For this week’s episode of Climb in Consulting, We’re bringing you something a little different to the norm. For one week only, we’re turning the tables, as Nick joins Professor Joe O’Mahoney for a chat on his fantastic podcast, Growth for Consultancies. Joe is a leading authority on consulting and a trusted advisor to many boutique consulting firms. His research on the profession has won several prestigious awards and publications. His textbook on Management Consulting was the best-selling in Europe and his academic research has been published in top international journals. As a previous guest on this show, Nick was honoured when Joe asked him to come on Growth for Consultancies and join an enviable list of former guests, including the likes of Adrian Bettridge, Stephen Newton and Rob Garner to name but a few. In this conversation, Joe grills Nick on what effective marketing for boutique consultancies should really look like, what firms like yours should be focusing on in 2023 and challenges Nick to prove the ROI of marketing - a question we often get when speaking to consultancies out in the market. If you’re a consultancy leader and you want to find out how effective digital marketing can turbocharge your growth, you won’t want to miss this episode of Climb in Consulting. We hope you enjoy it! You can listen to Nick's interview with Joe for Climb in Consulting here: joeomahoney.com/podcast/

In this week’s episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick chats to Stephen Aldridge, Managing Director at financial modelling consultancy, Numeritas. If you’re a regular listener of the podcast, you’ll know that we often explore the different routes to success that many of our guests have followed. Stephen’s journey has been one of the most interesting we’ve encountered, taking him from factory-based engineering to running his own successful boutique consultancy – with a stint as a painter and decorator thrown in for good measure! During his time as an engineer, Stephen got to know his products inside out, but he soon began to crave a more commercial role. He moved into sales and marketing, before discovering his true passion – financial modelling. He then spent several successful years at KPMG and Deloitte – where the prospect of making Partner was dangled in front of him more than once – before making the leap into running Numeritas with his business partner, Denver McCann. That was almost 20 years ago. Now, as Numeritas approaches two successful decades in business, Nick catches up with Stephen to find out more about his journey and the lessons he’s learned along the way, including: - What makes a successful partnership and his advice for anyone building a consultancy with a co-founder or founders - Stephen’s lessons from 20 years in business, what’s helped Numeritas accelerate their success and what pitfalls you should watch out for if you’re at the start of building your own consultancy - How taking a structured approach to marketing led to a 40% increase in sales and why Stephen sees marketing as a critical part of their business. - And why Numertias choose to outsource all but core consulting functions and the lessons you can learn to help you improve your own consultancy. Whether you’re interested in starting your own consultancy, thinking of making the leap from the ‘Big Four’ to a boutique, or simply enjoy a cracking interview, you’ll love listening to this episode of Climb in Consulting. We hope you enjoy the show! Books mentioned in the show: The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals – Sean Covey and Chris McChesney: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Disciplines-Execution-Revised-Achieving-Important/dp/1398506664/ref=asc_df_1398506664/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=500798696358&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9077352115313573375&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006502&hvtargid=pla-1185258338109&psc=1&th=1&psc=1 Thinking Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0141033576/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34CEMRJV2OYUJ&keywords=Thinking+Fast+and+Slow+%E2%80%93+Daniel+Kahneman&qid=1678380546&s=books&sprefix=thinking+fast+and+slow+daniel+kahneman%2Cstripbooks%2C91&sr=1-1 Noise – Daniel Kahneman: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noise-book-authors-Thinking-Nudge/dp/0008309035/ref=sr_1_7_sspa?crid=UD0H3VZZ7PKN&keywords=Noise+%E2%80%93+Daniel+Kahneman&qid=1678380565&s=books&sprefix=noise+daniel+kahneman%2Cstripbooks%2C86&sr=1-7-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1 Stephen’s Recommended Reads: Thinking and forecasting: Superforecasting - Philip Tetlock & Dan Gardner The Signal and the Noise - Nate Silver Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness - Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein How To Make The World Add Up - Tim Harford The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme - Prof Steve Peters Time to think - Nancy Kline Influence and negotiating: Never Split The Difference - Chris Voss Influence - Robert Cialdini Pre-suasion - Robert Cialdini How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big - Scott Adams Loserthink - Scott Adams Win Bigly - Scott Adams Other favourites: Rebel Ideas - Matthew Syed Black Box Thinking - Matthew Syed Messy - Tim Harford The Undercover Economist - Tim Harford

Guests in this episode share valuable insights on how to build a successful consulting career. They discuss the importance of building a strong network, continuous growth and learning, and persistence. They also highlight the value of being fully committed to a consulting career, understanding consulting as a business, and becoming a partner. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of industry experience, loyalty to the firm, and delivering consistent results.

