mitchell, President & Founder of Mereo LLC, shares how his team built their Ideal Client Profile and the results of this highly targeted approach.
When starting a boutique, it is best to begin with the problem you will solve for clients. Why? There are lots of boutiques with solutions that no one is going to buy.
On this episode, Kyle Romaniuk, CEO & ECD at Vantage Studios, sheds light on the process of truly understanding the problem he’s solving for clients.
Existing client revenue growth is key to scale. This requires having more to offer clients over time. If you keep bringing them the same thing, they will become fatigued. This is where service offering development becomes a priority as boutiques scale.
On this episode, Beth Trejo, CEO + Founder of Chatterkick, takes us on a journey of launching a new service line, how they identified that opportunity, experimented with it, before landing on the right service model.
Many boutiques are conventional in their approach. They convert their expertise into a methodology and train staff members on how to use it. They are then reliant on expensive labor that ultimately constrains growth. The firms that accelerate growth take a different approach.
On this episode, Julian Lumpkin, Co-Founder & CEO at SuccessKit, shares how they drove profitability by leveraging technology to streamline, productize, and automate their service delivery.
Marketing and selling professional services as you grow and scale your firm is one of the most popular topics at Collective 54. You must focus on attracting new clients while generating additional revenue from existing clients.
On this episode, Noah Berk the Co-Founder of OBO shares how he has mastered his go-to-market strategy to accelerate revenue growth.
Scaling a boutique professional services firm requires effective replication of the founder and a focus ondelegation. On this episode, Bryon Morrison, Co-Founder & CEO at Proxxy, talks about the power ofreplication to remove the founder bottleneck so they can work on this business.
Have you defined your growth strategy to build a sustainable firm? On this episode, Todd Rapp, Owner and CEO at Rapp Strategies, Inc., speaks on how the firm continues to grow and flourish by focusing on their key clients.
Listen to this episode of The Boutique Podcast in the Resource Center and read the chapter in advance of the call. https://members.collective54.com/resource-center/tag/typethe-boutique-podcast
Growing and scaling a professional services firm requires management of the firm's lifecycle. On this episode, Gregory Hausheer, CEO at Lightmatter, shares how he is evolving the firm through 5-year phases to grow revenue, and how his firm is focused on productizing and tech enabling services.
How do you successfully exit your business without sacrificing your legacy? On this episode, Jay Smith, President of Security7 Networks, talks about how he built his business to be ready to sell, and the biggest lessons learned in the exit process.
Innovation is a new idea. A new service. A new business model. Boutiques that innovate grow and scale rapidly. Continuous innovators become the market leaders. On this episode, Craig Dreiling, CEO at Solutions-101 LLC (S101Medical), shares how his firm was able to innovate and create a new product that commands a higher price.
Investors’ default position is to find reasons not to buy your boutique. They are looking for the risks and approach due diligence as a way to de-risk their investment. On this episode, Harry Dugan, Managing Director at STS Capital Partners shares how to build your firm to minimize those risk for a potential acquirer.
Profits take a big hit as a result of under delegation. Many leaders of boutiques would rather do something themselves than delegate it. This destroys morale and leads to high turnover. On this episode, Jeff Pruitt, CEO & Ed Borromeo, President of Tallwave share how they built a powerful leadership team by focusing on replication.
A boutique requires different things from its leaders and partners as it scales. On this episode, Peter Bilello, President & CEO at CIMdata, shares his journey as a non-founder to becoming President & CEO. He will dive into how he championed the culture shift to drive scale and put the firm in a position to be able to sell one day.
Scaling a boutique requires scale capital. Adding more headcount, entering new markets, launching new service lines, and other initiatives require capital. On this episode, Matthew Lescault, President & CEO at Lescault & Walderman, shares how he has financed his new acquisitions and how he has been able to successfully integrate the acquired firms into his processes and culture.
There is an inflection point that all boutiques run into head-on. This is when sales generation happens by the employees and not by the partners. On this episode, Hamid Akbari, President & CEO at Blanc Labs, shares how the firm built its internal sales engine in 18 months and his key takeaways.
Culture can be described as how things get done in your firm. Intentionally focusing on culture is critical to the success of a boutique professional services firm. On this episode, we invited Jing Johnson, Founder & CEO of PRISM Renderings, to share how she built a highly effective culture and the positive impacts it has had on retention and the success of her firm.
