There’s a ceiling I see a lot of consultancies hit. 

Around the $2–3M mark. 

You’ve got a decent team. You’ve built a solid reputation. You’re winning good work. 

But things feel heavy. 

Margins are inconsistent. 

You’re still across too many decisions. 

And growth beyond this point feels harder than it should. 

Here’s why: 

The structure that got you here… isn’t the one that’ll get you there. 

To break through that $3M ceiling and grow to $5M… $10M… and beyond… 

You need to rebuild your operating model. 

— Define Your Leadership Roles — 

Who owns what? Who’s accountable for performance? Remove the bottlenecks. 

— Streamline Project Delivery — 

Systemise how work gets done — so you’re not the only one who can do it right. 

— Build a Business That Can Run Without You — 

That doesn’t mean stepping away. 

It means elevating your role — so your business can grow without relying on your personal capacity. 

It’s not just...

Most consultancy owners think that the harder they work, the more money they'll make. 

But here's the truth. 

Just because you're working more, doesn't mean you're working on the right things.  

The key to a sustainable and profitable consultancy, isn’t just about putting in more hours, it’s about working smarter.  

Here’s how: 

— Focus on High-Value Clients — 

Working with the right clients who appreciate your expertise, allow you to charge premium rates and boost your margins without extra effort. 

— Systematise Your Processes — 

Automating and streamlining your systems frees up your time and ensures your team isn’t stuck in repetitive tasks. 

— Delegate Effectively — 

The more you delegate and empower your team, the less you’ll be involved in the day-to-day.  

Giving you time to focus on high-level strategies that boost your bottom line.  

Profitability doesn’t come from working harder. 

It comes from working smarter. 

Ever wonder what it actually takes to grow your consultancy from “just getting by” to breaking through $5 million? 

This week, I sat down with Mandy, Alex, and David from Austral Archaeology who’ve done exactly that. 

What made the biggest difference? 

It came down to three powerful shifts: 

1. Mindset over mechanics. 
   The real shift happened when they started thinking like owners. 
   No more avoiding tough calls. No more second-guessing.  
   
   Just confident decisions anchored in “what’s best for the business.”  
   
   That’s when the business took off. 

2. Right clients, right results. 
   They got clear on who they don’t want to work with.  
   They walked away from their biggest project because the client didn’t align with the business they wanted to build.  
   That decision took guts - and gave them back their focus. 
   
   The result?
   More profit, less stress, and a team that actually enjoys coming to work. 

3. Building systems, not just adding staff. 
   Austral didn’t just hire more people.  
   They bu
...

Ever found yourself fixing a team member’s work at 10pm at night because you’ve told yourself: 

“It’s just easier if I do it myself”? 

You’re not alone. 

Almost every consultancy owner I work with has been there. 

And usually, it comes down to two things: 

Trust. And control. 

It makes sense - your names on the line. You want it to be perfect. 

But here’s the problem: 

Every time you jump in to fix it, you’re training your team to rely on you. 

Less ownership. More dependency. And suddenly, you’ve become the bottleneck. 

So how do you fix that? 

Here are 3 simple shifts: 

1) From Control → Clarity 

Stop assuming they know what “good” looks like. 

Be clear. Document expectations. Set them up to win. 

2) From Reacting → Coaching 

Don’t just fix it. Sit down, unpack the mistake, and guide them through the solution. 

Make it a teachable moment - not a rescue mission. 

3) From Doer → Designer 

Your job isn’t t...

If you're constantly caught up in the day-to-day operations of your consultancy. 

You're probably feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and trapped in a cycle that never ends. 

Not good if your plan is to build a business that gives you more money and time back to spend with those most important to you. 

Here are the 3 big traps that are keeping you stuck, and how to move past them: 

— Perfectionism —  

You believe that if you don’t oversee every detail, things will fall apart. 

You fear that if it’s not done exactly your way, the quality will suffer. 

As a result, you end up working late nights and weekends. 

Making sure everything is perfect, even when it doesn’t need to be. 

The reality? This perfectionism is draining you and keeping you from focusing on the bigger picture. 

