You built a good firm. it should not feel this hard to grow it.
Most boutique consulting and professional services founders hit a wall between $5M and $30M. The work is excellent. The team is capable. The reputation is solid. But growth stalls, and the only lever left is the founder's own grit.
It's a positioning problem, masquerading as a growth problem. Because positioning isn't a marketing exercise. It's business infrastructure.
We work with firm owners who are tired of founder-led sales, unpredictable pipeline, and the quiet exhaustion of trying to be everything to everyone. Our job is to help you de-risk how buyers see you, so you can grow without burning out.
Three places where positioning breaks down
The Identity Gap
The Relevance Gap
The Perception Gap
Three Engagements. One Sequence.
We don't sell projects. We sell clarity.
Each engagement closes a specific gap and reduces a specific type of risk.
You can stop after any phase. Most firms don't.
Owner's Clarity
$10,000
What it is:
A structured working session series that forces the hard conversations many founders avoid. What is this firm actually for? What constraints are you willing to accept? What does success look like for you personally?
Timing:
Typically 3 - 5 weeks
The gap it closes:
Identity Gap — the strain between who you are and who your positioning asks you to be.
Relevance Gap — the distance between what you are good at and what the market actually values right now.
Who it's for:
The owner, managing partner, or founding team. If there are multiple partners, each person does this work independently before we reconcile the results.
What we do:
Five guided working sessions plus async review. We use targeted assessments to stress-test your thinking and surface the gaps between what you say you want and what your business is actually designed to deliver.
What you leave with:
- Owner's Clarity Brief with the outcomes you want, the constraints you accept, and the non-negotiables that shape every decision.
- Decision rules with simple criteria for what you say yes to, what you say no to, and what requires deeper evaluation.
- Constraint map that shows how your business is, or isn't working within your constraints.
- 30/60/90 focus plan to identify concrete actions that reduce drift and protect momentum
Risk reduced:
Strategy swings driven by uncertainty. Owner burnout from doing too much unfulfilling work. Regret from prioritizing the wrong things.
When to do it:
- Before any positioning or business strategy work is done.
- After a major life change (e.g. marriage, children, major illness)
- Before a major business inflection point (e.g. capital raise, bringing on a partner)
If you want your business to grow, and for you to not be miseable while it does, this deep introspection work is step one.
Positioning Intent
What it is:
We define how your firm wants to be perceived in the market and build the strategic narrative to support it. This is where we articulate your differentiation across three layers and design the signal you intend to send.
Timing:
Typically 4 - 6 weeks
The gap it closes:
Perception Gap — the distance between how you want to be seen and how the market currently sees you.
Identity Gap — the strain between who you are and who your positioning asks you to be.
Who it's for:
Owner and partners, sales lead, marketing lead, and delivery lead. This is a team sport.
What we do:
Weekly working sessions, async review, and deep-dive workshops. We map your differentiation across:
- How you think — IP, point of view, frameworks, decision logic
- How you deliver — service design, operating model realities, proof of outcomes
- How you promote — thought leadership, business development, ecosystem moves
What you leave with:
- ICP definition with real buying context
- Differentiation map across thinking, delivery, and promotion
- Strategic narrative for sales, marketing, and leadership alignment
- Activation priorities for the next two quarters
Risk reduced:
Being evaluated as a commodity. Internal inconsistency across marketing, sales, and delivery. Confused prospects and stalled deals.
When to do it:
- After Owner's Clarity is complete.
- When each partner has a different idea of where the firm is heading.
- Before entering a new segment.
- Before launching a new service.
- When your answer to "what makes you different?" is some variation of "our people, our expertise, and our process", which is the same answer every other boutique firm gives.
positioning
Reality
What it is:
We test your intended positioning against the market, identify the gaps, and the systems that will make your positioning real. This is where intent meets evidence.
Timing:
Typically 6 - 10 weeks
The gap it closes:
Perception Gap — the distance between how you want to be seen and how the market currently sees you.
Relevance Gap — the distance between what you are good at and what the market actually values right now.
Who it's for:
Owner and partners, sales lead, marketing lead, and delivery lead. Every leader needs a dose of reality.
What we do:
Qualitative research across four groups:
- In-Market Buyers: get clarity on how your ideal clients think, evaluate, and buy
- Existing Clients: get clarity on why they stay and what they value.
- Closed-Lost Deals: get clarity on what they chose to do instead.
- Churned Clients: get clarity on what changed, and what they chose to do instead.
What you leave with:
- Buyer and client research
- Positioning gap report
- Updated activation roadmap that closes the gaps
Risk reduced:
The gap between how you say you want to be seen and what the market actually believes. Wasted spend on channels that do not convert. Inconsistent buyer experience across touchpoints. Building on positioning that sounds good but does not sell.
When to do it:
- After Positioning Intent is complete.
- When you are ready to operationalize your narrative, validate it against the market, and build repeatable demand.
Many firms think they are showing up one way in the market when they are actually being interpreted another way entirely. That gap matters.
positioning
Activation
Outcome:
A relationship-led growth system that scales trust and reduces buying risk.
Timing:
Typically 12 - 24 weeks
Cadence:
Weekly roadmap and advisory sessions, plus variable async touchpoints and execution work
Who participates:
Owner or Managing Partner. One sales lead. One marketing lead. Delivery lead when relevant. Other SMEs as necessary.
