Running a Consulting Business: The Great Ones Are Built

Today we are going to talk about what your perspective should be as you continue to build your consulting business. It is important to keep in mind that all great businesses are built with consistent and deliberate action over time. There will always be quick fixes available and your discipline to reject those quick fixes is what allows your business to grow.

What I believe. I believe that great businesses are built, no matter the industry, no matter the niche. Great businesses are built and your consulting business is no different; if it’s going to be great, then it has to be built in a great way. Great businesses are the result of consistent, deliberate action taken over time. Much like Rome, great businesses aren’t built in a day or a week. They begin with a Big Picture, an end goal, that directs the day to day efforts of the business.

Why I believe it.

McDonald’s. McDonald’s is a classic example. It is a well-known, worldwide business. The original concept for McDonald’s was founded in 1940. Today, McDonald’s is over 70 years old. We recognize McDonald’s for its efficiency and status as a household name. However, the company’s prowess was not realized in one, seven, or even twenty years. For 70 years they have been consistently building the McDonald’s identity and now we know it for its end product.

Los Angeles Lakers. If you’re a sports fan, then you are familiar with the basketball franchise the Los Angeles Lakers. You know names like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, and Kobe Bryant. Even if you aren’t a basketball fan, you probably know those names because that’s how popular this particular franchise has become. The Los Angeles Lakers were founded in 1947 and the franchise is over 70 years old. The franchise isn’t well known because of the players that played for the team. The players are well known because the franchise’s consistent effort. After consistent, deliberate action taken over time, the LA Lakers are now franchise known across the world. This didn’t happen in a day. It didn’t happen in a week or a month. It happened over time.

Empire State Building. The Empire State Building, an iconic structure in the US, is another example. We all know the Empire State Building; it used to be the tallest building in the world. It is no longer is the tallest, but it still has its iconic presence. The Empire State Building took two years to build and cost 40 million dollars in expenses. The point here is that your business is no different. It takes time to build and it takes time to reap the benefits of your consistent, deliberate action over a course of time.

Relevance to you. As a company, we want to make sure that our perspective is to help you focus on becoming a business. We want to help you become the Empire State Building, LA Lakers, or McDonald’s of your niche. We want to help you focus on being a great consulting firm. We want to help you understand that great businesses take deliberate energy. You have to focus on a particular picture and outwit the inevitable distractions that will show along the way.

We live in a world with so many magic bullets and quick solutions you begin to believe that somewhere, somehow, there is an immediate solution available to your complex problem. The solution that we offer you may in fact be simple, but it may not be quick to execute. We want to help you keep the leadership patience that helps you stay focused on the end goal you’ve articulated. Your Big Picture is worth pursuing and taking deliberate action toward over time.