Have or AI made parts of your service easier, faster, or cheaper? Who exactly is your ideal customer, and are you solving their current pain points?

 

Before I share my diagnostic lens: running a 6-year-old consulting firm is no easy feat. These are the years when revenue pressure peaks, competition feels sharper, and founders often question if the original strategy still holds.

These reflections are not judgements, just perspectives from an outsider looking in. I may be wrong, but here’s how I’d approach the situation.

MARKET & STRATEGY:

A plateau often isn’t about ability—it’s about the market moving faster than your model.

Is the service still relevant today?

Have or AI made parts of your service easier, faster, or cheaper?

Who exactly is your ideal customer, and are you solving their current pain points?

Are new-age firms, low-cost disruptors, or niche specialists threatening your space?

Are you ready for subscription, productised, or digital-first models?

Reflection: Sometimes, being great at what you do isn’t enough—the market decides what matters most.

VALUE & CUSTOMER:

Most founders genuinely deliver value, but customers measure it differently today.

Does your service solve a real, burning problem?

Why should a customer pick you over AI, freelancers, or bigger firms?

Do you really know what your customers will pay premium for?

Are you clearly communicating transformation, not just services?

Are you stuck in commodity pricing, or pricing for impact?

Reflection: Clients often pay more for transformation they feel, not hours spent.

PRODUCT / SERVICE:

Many firms know a lot but struggle to package it clearly.

Are your services modular, systemised, and predictable?

Do you have entry-level, core, and premium offerings?

Can impact be measured—through outcomes, KPIs, or culture shifts?

Are case studies strong, current, and persuasive?

Reflection: Clarity in packaging creates leverage; knowledge alone cannot scale.

SALES & PIPELINE

Founder heroism works until it doesn’t.

How much of revenue depends on one person?

Are leads generated through networks, referrals, or structured funnels?

Do you have clear sales steps: qualify → discover → propose → close → set expectations?

Is there a repeatable system for lead warming and nurturing?

Reflection: A repeatable engine outlives the founder—it’s the difference between sustainable growth and fragile dependency.

DELIVERY & EXECUTION: 

Empathy matters here—firms try hard but often end up firefighting.

Are delivery SOPs clear: project kickoffs, communication, escalation, review?

Is quality consistent, or does it depend on who’s handling the client?

Do tools, templates, and capacity planning exist, or is everything reinvented?

Reflection: Consistency in delivery is what turns good experiences into lasting trust.

PEOPLE & STRUCTURE::

Growing a team while scaling a consulting practice is taxing.

Are roles, responsibilities, and accountability clear?

Are skills mapped for future needs, not just ad-hoc projects?

Are talent gaps and overworked seniors visible and addressed?

Is there a performance rhythm—weekly, monthly, or none at all?

Reflection: Teams feel the strain long before systems break; noticing stress early avoids bigger cracks.

CULTURE & LEADERSHIP::

Culture becomes visible when growth hits friction.

Are people encouraged to innovate and contribute ideas?

Is decision-making fast or stuck in hierarchy and disagreements?

Do people take ownership or shift blame?

Is psychological safety real, and leadership aligned on vision, goals, and priorities?

Reflection: Culture isn’t soft—it shows in every choice, conversation, and client interaction.

BRAND, VISIBILITY & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP::

Visibility is survival, not vanity.

Are insights, frameworks, and case studies shared publicly?

Is your online positioning sharp, modern, and trustworthy?

Are platforms like LinkedIn or industry forums leveraged?

Do you have social proof: testimonials, client videos, endorsements?

Reflection: If people don’t see your work, they assume it doesn’t exist.

SYSTEMS & PROCESS::

At 6 years, systems decide whether a founder scales—or stalls.

Are core systems in place: CRM or atleast an updated live excel, project tracker, SOP library, templates?

Are processes repeatable: sales, delivery, feedback loops?

Is knowledge captured, or lost in consultants’ heads?

Are there automation opportunities to save time and effort?

How scalable is the model without adding headcount?

Reflection: Every ad-hoc workaround is a small leak—patching them creates space for growth.

FINANCIALS & RISK:

Financial stress is normal—it’s a signal, not failure.

Revenue mix: recurring vs one-time, client dependency?

Margins: which services profit or drain?

Predictability: lumpy or consistent?

Investment readiness: AI, marketing, talent, IP creation?

Risk exposure: key clients, founders, core consultants, competitor moves, AI substitution?

Reflection: Stress is feedback. Listen carefully—ignoring it delays growth and magnifies risk.

Based on the answers to these reflections, the true issue will never be ‘effort’.

It will always be one of these:

Misaligned market positioning

Weak packaging

Founder-driven sales

Inconsistent delivery

Fragile systems

Or invisible brand

Once that truth is clear, the course of action becomes inevitable.