Strategics are usually filling a gap. Either the market shifts or the market leader’s service portfolio is lacking. This gap can be filled by building a practice internally or through an acquisition. On this episode, Randell Mauricio, VP of Operations at WorkerBee.TV, discusses how they built a sustainable firm to attract market leaders.
Supply and demand will impact your ability to sell your boutique. On this episode, David Jorgenson, CEO at Equiteq, shares how the leading global investment bank for professional services firms has uniquely positioned themselves to understand acquisition needs, and how they are able to add value to founders who want to sell their businesses.
Scaling a boutique takes a team but firms are often started by a single founder. On this episode, Tom Abbott, Managing Director of SOCO Sales Training, shares how he transitioned from being involved in every aspect of the business to focusing on team development.
The value of your firm is influenced by the comparables for recently sold firms like yours. On this episode, we invited Frank Williamson, Founder & CEO at Oaklyn Consulting, to share details about comps, valuation, and the benefits of an investment banker.
Decision making evolves as your firm scales and the founder must be replicated in the successor. On this episode, Rob Rankin, CEO at Clarity Coverdale Fury (CCF), shares his perspective on developing the next generation of the firm, with a focus on succession planning and how decisions are made.
The ability to sell your firm will be impacted by the environment. There is a good time to sell and a not so good time to sell. On this episode, Craig Dickens, CEO at JD Merit & Co., will shed light on the financial market trends and how it influences your exit strategy.
There are many ways to split up a partnership. And the equity split needs to evolve over time. On this episode, Kelsey Raymond, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Influence & Co., shares how she successfully replicated herself by developing a key employee into her COO, so she can run the business on her own terms.
Acquirers want to understand your methodologies, how often they are updated, and what changes are coming in the future. On this episode, we interview Alan Haefele, Owner & Managing Director of Haefele Software, to understand how to integrate continuous improvement as part of a company’s culture and DNA.
Boutiques become market leaders by building a commercial sales engine that is capable of scaling. On this episode, we invited Lenka Lechmanova, CEO at V2 Strategic Advisors. She shares how her firm has cultivated a homegrown talent strategy, established sales processes and metrics to benchmark performance, and moved away from partner selling.
Your ability to recruit talent is critical to scaling a market-leading boutique. On this episode, we interview Don Goldstein, CEO of 5Q Partners and he shares how he decided to invest in an internal recruiter and its overall impact on the organization.
Scaling a boutique beyond a lifestyle business takes money and commitment. On this episode, Sue-Ellen Watts, Founder & Global CEO at Wattsnext Group, sheds light on how she embraced a lifestyle business to fund a new venture that she can grow and scale.
A strong market position can indicate excellent competitive positioning. On this episode, Marc Weiss, CEO of Management One, shares how he positioned his firm for a successful exit with an unconventional buyer.
Labor is the biggest expense for a boutique and has the biggest impact on profitability. On this episode, we interview Jeff Pedowitz, President & CEO of The Pedowitz Group to discuss how they creatively redesigned their organization to solve increasing pricing pressures.
Invest in your marketing and let your customers come to you. On this episode, we interviewed Ali Schwanke, CEO & Founder of Simple Strat to share how they elevated their inbound marketing strategy and improved win rates.
The quality of the leadership team paramount as professional services firms grow, scale, and exit. On this episode we speak with Matt Rosen, Founder and CEO at Allata. He shares how he structured his executive team to replicate himself, develop a succession plan and spend time working on the vision of the future.
The engagements you sell determines your market position and the team needed to deliver your service. On this episode Cynthia Klint, CEO at BRC shares how she leverages specialists to deliver client engagements and increase sales.
The cultural fit of employees, clients, and a potential acquirer are all critical to the success of the firm. On this episode Bart Bartlett, CEO at DemandZEN shares how he instills the core values of the firm with his remote team.
As professional services firms scale, the development of new service offerings is critical to staying relevant with your clients. On this episode, we hear from Marc Cooper, President and Partner at Junction59 to learn how his firm uncovers new client needs and develops new service offerings.
