How To Build A Sellable Consulting Firm with David C. Baker

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Sep 15, 2025

David C. Baker, Practice Lead of Advisory Services at Punctuation and a leading expert in strategy and M&A, dives into the complexities of firm growth. He reveals how fear of insufficient work turns specialists into generalists, diluting unique positioning. Baker discusses the difference between insightful marketing and standard content, while sharing his rebranding journey. He also highlights current M&A trends, the significance of recurring revenue, and the transformative role of AI in consulting, offering listeners unique strategies for enhancing firm sellability.

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INSIGHT

Fear Blocks Effective Positioning

Fear of not having enough work is the single biggest obstacle to strong positioning.
David C. Baker argues positioning also improves marketing, profit, and the quality of client work.

INSIGHT

When Generalists Actually Work

Some generalist firms succeed because of confidence or scale, not because breadth is inherently better.
Large firms can credibly be generalists because size itself becomes a differentiator.

ADVICE

Publish Memorable, Research-Based Insights

Produce insights with a clear, research-backed point of view that elicits a reaction.
Avoid ignorable content; aim for memorable work people forward or remember.

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Is your firm's growth strategy inadvertently creating more complexity and less value? David C. Baker, Practice Lead, Advisory Services at Punctuation, and leading expert in strategy and M&A, joins Michael today to challenge conventional wisdom and reveal the fact that fear of insufficient work often dilutes positioning, turning specialists into undifferentiated generalists.

David dissects firm growth, the generalist/specialist paradox, and effective marketing, and explains why truly insightful marketing, distinct from mere content, must offer a clear, research-backed, and memorable point of view. He shares his rebranding journey to Punctuation, the impetus for his new M&A book, and current M&A trends favoring sellers. David also offers a pragmatic view on AI, emphasizing its role in enabling better, not just faster, work. Tune in now and learn the critical factors enhancing a firm's sellability and overall health.

In this episode, you will learn about:

Fear of insufficient work as the biggest positioning obstacle.
Generalist versus specialist firm dynamics and evolution.
Distinguishing insightful from standard content marketing.
Strategic publishing for impactful, resonant messages.
Current M&A trends, including a seller's market.
Key factors for higher valuations: profit, process, team.
Optimizing client concentration and recurring revenue.
David's "Sellability Index" for firm valuation.
Challenging the "always growing" expectation for fulfillment.
Leveraging AI for research and strategy as an opportunity.

Welcome to the Consulting Success podcast. I'm your host Michael Zipursky, and in this podcast, we're going to dive deep into the world of elite consultants where you're going to learn the strategies, tactics and mindset to grow a highly profitable and successful consulting business.

Before we dive into today's episode. Are you ready to grow and take your consulting business to the next level? Many of the clients that we work with started as podcast listeners just like you, and a consistent theme they have shared with us is that they wished they had reached out sooner about our Clarity Coaching Program rather than waiting for that perfect time. If you're interested in learning more about how we help consultants just like you, we're offering a free, no pressure growth session call. On this call, we're going to dive deep into your goals, challenges and situation and outline a plan that is tailor made just for you. We will also help you identify where you may be making costly and time consuming mistakes to ensure you're benefiting from the proven methods and strategies to grow your consulting business.

So don't wait years to find clarity. If you're committed and serious about reaching a new level of success in your consulting business, go ahead and schedule your free growth session. Get in touch today. Just visit Consulting Success - Grow to book your free call today.

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