Pro Serv Podcast by Collective 54
Collective 54
The Podcast that will help you grow, scale, and exit your professional services firm.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 1, 2023 • 18min
Episode 149 – Why Professional Service Firms Should Never Become SaaS Companies
Many professional service firms foolishly think the path to scalability is to become a software company. However, founders of service firms make more money than founders of software firms, generate more wealth for themselves at exit, and succeed much more often.
Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member Nathan Kievman, Co-Founder and CEO at Linked Strategies, on how you can avoid making the devasting mistake of trying to become a software company.
https://www.collective54.com
Nov 24, 2023 • 15min
Episode 148 – Prompt Engineering: A New Skill That Professional Service Firms Need to Learn
Stephen Straus, Managing Director at KUNGFU.AI, and Numa Dhamani, Principal Machine Learning Engineer, discuss the importance of prompt engineering in obtaining accurate responses from generative AI systems. They explore strategies for improvement, the role of probabilistic language models, integrating prompt engineering into workflow, and potential future applications of the skill.
Nov 9, 2023 • 15min
Episode 147 – How to Recover from the Unexpected Departure of a Key Employee
Explore the potential risks of key person risk in small firms. Learn from Phil Acosta on how to navigate the unexpected departure of a key employee. Discover the challenges of handling this situation and how to develop a talent supply chain. Find out how to pitch the job, trust talented individuals, and structure employee relationships.
Nov 3, 2023 • 19min
Episode 146 – Brand Building in a Professional Service Firm
Your brand matters. In the professional service industry, Founders need a brand for the firm, the service offering, themselves, and their talent.
Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member, Chad Prinkey, Owner at Well Built Construction Consulting, about how brands are built
inside small service firms, and how they help boutiques punch above their weight class.
https://www.collective54.com
Oct 27, 2023 • 20min
Episode 145 –How Life Gets in the Way of Scaling a Professional Service Firm and What to Do About It
The personal lives of the Founders evolve as a firm advances. And the professional lives of the Founders morph as a firm matures. How can partners stay in harmony with themselves, and with each other, along the entrepreneurial journey?
This session with Collective 54 members Matt Jenkins and Nick Moretta, Partners at Other., shares how partners work well together and use a tool called The Commitment Letter.
https://www.collective54.com
Oct 20, 2023 • 17min
Episode 144 – Revenue Mix: Balancing Staff Augmentation, Advisory, and Managed Services to Drive Margins
Boutique service firms often confuse staff augmentation work with advisory work and with managed services work. These are three different types of services that are marketed, sold, and delivered differently. Each has its own margin profile. Balancing the mix of these three correctly can be the difference between running a firm with good margins or a firm with poor margins.
Attend this session with Collective 54 member Ryan Buell, Founder & CEO at Sayva Solutions, and get clear on how to manage the revenue mix.
https://www.collective54.com
Oct 13, 2023 • 17min
Episode 143 – The Basics of Doing Business with the Government
Uncle Sam is the world’s biggest client. Yet, many boutique service firms do not do business with the government.
This session with Collective 54 member Frank Tsamoutales, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Tsamoutales Strategies, is for firms who do not do business with the government but wonder if they should. We will cover the basics such as why elections matter, understanding legislation, and partnering.
https://www.collective54.com
Oct 6, 2023 • 16min
Episode 142 – Why Recruiting for Sales Positions in Small Service Firms is Different and How to Adapt
Recruiting for sales positions in a small service firm is not the same as recruiting for sales positions in a large service firm, or in a product company.
This session with Collective 54 member Carter Hopkins, Founder & CEO at Pursuit Sales Solutions, will help you avoid making costly hiring mistakes as you build out your sales team.
www.collective54.com
Sep 29, 2023 • 17min
Episode 141 – The Secret to Big Sales: How an Executive Sponsor Program and Executive Language Wins Clients
What role should the Founder of a boutique professional service firm play in the process of acquiring new clients? That of an Executive Sponsor. And how can a Founder perform in this role with excellence? By using executive language.
Attend this session and learn from Collective 54 member, Carajane Moore, about executive sponsor programs and executive language.
www.collective54.com
Sep 22, 2023 • 17min
Episode 140 – Lead Generation Inside the Small Service Firm: How It Is Different and What to Do About It
Christian Banach, Principal & Chief Growth Officer at Christian Banach LLC, dives into the unique challenges small service firms face in lead generation. He emphasizes the importance of tailored strategies over generic ones, advocating for proactive outreach that prioritizes relationship building. Christian reveals how community engagement can be a powerful tool for lead generation and discusses the benefits of outsourcing these tasks. His insights on adapting to changing market dynamics can help firms transition from traditional referrals to targeted outreach.