Firms that focus on delivering a great client experience along with their high-quality work reach scale. On this episode, we interview Bart Mroz CEO at SUMO Heavy Industries to discuss the client experience and trust-building to develop long-term client relationships.
There is a direct correlation between employee loyalty and the valuation of a professional services firm. On this episode, we interview Renée Safrata, CEO & Founder of Vivo Team to discuss employee loyalty and the invisible balance sheet.
As a firm scales, it must make a significant change to its sales strategy. On this episode we interview Ken Yager of Newpoint Advisors to understand how he invested in business development, coaching, and training to scale his firm.
As professional services firms scale, the culture erodes. Bureaucracy creeps in and employees shift from serving the client to serving the boss which stalls scaling. On this episode, we discuss scaling culture with Mike Sullivan, CEO of Loomis.
The service offering is how firms deliver value to their client. Designing it correctly is mission-critical. On this episode, we discuss how to re-think service design by interviewing Scott Conard, Founder of Converging Health.
Professional services firms have more intellectual property than they may think. On this episode, we discuss how to monetize and productize your intellectual property by speaking with Adrian Bouten, Founder of Digital Prism Advisors.
The Hero Syndrome if left unchecked, will prevent you from scaling your firm. On this episode, we discuss how to overcome this problem by interviewing Marc Beattie, Founder & CEO at Wainhouse Research.
Founders of boutique professional services firms can increase their rate of growth by professionalizing their marketing and sales approach. On this episode, we will discuss how by interviewing Dan Bernoske, of Cortado Group.
Boutiques constrain their growth by thinking too narrowly about monetization. They often think there is only one way to charge with limited revenue sources. On this episode, we interview Jamie Shanks, CEO at Sales for Life to discuss the 9 common ways to make money in the professional services industry.
Changing your pricing strategy is the quickest way to scale. On this episode, we interview Chris Neumann, CEO at Cro Metrics to discuss how evolving his pricing strategy has allowed him to scale.
All revenue is not good revenue. Some types of revenue created more wealth for owners than others. On this episode, we interview Tony Mirchandani, CEO at RTM Engineering Consultants to discuss his approach to fee quality.
Yield is the ultimate measure of productivity for professional services firms. On this episode, we interview Aaron Levenstadt, Founder and CEO of Pedestal Search and discuss how he uses yield to manage his firm.
A key to attracting a buyer for your firm is your ability to prove that you have healthy client relationships. We will interview Mike Stern, CEO of Connected, an end-to-end product development services firm, to learn how to convert client relationships into appreciating assets.
There are 5 competitors’ boutique professional services firms must defeat to grow. On this episode, we interview Mark Riggs, CEO and Lead Strategist for Pemberton.
Your rate of growth is your most important number. It is more important than the size of your firm. It is more important than your client roster, and it is more important than your service offerings. On this episode, we interview Darren Isaacs, Co-Founder and CEO, and Paul Emery, Co-Founder at Makosi.
Boutiques often suffer from an identity crisis, and this makes scaling harder than it needs to be. On this episode, we discuss life cycle with Chris Rozum, Founder & CEO, of Insite Managed Solutions, LLC.
Boutiques run on cash flow, not Net Income or EBITDA. On this episode, we interview William Lieberman, Managing Partner of The CEO’s Right Hand. William provides outsourced financial, CFO, and accounting services to clients that are growing or scaling.
There are 7 common mistakes made when trying to sell a professional services firm. On this episode, we interview TK Herman, President and Co-Founder of Aptera, a focused IT consultancy and managed services provider.
There are two sales tools that allow boutique founders to win bigger, faster, and more often. On this episode, we discuss these tools with Nate Kievman, CEO of Linked Strategies.
Boutique firms often grow but do not scale. On this episode, we discuss this counter intuitive theory by interviewing Lawrence King, CEO of Headstorm to learn how improved leverage increases incomes and wealth.
The first step in selling a professional service firm is knowing why you are selling, before you sell. On this episode, we interview Renzi Stone, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Saxum to learn about the important questions to consider when thinking of selling your firm.
Scaling a boutique professional services firm requires capital and not all capital is the same. On this episode, we interview Josh Miramant, Founder and CEO at Blue Orange Digital to learn about the three sources of scale capital.