— Delegation —  

You worry that your team can’t handle the tasks without you constantly hovering over them. 

You think, “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done right”....

Far too often consultancy businesses chase revenue growth at the expense of profit. 

I get it - revenue growth is exciting.  

You're watching the numbers climb - both $'s and team.  

But here's why focusing on profit is essential for your consultancy: 

1) Revenue Growth Can Be Deceptive 

Many business owners chase revenue for the thrill, accolades and sense of achievement it brings. 

But revenue without profit is unsustainable and can lead to burnout and financial stress. 

2) Profit Equals Business Health 

High profit margins represent efficient systems, effective team operations and well-structured processes. 

Profitability ensures your business isn’t just growing but thriving sustainably. 

3) Long-term Success and Valuation 

Profit is a core indicator of your business's value. 

Higher profit margins attract potential buyers, facilitate succession planning and enable strategic growth through reinvestment. 

I want you to ask yourself:...

Business is a game of many hats. 

Sales, marketing, winning work, delivery, leadership, people management, finance, strategy etc. 

It can be all consuming at times.  

And sometimes along the way of doing “all the things”. 

You forget about you.  

What you like, what you enjoy, what you’re really good at.  

Today we’re exploring commandment #8 for consultancy business owners. 

Thou shalt build a business around your strengths. 

At a basic and simplistic level - when you do what you enjoy and what you’re good at. 

Your energy, your output, the quality of your work and your enthusiasm - increases.  

And being honest with you - people WANT to be around someone like this.  

Both clients and team.  

And when you’re not doing those things. 

You get flat, tired, run down, demotivated and your energy decreases. 

Not good.  

Now your business needs you to lead, to inspire and to motivate. 

Your business needs your energy and your mo...

Most want more time back in their days to focus on and do the important work that will lead to growth. 

Time and not having enough of it is one of the biggest reasons I get told by business owners that they can’t focus on growth or bigger picture strategies right now.  

Or why they just need to wait 6 to 12 months for this busy period to be over & things are quieter, then they’ll have more time to focus.  

But honestly, it’s not about waiting until you have more time - because that will never come.  

If you’re doing your job right as a business owner - you will always be busy and there will always be things to sort out, fix or make better.  

(Until you hit Stage 3 of our business stages roadmap - Lifestyle Business Owner - more on that in another post). 

So it’s not about waiting for more time - it’s about creating more time.  

Waiting for another 6 to 12 months before you focus on bigger picture strategy - just means you’re 6 to 12 months behind where you c...

Building a high performing business can be tough at the best of times. 

But it can be even harder if you don’t have the right people around you. 

Let’s dive in and explore Commandment #5 for Consultancy Business Owners. 

Once you get to a certain size in business, your growth to that next level is all about you growing ‘through’ your team - not you doing everything yourself. 

It becomes all about the ‘who’ not the ‘how’. 

And your journey to building the business that you want - is about surrounding yourself with Eagles (high performers) not ducks (low performers). 

Eagles are autonomous and hard working.  

They take pride in everything that they do.  

They’re always looking to improve, to learn new things and to grow - because they’re focused just as much as building their own personal brand and reputation as they are about helping your business grow.  

They can be trusted and don’t need to be micromanaged - meaning that you don’t need to be present...

“Your fees are too expensive”. 

“If you just shave off $XX from your proposal, then you’ll be competitive and I can give you the work”. 

Ever hear or get told that ☝️? 

Today we're talking about the 4th Commandment for Consultancy Business Owners. 

Getting asked to cut your fees to ‘be competitive’ and to ‘bring the project back into budget’ is like a rite of passage in our industry. 

Certain clients seem to do this all the time - regardless of your relationship with them. 

And I think that sometimes they even try it on just to see if they can get things done a bit cheaper. 

Charging what you’re worth starts with you.  

Clients are never going to ask to pay you more. 

It’s up to you to set the bar and set the standard for what you get paid and how much you charge.  

Now obviously what you charge has to be within reason - otherwise you’ll never win any work. 

But when you look at industry average rates and pricing - there is actually a pretty ...