Episode 131: From Consulting Success to Tech Trailblazer, with Simon Clark

In this week’s episode, Nick chats with Simon Clark, a consulting industry veteran who’s done everything from founding and exiting his own successful consultancy CVL, to launching his own tech platform, to advising a whole host of boutique consultancies and marcoms businesses on their growth journeys. Simon’s story is a great example of how diverse consulting careers can be. He hit the ground running, having started his own digital and e-commerce consultancy back when the internet was in its infancy – and when Simon wasn’t much older! At the tender age of 25, with his first major client already secured, he launched CVL, a firm that he went on to sell after 14 successful years. After an extended travel adventure that involved living alongside locals in Lima and even doing an internship in a media startup, Simon returned to UK shores and founded Metis, a new tech start-up in the professional services automation space. Having built a great platform and learnt a ton about the boutique end of the consulting space, Simon and his co-founder called time on Metis, and Simon went on to the next stage of his career advising boutiques big and small as they navigated the challenges of growing a consulting firm. Nick caught up with Simon, who is currently enjoying a well-earned career break, to find out more about his career so far, and what he’s learned from his varied experiences. Nick and Simon discuss some fascinating topics in this episode, including: - Why sales training is the best possible grounding for anyone who aspires to run their own consultancy. - The associate focused strategy that led to CVL becoming a huge industry success – and why Simon stuck with that model for the life of the business. - How to diversify and explore new avenues to boost your bottom line without alienating your core client base - Why Simon recommends taking time out to travel early in life, to gain experiences that will benefit you throughout your career All this, plus fishing, football and rugby metaphors aplenty! Whether you’re just starting out in your consulting career, planning to start a new firm, or simply enjoy listening to brilliant interviews, you’ll love this episode of Climb in Consulting. We hope you enjoy the show! Reach out to Simon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clark/ Books, magazines, and websites mentioned in the show: Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson Traction - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837/ref=asc_df_1936661837/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310623486223&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8979635967067327876&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006502&hvtargid=pla-404289645110&psc=1&th=1&psc=1 Get a Grip - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Get-Grip-Everything-Entrepreneurial-Business/dp/1939529824/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_2/260-6024775-4577939?pd_rd_w=x76lz&content-id=amzn1.sym.40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_p=40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_r=CQVFHXGH785W5J0S0RNT&pd_rd_wg=sSkks&pd_rd_r=fcb004fe-8126-432d-9c47-785bb011c6bf&pd_rd_i=1939529824&psc=1