Boutiques professional services firms lose more deals to a competitor we call “Do Nothing” than any other competitor. On this episode, we interview Beth Trejo, the CEO and Co-Founder of Chatterkick on how to overcome this competitor.
The opportunity cost of spending your prime in a lifestyle business is too large. On this episode, we discuss a 3-part framework to address this issue and demonstrate how to use it.
How you manage unsolicited interest in buying your boutique will impact your ability to exit. On this episode, we discuss how firm owners can capitalize on inbound interest.
Scaling a boutique professional services firm requires a strategy. Yet many owners have a collection of tactics and call it a strategy. Learn about how firms should approach creating their strategy.
The composition of the founding team must be carefully considered. Boutiques are often formed by a group with overlapping skills which makes it hard to scale. Learn about how the team may need to change over time if a boutique is to reach its full potential.
As boutiques scale the way decisions are made must change. A startup benefits from the speed of a single decision maker. However, during scale, the decision-making ability of the founder is diminished.
Splitting the equity in a partnership is difficult. However, there is a proper way to do it that results in lots of wealth being created. Learn how to fix broken legacy partnership agreements as you grow, scale, and exit.
The size of your market is most accurately measured by your ability to reach the decision makers in your niche. Growing a boutique is hard and the size of the prize needs to be worth the level of effort.
Designing the compensation system for Partners at boutique professional service firms requires special treatment. Partners are not like other employees and getting their pay system correct requires strategic thought.
The type of engagement you sell and deliver determines the growth strategy of a boutique. There are two types of engagements - elephants and rabbits and understanding which you are hunting is a key to growth.
A top reason owners fail to exit is a decline in performance during the process of selling the firm. On this episode, we discuss how to avoid making this mistake.
As your boutique professional service firm scales, recruiting shows up on the list of priorities. The days of recruiting from your personal network are over and the ability to recruit at scale separates the winners from the losers.
Founders of boutiques can increase their rate of growth by professionalizing their marketing and sales approach. On this episode, learn the fundamental building blocks to professionalize your sales and marketing efforts.
Founders of boutiques often mistakenly equate number of employees with success. However, lots of employees signals a poorly run firm. On this episode, we make the case for fewer employees and illustrate the impact to profitability.
There are 3 commandments of service design. The service offering is how they deliver value to the client and designing it correctly is a mission-critical task. On this episode, we discuss how to re-think service design and delivery to accelerated profits.
Greed, if left unchecked, can get in the way of a successful exit. On this episode, we discuss a framework to help you keep greed from sinking your deal.
There is a difference between quality work and a great client experience. Firms that add a great client
experience to high-quality work reach scale, and those who do not, stay small lifestyle businesses. On
this episode, we discuss the importance of the client experience.
Boutiques constrain their growth by thinking too narrowly about monetization. They often think there is only one way to charge and only a couple of revenue sources available to them. We discuss the 9 common ways to make money in the professional services industry.
To sell your firm you must prove to a buyer that buying your firm is a better move than building the practice internally. We review a framework to help you think through the buy vs. build decision from the perspective of an investor.
Scaling a boutique requires new service offerings. Firms that keep bringing the same thing to clients, over and over, stall out due to client fatigue. Building a system to continuously listen to clients and develop new offerings is key.
As a firm scales, it must make a significant change to its sales strategy. The sales approach in a small, young firm becomes obsolete when scale becomes the focus. On this episode we discuss how the sales strategy changes at different stages of a firm’s lifecycle.
There are 5 competitors’ boutiques must defeat to grow. On this episode we discuss a playbook to defeat these competitors.
One of the keys to selling your boutique is to eliminate the risk for the buyer. On this episode, we discuss how owners can increase the attractiveness of their firms by reducing investor risk.
As a firm scales its culture erodes. Bureaucracy creeps in as a firm gets larger. The owner shifts from an inspirational leader into a law enforcement officer which is not healthy. On this episode, we discuss how to build a great culture in professional services firms.
There are two sales tools that allow boutique founders to win bigger, faster, and more often. On this episode we discuss how to increase sales effectiveness of professional services.
There is a dirty little secret about owners of boutique professional service firms. It is called the Hero Syndrome, and if left unchecked, it will prevent you from scaling your firm. On this episode we discuss how to deal with this problem.