In today’s episode of Climb in Consulting Nick is joined by Nick Kent, Founder of Alpha FMC, the global financial services consultancy with over 900 consultants supporting clients across 16 offices spanning the UK, Europe, North America and APAC. While Nick’s story with Alpha ended very successfully, that’s not how it started. And it was actually a shock redundancy from Accenture that led him to launch the business. Something Nick shares in detail in today’s conversation. As the saying goes, when one door closes another opens, and in Nick’s case this was the catalyst that led to him launching Alpha. Fast forward and the firm’s grown massively, been through not one, but two PE investment rounds, and in 2017 it IPO’d on London’s aim market. With so much experience in the industry and a phenomenal journey building Alpha, there was so much to unpack in this conversation, including: - Nick’s shock redundancy and how this difficult time led him to launch Alpha FMC - The fundamental principles that Alpha was built on and how these led Nick and the team to have the success that they have as a business - And the journey from a private business, to private equity to IPO, the ups, the downs and everything in between. Whether you’re thinking of launching your own consultancy, or you’re running a firm or practice area right now and want to learn from one of the best in the industry, you’re going to get so much from this conversation. We hope you enjoy the show! Get to know Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-kent-518512/ Find out more about Alpha FMC: https://alphafmc.com/ Books mentioned in the show: The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-One-Minute-Manager/dp/0008128049

In this week’s episode, Nick chats with Chris Gant, Managing Partner at Wunderman Thompson Consulting. As successful consultancy careers go, Chris’s is up there with the very best of them! Having spent eighteen fast-paced years at KPMG, Chris decided he wanted to take some time out and in 2004, he left to go back to school, joining the Sloan programme at London Business School. It was his time at LBS that led him to joining EY as a senior partner in their Middle East and Africa business where he spent the best part of the next decade. Returning to the UK in 2020 to take on an EMEIA leadership role. Having retired from EY and after a short break, Chris decided to jump back into a new and exciting role - still in consulting, but this time with a difference. Joining Wunderman Thompson (part of the WPP marketing and communications group) to build their transformation consulting business. A relative start-up within the huge global brand that is Wunderman Thompson. Nick and Chris cover some fascinating areas in this conversation, including: - Why taking time out of the industry was one of the best career decisions he made. - Consulting in the Middle East and his advice if you’re thinking of making the move. - How Chris successfully managed to jump from a “big four” environment to a creative agency, and the biggest things he learnt along the way. If you’re looking to make a new career move in 2023, Chris’s advice will be hugely valuable to you. We hope you enjoy the show! Reach out to Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cgant/ Learn more about Wunderman Thompson: https://www.wundermanthompson.com/expertise/consulting Books mentioned in the show: How to Cheat at Chess by William R. Hartson https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Cheat-Chess-William-Hartston/dp/0091261112

At Create Engage, we like to share as much information as we can to help you get the most out of your marketing. So with that in mind, this week’s episode of Climb In Consulting is a little different! Instead of the usual conversation with an industry-leading guest, Nick’s on hand to give you everything you need to set your 2023 marketing strategy up for success. Today’s episode is taken from a webinar we ran for over 90 consulting firms who wanted to learn how they could improve their marketing. Nick walks you through our tried and tested marketing framework. The same framework we’re using with our clients to help them create effective marketing strategies that generate ROI. As a taster for what’s to come, in this episode we willI explain some of the critical components you need for an effective marketing strategy, including: - How to define your niche and what makes your consultancy truly unique. - Why targeting ‘CxOs' is killing your ROI, the importance of understanding your audience and how to market to them. - How to generate and amplify high-quality content using the digital marketing channels that are working for your competitors right now. Whether you’re creating your digital marketing strategy from scratch or trying to improve the framework you already have, there are plenty of tricks and tips that you definitely won’t want to miss! Enjoy the show.

In the latest episode of Climb into Consulting, Nick is joined by James O’Sullivan, CEO of Project One. James' career demonstrates that you don't have to follow a traditional career path to succeed in our industry. After sending letters to all of the FTSE 100 and being rejected by 99 of them, James began his project management career at Tate and Lyle. After this, he developed his passion for change management and continued on to lead major change programmes for Lloyds Banking Group and NAB for the next 25 years. But, there is more to James' story than just contracting success. Since joining Project One in 2014, James has risen through the ranks to become CEO. With such a wealth of experience and a passion for doing things differently, Nick and James discuss a wide range of topics, including: - James' early career and how his time in ‘in house roles’ set him up for success leading Project One. - Project One’s unique approach and why they ignore many of the industry norms when it comes to running their business. - And, James’ transition to becoming CEO and his advice if you’re about to undertake a leadership change in your own firm. It doesn't matter whether you're on the path to becoming CEO or already there, James has some insider advice you'll benefit from. We hope you enjoy the show! Find out more about James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-o-sullivan-3a2596/ Learn more about Project One: https://projectone.com/ Books and podcasts mentioned by James: Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions by John Kotter https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Iceberg-Melting-Succeeding-Conditions/dp/0230014208 The High Performing Podcast: https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/

Ash Chapman, CEO of Inlumi, shares his journey from boutique to 'big four' and back again, highlighting the key differences between consultancies. He discusses the challenges of transitioning, the importance of networking and mentorship, and the strategies for maintaining company culture while expanding globally. The conversation also touches on the significance of strategic decision-making, building positive relationships, and seeking continuous growth in business.

