If you want to lift profitability fast...

Don’t start with pricing.

Start with scope control.

Because in most consultancies - that’s where the profit leaks out.

Vague proposals. Undefined deliverables. Endless variations and client demands.

You end up doing 150% of the job… for 100% of the fee.

Here’s how to fix it:

- Get Ruthless With Clarity -

Your proposal should read like a contract. Spell out exactly what’s included. And what’s not.

- Train Your Team on Scope Boundaries -

They need to know when a “quick favour” turns into free work. And how to have the right conversations early.

- Track It Like You Track Time -

Scope creep is invisible - unless you measure it.

Start tracking where and why projects go over.

Pricing gets the attention.

But scope is what protects your margin.

Nail your scope control - and your profit margin will jump.

To your success,

Josh

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

Early on in our growth, we landed a major client. 

High-profile. High revenue. 

We thought we’d made it. 

So we bent over backwards. 

Discounted fees. Scope creep. Free extras. 

Sound familiar?  

Over 9 months, we did $400K of work… 

For about $150K in fees. 

It looked good on paper. But it nearly killed our cash flow. 

And we learnt a tough lesson: 

Revenue is not the same as profit. 

These days, I coach firms to spot those red flags early: 

— Clients who haggle on price 

— Projects with unclear scope 

— Teams stretched too thin to “keep the client happy” 

You don’t need more work. 

You need the right work — with clear scope, fair margins, and solid delivery. 

That one client taught us the true cost of saying yes too easily. 

Never again. 

And if you’re a “yes” kind of person – I hope this has helped reset your thinking.  

To your success,  

Josh 

PS: If you’re interested, here are 4 ways I can help you rig...

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...