Let’s talk about the part of business no one posts about. 

Not the wins. Not the milestones. 

The other part. 

The flat spot. 

Where the work is heavy, the pipeline’s quiet, and the momentum’s dried up. 

Where you’re second-guessing yourself… and wondering if this is as good as it gets. 

If that’s where you are right now… 

Here’s what no one tells you: 

This is just all part of the journey. 

Every consultancy owner pushing for $10M and beyond… hits this exact stretch. 

Where the growth slows. 

The pressure builds. 

And the only way forward - is through. 

That’s what this week’s podcast episode is about. 

I’m not here to give you hype. 

I’m here to tell the truth: 

- Every consultancy owner aiming for $10M+ hits this phase. 

- Growth is rarely linear, and no momentum doesn’t mean no progress. 

-  Who you become in the hard seasons is what separates operators from true leaders. 

This isn’t about do...

Being a generalist might feel safe. 

It feels like you’re capturing more of the market. 

And that feels smart.  

But in consulting, it’s a trap. 

Generalists lose. Every time. 

Here’s why: 

— Marketing Becomes Vague — 

When you try to serve everyone, you speak to no one. 

Your message gets lost.  

Potential clients don’t see you as the go-to expert. 

— Delivery Gets Harder — 

Every project is different. 

Your team keeps reinventing the wheel. 

Complexity creeps in. Quality drops. Deadlines slip. 

— Margins Shrink — 

Generalists get treated as a commodity. 

Specialists get paid more. Because they’re trusted more. 

— Growth Stalls — 

Without focus, systems break. 

Teams stretch. 

Decision-making slows. 

The truth is simple: 

Simple scales. Complex fails. 

I’ve seen firms double profit margins just by niching down. 

They became known for their one thing. 

Marketing got sharper. ...

We hit $10M in revenue a few years into our consulting journey. 

Big milestone.

We were pumped. 

But then something strange happened.

We plateaued.

Revenue stalled. Profit margins slipped. Team turnover increased.

We were pushing harder, but getting less back.

Then we realised:

What got us to $10M wouldn’t get us to $30M.

We needed to stop thinking like a $10M business.

And start acting like a $30M one.

So we:

— Brought in external coaches & advisors

— Overhauled our org chart

— Installed proper systems for growth and performance

It wasn’t comfortable.

But that shift helped us break through the ceiling.

Most consultancy owners hit that same wall.

The trick isn’t to push harder - it’s to shift how you think.

Because different outcomes need different leadership.

And a different identity. 

To your success, 

Josh

PS: If you’re interested, here are 4 ways I can help you right now:

1. Grab a copy of my new...

You’re up early. 

You work late. 

You’re across every proposal, every project, every fire. 

And yet… 

Growth is slow. 

The needle isn’t moving. 

And deep down, you’re wondering: 

“What more can I possibly do?” 

Here’s the hard truth. 

It’s not about doing more. 

It’s about what you shouldn’t be doing anymore. 

Because right now - you’re stuck in Technician Mode. 

You’re worth $300/hour and yet you’re doing $30/hour tasks. 

You’re trying to grow a business while being the glue that holds it all together. 

And that identity - the one that once made you successful - is now the thing keeping you stuck. 

In this week’s podcast episode, I break it all down. 

We talk about: 

- Why “hard work” becomes your bottleneck 

- The subtle fears that keep you hoarding tasks and control 

- How to use your current revenue to buy back your time 

- The ladder every $10M+ consultancy owner must climb 

Technician → Conductor → Lifestyle Business Own...

Let’s talk about something nobody wants to admit. 

You didn’t cut your fee because it was strategic. 

You cut it because you didn’t want to lose the job. 

Because the pipeline’s light. 

Because saying no felt riskier than running lean. 

So you told yourself it’d pay off later. 

You’d “prove your value.” 

Negotiate more next time. 

But here’s the truth… 

Every time you say yes to a discount…you’re saying no to everything else you actually want. 

No to high-margin growth. 

No to hiring that senior who’d take weight off your shoulders. 

No to scaling with confidence and control. 

Instead? 

You build a business where: 

- Every “win” feels heavier than the last 

- Your team is stretched before the project even begins 

- You’re chasing growth, but bleeding margin 

- And you’re stuck playing the game you thought you were outsmarting 

You don’t need to burn it all down to grow past $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M. 