This week Nick is joined by Heather Townsend, award- winning author and expert on what it takes to make partner in a professional services firm. The #ClimbInConsulting podcast is all about helping you to climb up the consulting ladder and who better to help you with that than someone who spends their days advising consultants on how to do just that! Making partner can often seem like a dark art and it’s something that many people chase for years, but never successfully reach. In Heather’s latest book, ‘Poised for Partnership’ she outlines a holistic 12 step approach that gives you the secrets you need to succeed and in this episode we dive deep into some of the key areas for you to think about, including: - What those 12 steps are and why you need to be deliberate in the order in which you approach them if you want to succeed. - Why most people get their Partner business case wrong and what you need to be doing in the run up to promotion to give you the best chance of success. - And what you should be thinking about when developing your Partner progression process in your firm and how to avoid the biggest mistake that boutiques make when it comes to partner promotion. Whether you’re on the cusp of partnership, or you’re earlier in your career and want to lay the foundations for success, Heather shares some fantastic insights in this one that you won’t want to miss. Enjoy the show! Reach out to Heather: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathertownsend/ The Partner Readiness Assessment: https://careerprogressionreadiness.scoreapp.com/ Books mentioned by Heather: Switch: How to Change Things When Things Are Hard by Dan and Chip Heath https://www.amazon.co.uk/Switch-change-things-when-hard/dp/1847940323 Heather’s own books: How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life: The Smart Way to Get to and Stay at the Top https://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Partner-Still-Have-Life/dp/0749498366/ref=sr_1_1?keywords= Poised for Partnership: How to Successfully Move from Senior Associate and Senior Manager to Partner by Building a Cast-Iron Personal and Business Case for Partnership https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poised-Partnership-successfully-associate-partnership/dp/1913037088/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=poised+for+partnership&qid=1668698231&sr=8-1 The Accountant’s Millionaire Club: How to Build a Highly Profitable £1 Million Pound Practice While Working Fewer Hours With Less Stress https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B082XG7LNZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0 The Financial Times Guide to Business Networking ePub: How to use the power of online and offline networking for business success https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00M81LDJG/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1 The Go-To Expert: How to Grow Your Reputation, Differentiate Yourself From the Competition and Win New Business https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JDDHZIK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i2

In this episode of Climb in Consulting, Nick chats with Catherine Crump, Managing Director at Wired Consulting. Catherine’s had a hugely successful career and one that shows what you can achieve if you put in the work. Having joined Freshminds as one of the most junior members of the team, she worked her way up, becoming CEO of the spin out Decidedly, just a decade later. After 15 years there, she decided the time was right to think about her next challenge, and that’s when the role with Wired Consulting came up. The opportunity to launch a brand new consulting business doesn’t come up often, and to do that within an already hugely well regarded brand like Wired is something rarer still. For Catherine, it was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down and in 2019 she made the move to join Wired Consulting as their Managing Director. But her success hasn’t come without sacrifice. A topic that we dive deep into in today’s episode as Catherine shares her candid and refreshing perspective on the challenges of building a career while raising a family at the same time. In this conversation Nick and Catherine go deep in to some fascinating, and hugely important topics for anyone looking to climb in consulting, including: - The pros and cons of big firms and boutiques, and how these can vary depending where you are in your life and your career. - Catherine’s approach to balancing her work and family life, and her advice for others grappling with how to have a career and a family at the same time. - And her journey with Wired Consulting so far and how she’s successfully managed to build a consultancy from the ground up, in spite of the pandemic. Nick and Catherine cover so much ground in this episode that there really is something for everyone! Whether you’re a senior partner or an ambitious graduate, Catherine shares some fantastic insights and experiences that you’ll definitely find useful in your own career journey. Enjoy the show. Reach out to Catherine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-crump-4a50b51/ Find out more about Wired: https://www.wired.co.uk Specific Things Discussed in the Episode: The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Anniversary/dp/1471195201/ref=asc_df_1471195201/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=430989470045&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17193296444736582447&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006502&hvtargid=pla-911500871715&psc=1&th=1&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=97419294862&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=430989470045&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17193296444736582447&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006502&hvtargid=pla-911500871715 Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 tales of Extraordinary Women: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Night-Stories-Rebel-Girls/dp/014198600X/ref=asc_df_014198600X/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=311004790924&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17892768586249841390&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006502&hvtargid=pla-364195443484&psc=1