TALENT RESPONSE

An independent consultant's guide to creating a portfolio of work without constantly feeling that you're "selling." Our observations from working with independent consultants within our network – most of whom have roots with established management consulting firms – highlight several patterns that differentiate the most successful independent consultants from the rest. Independent consultants enjoy freedoms that few other professionals do: opportunities to be their own bosses

What is the most detrimental yet unspoken constraint to the growth of your boutique consulting firm? Fear of Selling Work, driven by delivery risk. Do you have the right people? And do you have enough of them? What is the most detrimental yet unspoken constraint to the growth of your boutique consulting firm? Fear of Selling Work, or FOSW, for those who aren't yet familiar with our soon-to-be-viral acronym. During the typical summer project lull, this may be less of a concern

Why elite consultants are leaving a corporate setting for a nimble consulting environment. Burnout rates at the biggest consulting firms remain stubbornly high. Kennedy Research estimates big firm turnover at 18-20% annually, an average that is influenced by “lifers” who have been with firms for decades. A truer picture would be median tenure, which is unlikely to exceed 2.5-3 years at most of the big consulting firms. While burnout and the resulting turnover are as high as e

photo credit: New York Times Learnings from prior disruptions Trump’s election brings so many unknowns that consulting firms could be tempted to jump into the fetal position for the next four or even eight years. To better understand the potential risks and opportunities for consulting firms, we conducted an evaluation of volatile periods of recent history. The headline of the analysis? Consulting firms tend to have lower betas, generally outperforming the S&P in volatile and

Unpredictable project demand. It’s the nature of consulting. It costs consulting firms and other organizations a fortune in lower utilization, but the true cost is even more than you know. But that doesn’t mean the symptoms of variability are unmanageable. We’ll first examine the true cost of variable project demand, and then explore hiring strategies for mitigating both the explicit and hidden costs. The true cost of variable project demand In economics, true cost calculatio

You’ve now built a successful consulting practice, and are a recognized expert in your market niche. Expertise has been proven through thought leadership, industry presentations, and client deliveries. A network of satisfied clients and colleagues regularly refer work to your firm. Transformational client work is detailed in a trove of industry-specific case studies. But how do you continue to grow the firm beyond that initial niche? How do you stay intellectually engaged wit

Talent Response has a unique level of visibility across many of the leading boutique consulting firms with over 30 active clients representing scores of open project-based and full-time consulting positions. We thought we’d give back to those firms as well as the consultants in our network to share seven trends we see in boutique consulting project work. 1. Level: Many boutiques differentiate against the big shops because they aren't rolling up to the client site with a bus f

Scalable talent strategies to keep boutique firms competitive and independent in an acquisitive period Boutique consulting firm acquisitions have been accelerating recently, partially to take advantage of the existing talent acquisition infrastructure of the acquiring firm. Firms that want to remain fiercely independent – and financially competitive – need a scalable talent strategy that leverages talent needs across a fragmented boutique consulting market. A few years ago, w