But you do need to st...

When Jordan and I first spoke, he wasn’t short on ambition. 

But like many consultancy owners, he was stuck in the grind -  winning jobs, delivering projects, and trying to grow without a clear strategy. 

The work was solid. The team was capable. 

But something was missing. 

The real breakthrough came when we got ruthless about three things: 

- Defining a niche he could lead 

- Elevating his value in the market 

- Targeting A-grade clients with intention 

Fast forward to now? 

Jordan just landed his first multi-million dollar engagement - with the exact local client he’s been chasing since September. 

Here’s what he said after the win: 

“Want to say a massive thank you for helping me get clear on what it is we do best and positioning ourselves at the top of the local market.” 

Side note: he also grew his consultancy by over 500% last year. 

And something tells me he’s only getting warmed up. 

This wasn’t about luck. 

It wasn’t about wo...

You didn’t start your consultancy to be chained to project delivery. 

But if we’re honest — that’s exactly where most owners end up. 

You’re across every project. 

Your team needs your input to make decisions. 

And if you step away for more than a few days… the whole thing slows down. 

Sound familiar? 

It doesn’t have to stay that way. 

We grew our consultancy from $3M to $30M — not by working harder, but by building the right systems, structure, and team so the business could run without us in every conversation. 

And now I’ve captured the entire framework in my new book: 

Profitable Engineering Consultant 

It’s a straight-talking, zero-fluff guide for consultancy owners who want to grow profitably — without burning out. 

Inside, you’ll get: 

→ A step-by-step model to systemise delivery so it runs without you 

→ How to hire, delegate, and build a leadership team that drives the business forward 

→ The strategies we used to lift margins...

One of my clients just had an absolute monster of a month. 

$640K in new work secured. 

$332K in revenue — at a 55% net profit margin. 

That’s not a typo. 

(Read it again if you need to.) 

This didn’t happen by chance. It came from doing the hard work on the right things. 

Here’s what we focused on: 

— Winning work with a smarter strategy — 

We got clear on the growth plan. 

Tightened the positioning. 

And went after the right kind of work — profit-rich and strategically aligned. 

— Hiring high performers who could actually deliver — 

No more overloading the directors. 

We built a team who could take ownership, maintain quality, and move fast. 

— Bringing in the next generation of shareholders — 

To share the load. 

Drive accountability. 

And create buy-in for the future of the business. 

The result? 

"ANOTHER great month for financials, targets beaten both Rev and Net Profit!" 

They’ve built a business tha...

There was a point — about 4 years into running our engineering consultancy — that I nearly walked away. 

We had solid revenue, a great team, and good clients. 

But I was done. 

Worn out. 

Every win felt like a grind. 

The business was growing… but I wasn’t. 

Then I had a call with a mentor. 

He asked me one question: 

"Are you building a business you’d still want to run in 10 years?" 

That question hit hard. 

Because the answer was no. 

So we made some big shifts: 

— Simplified our structure 

— Let go of low-margin clients 

— Rebuilt our strategy from the ground up 

And most importantly — I redefined what success looked like for me. 

That moment saved the business. 

And it saved my spark. 

If you’ve ever felt that “maybe I’m done” moment… you’re not alone. 

But there is a way through. 

And it starts by asking better questions. 

Josh 

PS: If you’re interested, here are 4 ways I can help you right now: 

...

Most consultancy owners are working way too hard for way too little. 

I know — because I used to be one of them. 

Until we fixed it. 

And I’ve just put the entire playbook into my new book: 

Profitable Engineering Consultant 

Grab your copy here >> Click Here 

It’s straight to the point — and packed with practical strategy. 

Here’s what’s inside: 

1) Project Delivery That Drives Profit — 

Run leaner, deliver faster, and stop your team from over-servicing. 

2) Margin-Focused Strategy — 

Build a strategic plan that actually prioritises profit — not just growth for growth’s sake. 

3) Hiring Without Headaches — 

Who to hire, when to hire, and how to lift team performance without you needing to be in the weeds. 

If you’re running a solid consultancy that should be more profitable… 

This book will show you how to fix it. 

Grab your copy here >> Click Here 

To your success,  

Josh 

PS: If you’re interested, here are 4...