Climb In Consulting

Suneeta Padda is an Independent Consultant who’s built a market leading reputation in the Compliance and Regulatory space. Since founding her Consulting brand, Padda consulting, back in 2012 Suneeta has developed a strong reputation in the market with both insurance firms and the City’s regulator as someone who can get things fixed. A reputation that enables her to select the clients she wants to work with and build a successful client portfolio, the goal for pretty much all independent consultants. Suneeta’s route in to Consulting was very different to that of most of my guests. Having entered the world of work at 35 her can do attitude and willingness to challenge assumptions and the ‘norms’ of the work place she quickly climbed the career ladder before going out on her own. Suneeta has achieved so much since founding Padda Consulting including becoming a Freeman of the City, one of the City’s highest honours, and becoming a mentor for other women from non-traditional City Backgrounds We cover a whole range of topics in this episode including: Suneeta’s amazing story of how she got in to Consulting The challenges she faced entering the City and how she dealt with these How Suneeta approaches Senior Executives and how she was able to get a 1 to 1 meeting with the MD of her firm when she was ‘just’ an assistant Suneeta’s view on Diversity in the industry and the advice she gives to younger women How Suneeta distinguishes her consulting offering to ensure clients see her as a premium brand Suneeta’s advice on how to network and build your brand. and much much more! You can find out more about Suneeta on her Linked In page – https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneetapadda/ and at her website http://www.padda-consulting.co.uk/ Specific things we discuss in the show: Worshipful Company of Insurers - http://www.wci.org.uk/ Freeman of the City - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_City Surely - https://services.surelygroup.com/ The Brokerage City Link - https://www.thebrokerage.org.uk/ Who Moved My Cheese - http://amzn.eu/6rDWYIt

Simon Dennis is co-founder of Gate One (www.gateone.co.uk). Gate One are an award winning Business Transformation Consultancy who specialise in Digital, Operating Model and People Change. Since founding the business Gate One have grown rapidly going from an idea to £25m cumulative revenue in their first 5 years trading. As well as their award winning Consultancy offering Gate One also runs its own internal Start Up Incubator. Giving their team the opportunity to explore their own entrepreneurial ambitions and help grow new business ideas alongside the Consultancy. The latest idea to go through the Incubator, Pinga (http://pinga-app.com/), has seen some great early success and is looking to grow rapidly, something we discuss in today’s episode. Simon and I first met when I was deciding whether to stay in Consulting or pursue a start-up idea that I had. Throughout our conversations about joining Gate One it was clear that Simon and his team were looking to do it differently and create something unique in the Consulting industry. I ended up pursuing the start-up idea (sadly unsuccessfully) but Simon and I have stayed in touch ever since and I’ve had the pleasure of watching as Gate One have gone from strength to strength. We cover a whole range of topics in this episode including: How and why Simon and his Co-founders started Gate One Gate One’s unique ‘ripple’ approach to Consultancy What you should think about if you’re looking to make the move from a big Consultancy to a small one Simon’s top books for anyone looking to climb in Consulting or start their own business The Gate One start-up incubator and much much more! You can find out more about Simon on his Linked In page – https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-dennis-28416b1/ or drop him a message at Simon.Dennis@GateOne.co.uk Specific things we discuss in the show: Simon’s Recommended Reading List: Managing the Professional Services Firm by David Maister - http://amzn.eu/8gfLD5m Start with Why by Simon Sinek - http://amzn.eu/dU3ZgMq Drive by Dan Pink - http://amzn.eu/6Nne2Xr Mindset by Carol Dweck - http://amzn.eu/h2fAzeu The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin - http://amzn.eu/73hkExk Quiet Leadership by David Rock - http://amzn.eu/71y201l Happiness by Design by Paul Dolan - http://amzn.eu/3kEqGr2 Bounce by Matthew Syed - http://amzn.eu/icRAp5S Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A Moore - http://amzn.eu/7SiieF4 The Founder's Mentality by Chris Zook and James Allen Pinga – http://pinga-app.com/ Acai Berry - https://www.webmd.boots.com/healthy-eating/guide/acai-berries-health-benefits

