Читать книгу The Consulting Bible - Alan Weiss - Страница 41

Never confuse a solo practice with a boutique firm, or attempt a hybrid. You'll be burdened with the disadvantages of both and few of the benefits of either.

The distinctions of the true boutique firm owner include:

 A growing staff, full‐time and part‐time.

 Serving as the primary rainmaker, with most people in support.

 Separate office space, either rented or owned.

 Outsourced specialty needs, but most skills onboard.

 Shared responsibility and delegation, especially of clerical functions, scheduling, finances, technology, and so forth.

 Discrete banking relationship independent of personal credit based on assets, property, goodwill, and so on.

 Branding that promotes the company, not the owner, so that an eventual sale will not demand the owner's continuing long‐term involvement.

 An exit strategy to sell the company at some finite point and to leave, even if it requires a contractual relationship for some time; this sale may be to employees structured as a buyout over time from profits.

 Retention of licensing and royalty rights to increase the firm's value.

 The owner's salary would be considered as profit in the business at time of sale.

The danger occurs when a consultant has one foot planted on each side of the gorge, and the chasm begins to widen under the consultant's feet. By this I mean that the so‐called firm is, in reality, a solo consultant supporting an unneeded staff and physical property. Unless highly paid people bring in new business, they are not worth the money. Delivery people are a dime a dozen.

I know that's anathema to many of you, but it's a harsh reality. There are tens of thousands of delivery people who solely implement, teach, and execute because they can't market, and can't be rainmakers. However much they will importune, their work is replaceable and not the reason for the firm's growth. The acquisition of new business is the reason for the firm's growth, and if just the owner is doing that, then he or she is acting as a solo consultant while carrying a very heavy backpack.

I call these murderous hybrids “consulting welfare states.”