What we do:
Scope is set by the prioritization plan developed during Positioning Clarity. Activation follows that sequence, focusing first on the work that reduces buyer risk fastest and creates the most leverage.
What you leave with:
An IP + Service System
to elevate your strong talent and outcomes so your value is well-communicated and services are easy to buy.
- IP articulation and packaging (POV, frameworks, decision logic, proof points)
- Offer and pricing structure aligned to buyer risk and buying context
- Service design (delivery blueprint, milestones, roles, handoffs, quality controls)
- Operating model refinements that protect consistency (capacity, accountability, delivery standards)
A Demand + Pipeline System to leverage your new positioning and build a repeatable way to create and progress best-fit opportunities.
- Thought leadership engine tied directly to your IP (themes, formats, production rhythm)
- Distribution and amplification plan that fits your market and relationships
- Ecosystem and partner activation plan
- Relationship-led outbound system (target accounts, sequencing, follow-up structure)
- Sales enablement assets that show how you work (proof, process, decision support)
- Opportunity progression tools (qualification, de-risking checkpoints, next-step logic)
Risk reduced:
- The gap between how you say you want to be seen and what you actually do.
When to implement or revisit:
- Going after a new segment
- Launching a new service
Our expertise is effectively leveraged for maximum impact if you have:
A Growth Mindset
You’ve hit a growth plateau or just aren’t growing as you would like.
If growth isn't a big enough problem for you, it’s unlikely you’ll dedicate the time, resources and courage to implement necessary changes.
You have a vision to invest in long-term growth.
Our aim is building sustainable revenue as opposed to fixing near-term cash flow problems.
You want your organization and your people to be recognized as thought leaders.
You understand that affinity is built through relationships with your people and your company’s POV, and you’re eager to be seen as the expert and the obvious choice by your ideal fit clients.
Credibility with Customers
You have a strong service offering and delivery process.
Building on a solid foundation is the best way to achieve sustainable growth, so promoting poor-quality services wouldn't be a good fit for either of us.
You already have clients that value your work.
The best marketing in the world can’t fix a broken process. A Relationship-Led Growth System only works if you already have strong relationships with existing clients and partners.
Collaborative and Engaged Stakeholders
You have buy-in at the executive level and across the marketing and business development functions.
Growth is a team sport, and we need the time and attention of these key players throughout our engagement to really make an impact.
A growth mindset
You have an open-minded executive team that’s ready to put in the work.
While there are certain things we can do for you, an effective growth strategy requires leadership to be fully present.
Our best fit clients have most of these characteristics in common:
SIZE
Boutique firms between $5 and $30 million in revenue and/or between 10 and 100 employees. Though we do have a soft spot for micro-firms trying to scale as well.
LOCATION
We’re best positioned to work with firms all across the United States and Canada. We have also worked with clients in Asia Europe. We can be somewhat flexible in our working hours, if you are outside of North America, please be aware that our availability will be limited.
PRIORITIES
Accelerated growth (20%+) is a top priority for you and you’re willing to set aside the time, resources and budget necessary to achieve it.
Buying
Committee
You are part of the executive leadership team of a consulting or advisory firm. More specifically, the executive leader, the marketing leader and the sales leader, even if your title is actually Managing Director or Senior Partner. While the day-to-day contact definitely doesn’t need to be the CEO or Managing Partner, we do require direct participation from that executive leader at different points throughout the engagement.
DEMEANOR
You’re willing to engage, learn and embrace recommendations that may be different from your current or past marketing beliefs. You treat everyone with kindness and respect, and you’re willing to provide feedback and engage in dialogue.
INVESTMENT
Our engagements range from $5,000 to $150,000+ based on the length and complexity, and typically span anywhere from 1 month to 2 years. While we don’t offer discounts, we can offer flexible payment terms.
Before we work together, let’s talk about expectations
Our job is to advise and Lead execution.
We are an advisory firm. We have a unique approach to growth and client touchpoints. We’re not a one-size-fits-all, one-stop-shop for everything. We offer tailored services centered around years of experience and expertise. While many consultants and agencies have a buffet-style approach to servicing their clients, we prefer a curated and coursed fine dining approach. We know you’ve likely worked with other agencies in the past, but if you’re considering working with us, it’s because you’re tired of spinning your wheels and not moving the needle.
Our growth framework is a process our clients trust.
We’re happy to help you evaluate and fit existing initiatives into a framework developed through years of working with companies like yours. But if we deviate too much from what we know works, we increase the likelihood of failure. Growth is never black and white, and if anyone tells you otherwise or makes sweeping promises, we urge you to think twice. Our framework and approach have proven successful, but not without time, commitment and change leadership. We walk beside you through the journey, every step of the way.
Our ethics are non-negotiable.
We understand the incredible pressure and urgency for scale and growth. But our process and reputation have been built methodically and painstakingly over time and with lots of sweat equity. To that end, we’ll never recommend something (or be swayed in doing anything) that undermines your reputation, or ours. We treat your budget and objectives as our own. While others may promise a quick path to success, we offer a steady climb to the top.
build relationships at scale
Position your firm as the lowest-risk choice and build a Relationship-Led Growth System that creates affinity at scale, starts conversations with ideal prospects and accelerates revenue-generating relationships.