Today’s episode of Climb In Consulting is a little different and I’m excited to see what you think about it! Instead of interviewing a leader from the Consulting industry I answer a question that I’ve had A LOT since making the move in to Independent Consulting – ‘Nick, how do I become an Independent Consultant?’ In this episode I cover some of the specific questions that I’ve been asked by friends and colleagues along with some of the key areas that you need to know about and consider. This includes the myths that often stop people becoming an independent, how to set your day rate, how to find roles and some of my top tips that I’ve learnt over the last 2 years doing it. I hope you find this episode useful and I’d really value your feedback on whether you like this format and whether it’s useful content. Happy to do more of these if it is. Happy to stick with interviews if it’s not. Drop me an email and let me know – nick@climbinconsulting.com Topics I discuss and when: 05:22 - Top myths about being an Independent Consultant/Contractor 10:43 - How to calculate your day rate 15:43 - How to find contracting/independent roles 23:54 - My top tips to help you become a successful Independent Consultant

Adrian Bettridge is the Managing Partner of Baringa Partners (www.baringa.com). Baringa Partners is an award winning, multi-national consultancy working across Energy, Financial Services, Consumer Products and Retail and Telecoms and Media. It’s also where I used to work! This episode is a special one for me as I used to work for Adrian. I worked for Baringa for 3 years from 2012 – 2015 and without them I wouldn’t be working in Consulting to day. Since I’ve left, Baringa has continued to cement its reputation for both it’s client work and it’s culture achieving Great Place to Work ‘master’ status in 2016 for being a ‘Great Place to Work’ for 10 years in a row and winning best large company to work for in the Great Place to Work awards in 2017. We cover a whole range of really interesting topics in this episode including: How Baringa has managed to grow so quickly in such a short space of time (they’ve almost doubled in size since I left!) What skills Adrian has had to develop most as Managing Partner as the firm has grown Adrian’s guiding life philosophy and what you should take from it How Adrian maintains a healthy work life balance Adrian’s view on Alcohol and whether you need to drink to make it to the top And much much more! You can find out more about Adrian on his Linked In page – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-bettridge-9aa32b14/ or drop him a message at Adrian.bettridge@baringa.com Specific things we discuss in the show: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey - http://amzn.eu/6xq8Syu As A Man Thinketh by James Allen - http://amzn.eu/4zVUkaM Tetris - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris Headspace - https://www.headspace.com/ The 5 Minute Journal by Intelligent Change - http://amzn.eu/1bm6M8K How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen - http://amzn.eu/3BdYYS5 Drive by Daniel Pink - http://amzn.eu/7lfMJUF Elon Musk by Ashley Vance - http://amzn.eu/hMYipoZ Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by General Stanley McChrystal - http://amzn.eu/gPsCXH3 Audible – www.audible.co.uk

Minesh Jobanputra is co-founder of the recruitment firm Deltra Group (www.deltragroup.com). Deltra group is a specialist Programme, Project and Change recruitment firm who provide both permanent and interim consultants to Major blue chip companies and consulting house. I first met Minesh back in 2016 when I was looking for an independent role and his approach and that of Deltra really stuck with me. His honest and transparent style coupled with his knowledge of the industry was really refreshing and this is what led me to invite him on to the podcast. We cover some really interesting topics in this episode including: How Minesh founded Deltra Group How you can tell a good recruiter from a bad one How you can avoid the biggest interview mistake that Minesh and his team hear from their clients How you can break in to hot areas of the industry that you may not have previous experience in Whether PRINCE 2 matters And so much more! You can find out more about Minesh on his Linked In page – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobanputra/ and the Deltra Group website - http://www.deltragroup.com/minesh-jobanputra Specific things we discuss in the show: EQ Questionnaire and EQ Coach – Lynn Leahy - https://www.lynnleahytalks.com/ Myers Briggs - http://www.myersbriggs.org/ Kolb’s Learning Styles - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolb%27s_experiential_learning The One Minute Manager Meets The Monkey by Kenneth Blanchard et al. - http://amzn.eu/6c2URZo The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership By James C Hunter - http://amzn.eu/ecBW7I2 Harvard Business Review - https://hbr.org/ Audible - https://www.audible.co.uk/

