Professional Services Business Consultant | Strategic Planning for Consulting Firms & Service Providers

The Unique Challenges Professional Services Firms Face

We understand the complexity of managing billable time, capacity, and profitability

Utilization & Capacity Management

Managing the delicate balance between team workload, billable hour targets, and fluctuating client demand while avoiding burnout.

Unpredictable feast-or-famine revenue cycles
Difficulty forecasting resource needs accurately
Managing non-billable time and bench costs
Balancing utilization goals with team wellbeing

Project Margins & Pricing

Fixed-fee engagements going over budget, scope creep destroying profitability, and difficulty understanding true project economics.

Fixed-fee projects consistently exceeding hours budgeted
Uncontrolled scope expansion reducing margins
Pricing new services without profitability data
Poor visibility into client and project profitability

Leverage & Team Development

Too many senior people doing junior work, unclear career paths, and partners unable to delegate effectively to growing teams.

Partners and directors doing work below their level
Insufficient leverage in team structure
High turnover among promising junior staff
Vague promotion criteria and career progression

Business Development Systems

Client acquisition depends entirely on founding partners' networks, with no systematic approach to pipeline or lead generation.

Sporadic business development when partners find time
New business relies solely on founder relationships
No systematic lead tracking or pipeline visibility
Junior partners struggle to develop their own clients

Quality & Service Consistency

Client experience and deliverable quality varies dramatically depending on which team member handles the engagement.

Inconsistent methodologies across different teams
Tribal knowledge not captured or documented
Quality depends heavily on individual expertise
Difficult to onboard new staff efficiently

Partner Dependency & Scale

The firm cannot grow beyond partner capacity because partners are involved in every client decision and deliverable review.

Partners become the bottleneck for all decisions
Client relationships cannot be transferred
Growth constrained by founding partners' bandwidth
Informal processes collapse as the firm expands

How We Help Professional Services Firms Grow Systematically

Strategic frameworks and systems designed specifically for professional services

Strategic Direction & Client Acquisition

Build a clear market position and systematic approach to winning the right clients without partner burnout.

Define your ideal client profile and target market positioning
Create repeatable business development systems
Build pipeline visibility and conversion tracking
Develop thought leadership and referral programs
Enable junior partners to develop their own books

Resource Planning & Utilization

Optimize how you deploy talent across engagements while maintaining sustainable workloads and predictable revenue.

Build capacity models and resource forecasting systems
Track utilization by person, practice, and service line
Create intelligent project staffing processes
Balance revenue goals with professional development needs
Align hiring decisions with forward-looking demand

Project Economics & Pricing

Understand what's actually profitable, price services appropriately, and manage scope to protect margins.

Implement project-level profitability tracking systems
Develop value-based pricing for different service types
Analyze client profitability to inform portfolio decisions
Build financial dashboards for real-time visibility
Optimize billing processes and accelerate collections

Methodology & Knowledge Management

Systematize your delivery approach so quality stays consistent regardless of who's on the engagement.

Document your core methodologies and frameworks
Create project templates and quality checklists
Build knowledge repositories and best practice libraries
Establish client communication standards
Design efficient onboarding for new team members

Our Professional Services Expertise

CFO-level financial leadership combined with operational understanding

Financial Management

CFO-level expertise in professional services financials:

Understanding profitability by service line and client
Capacity and utilization financial modeling
Pricing strategy and margin optimization
Cash flow management with billing cycles
Partner compensation and profit distribution
Financial planning for growth and hiring

Operational Systems

Understanding the operational realities of service delivery:

Project management and workflow optimization
Resource allocation and capacity planning
Service delivery methodologies and quality control
Client engagement and relationship management
Technology selection and implementation
Performance metrics and dashboards

Framework Implementation

Business frameworks adapted for professional services:

EOS implementation for service firms
Scaling Up methodology for growth
Custom accountability systems
Performance scorecards and KPI tracking
Meeting rhythms and strategic planning processes
Leadership development and team alignment

Growth Strategy

Strategic approaches to scaling professional services firms:

Service line development and market expansion
Organizational structure and leverage optimization
Business development systems and pipelines
Partner track and succession planning
Building management depth for scale
Preparing for partnership transitions or exits

Results Professional Services Firms Achieve

Measurable improvements in profitability, efficiency, and scalability

What Success Looks Like

When professional services firms implement systematic strategic planning and accountability frameworks, they achieve measurable results:

Higher utilization rates without burning out the team
Improved project margins through better scoping and pricing
Reduced partner dependency with empowered junior leaders
Systematic business development producing steady pipeline
Consistent client experience across all engagements
Clear career paths reducing turnover of top talent
Predictable revenue streams replacing feast-or-famine cycles
Scalable delivery model supporting sustainable growth

Most importantly, founding partners reclaim their time and energy. The firm operates with clear systems and capable leaders, creating genuine optionality for the future—whether that means continued growth, bringing in new partners, or preparing for a transition.

Professional Services