Boutiques lose more deals to a competitor we call “Do Nothing” than any other competitor. On this episode we discuss how boutique owners can improve sales results by defeating this pesky competitor.
Supply and demand will impact your exit. Take the time to strategically approach the market. The goal is to build a wide and deep universe of potential buyers. And there are more buyers than you realize. Many of which would like to hear your compelling rationale for a deal.
Know your worth. Do not undervalue yourself. What you do is exceptional. Price accordingly. The clients you want know this and will pay you with a smile. You do not want the clients who are unwilling to pay you fairly.
Yield is the most looked at metric for boutiques. Owners and CEOs obsess over utilization rates. Many have reached the point of diminishing returns. More attention needs to be placed on making your boutique more valuable to clients. There are many ways to do that. However, hyper specialization has the highest probability of success.
Comparables are important. They can add, or subtract, from the purchase price. They can be the difference between acceptable, or unacceptable, terms. Be sure you are in the correct category. And be sure to pursue the correct buyer group.
A lack of lifecycle awareness and management prevents scale. It results in expensive senior people doing junior work. This destroys cash flow. And it results in inexperienced junior people doing senior work. This destroys client satisfaction. Boutiques with poor cash flow and low client satisfaction do not scale.
There is a good time to sell. And there is a bad time to sell. Unfortunately, this is largely out of your control. Focus on building a highly desirable boutique and be patient. Wait for the sun to be shining.
Boutiques run on cash. They do not run on net income nor EBITDA. Some boutiques neglect the management of cash flow. Take a moment to understand how you can improve the flow in and out.
What have you done for me lately? Buyers of your boutique are purchasing who you are becoming. They are not buying who you have been. Yesterday is worthless to them. They are looking forward. And need to be excited about your potential to improve.
Boutique firms often grow but do not scale. Growth means more projects delivered with the same type of staff. If nothing changes, then the growth rate is proportional to the number of partners/owners required. This means the profit pool increases but it must be shared with more partners/owners. More growth means the need for more partners/owners. This results in a bigger boutique but no increase in income or wealth for the founders. Improved leverage means improved incomes and wealth for the founders.
The “wow” factor matters. Like it, or not, you are in show business. You are an expert. And your firm is made up of experts. No one wants to buy the boutique who regurgitates other people’s innovations. They want to buy the songwriters, aka The Rolling Stones.
Scaling a boutique takes money. This type of money is called scale capital. There are three primary sources of scale capital. Each has a set of advantages and disadvantages. Which is best for you is highly situational. And all work well when applied correctly. If raising scale capital makes you uncomfortable, do not attempt to scale. Many people are happy with lifestyle businesses.
The perceived difficulty, or ease, of integrating your boutique will affect your sale. Understand the org model of the type of firms who might buy you. Redesign your model to be seamlessly integrated if bought. This will increase the chances of exiting.
Most acquisitions fail. The primary reason for failure is poor culture fit. Do not hide your culture. Lead with it. You want your sale to be successful. Therefore, you need to find a buyer who fits your culture.
Acquirers buy teams first, and firms second. The quality of the management team is of major importance to the buyer. It can take years to develop a bankable team. Think like an investor. Would you bet the farm on your team?
You compete in two markets. The market for clients. And the market for employees. As much effort needs to be put into employees as into clients. Owners of boutiques work for the employees, not the other way around. Would you want to work for you?
Transitioning away from a Partner Led sales model to a commercial sales engine is a key to creating wealth for owners of professional services firms. Learn how in this episode.
You have more intellectual property than you think, and you can monetize it. Learn how to monetize your intellectual property.
All revenue is not good revenue. You will learn that some types of revenue create more wealth for owners than others.
A key to attracting a buyer to purchase your firm is your ability to prove you have healthy client relationships. Learn how to convert client relationships into appreciating assets on a balance sheet.
Your rate of growth is your most important number. Learn why it is more important than your size, client roster, and service offerings.
How to position your firm in its marketplace is strategically important. Learn how to position yourself well in your market, which is a critical way to determine the strength of your value proposition.
There are 7 common mistakes made when trying to sell a professional services firm. Learn how this theory is proved and how to avoid making these mistakes.
Step 1 in selling a professional services firm is knowing why you are selling, before you sell. Learn from an owner who figured this out and executed a massively successful exit.