Dom Moorhouse is a business advisor, angel investor and serial entrepreneur. In 2004 Dom founded Moorhouse Consulting which he grew from nothing to a business that he sold for c.£20,000,000 less than 5 years later. After leaving Moorhouse Dom set up his advisory business ‘the 5 year entrepreneur’ to provide mentorship and guidance for owners of Professional Services firms on how they can achieve the same success that he did. Dom is also an advisor and board member to multiple Professional Services firms and is currently focusing on his latest venture, Method Grid (www.methodgrid.com), which we discuss further in the Podcast. We cover so many topics in this episode including: The importance of life and career planning and how it has helped Dom achieve what he has How Dom founded, grew and sold Moorhouse Consulting The importance of cultural values that your team actually buy in to Building high performance teams and some of the pitfalls to watch out for as your Consultancy grows What you can do to ensure that the next Consultancy you move to is the right place for you The importance of health and relationships in building a successful Consulting career And so much more! You can find out more about Dom on his Linked In page – www.linkedin.com/in/dom-moorhouse-2abb6a/ and his personal website www.DomMoorhouse.com Specific things we discuss in the show: The Definitive Business Plan by Sir Richard Stutely - http://amzn.eu/fpJZhpI Managing The Professional Services firm by David Maister - http://amzn.eu/b695YsR Strength In Depth - Pairs CrossFit race - https://strengthindepth.com Tim Wigham - https://timwigham.com Perpetual Insights (PI) Recruitment - http://www.perpetualinsights.com Bath CrossFit - http://crossfitbath.com Why We Sleep by Mathew Walker - http://amzn.eu/eHQbDhc A C Grayling - http://www.acgrayling.com Growth Mindset - Mindset - Updated Edition: Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential by Dr Carol Dweck - http://amzn.eu/8UBerxb Show Me The Numbers by Steven Few - http://amzn.eu/aFgbpQ2 The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte’s - http://amzn.eu/6TSIR91 Paul Collins - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pecollins/ Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity By David Allen - http://amzn.eu/aC2KDRg The Primal Blueprint: Reprogramme your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health and boundless energy by Mark Sisson - http://amzn.eu/8Tx47Sd Method Grid – www.methodgrid.com

Matt Cheung is CEO and Co-Founder of Clarasys. Since founding Clarasys in 2010 it has grown from an idea to a team of over 70 Consultants working across a range of industries including financial services, events, healthcare, utilities and information services. Matt is an expert in Agile programme delivery having spent the majority of his career delivering large, complex system programs using Agile. We cover a huge range of different topics in this conversation including: Why many Agile projects fail and what you can do to ensure yours doesn’t Why you don’t need an expenses policy and what it says about your firm’s culture How you can succeed when moving from a large Consultancy to a small one What holds people back in Consulting and what separates the best from the rest And so much more! You can find out more about Matt on his Linked In page – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcheungclarasys/ And you can find out more about Clarasys at www.clarasys.com Specific things we discuss in the show: Trello – www.trello.com The Agile Manifesto - http://agilemanifesto.org/ Matt’s Agile Primer - https://www.scrumguides.org/docs/scrumguide/v2017/2017-Scrum-Guide-US.pdf The Lean Start Up by Eric Ries - http://amzn.eu/9qXbGK6 Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - http://amzn.eu/7cdKA8Q The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey - http://amzn.eu/6bIK4ir Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur - http://amzn.eu/9NddtpN The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack - http://amzn.eu/5M0gA6I