Pro Serv Blog

Every post we have published for founders of boutique professional services firms.

Smoking Brisket and Leading Long Engagements: A Masterclass in Patience, Trust, and Timing

Great brisket and great consulting have more in common than you might think. No, it’s not about starting a fire at 5am or justifying a morning beer.

George Jagodzinski

Can You Trust AI With That Task? Score It, Then Decide

Your calendar assistant nudges an internal meeting 15 minutes later. An AI tax module files the firm’s quarterly return with a digit off. Both lean on AI.

Alex Bratton

Scaling a Professional Services Firm is Like Traveling to the Moon -- It Isn’t Rocket Science: Part 3 – Teams of Teams of...

Multiple rocket stages are an apt metaphor for exploring the free scaling aspects of small teams.

Bruce Ballengee

The SBI Mafia and the Collective 54 Mafia: A Legacy of Professional Services Excellence

Introduction When I was growing up, I watched my uncle, Greg Alexander, do something remarkable. He didn’t just build a successful consulting firm. He built a launchpad.

Matt Alexander

Enjoying the Journey: Why Your Firm’s Success Is More Than Just Crossing Finish Lines

As professional services owners, we're wired to solve problems and deliver results.

Brian Ackerman

Building a Personal Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals – A Life Compass

I've been with Collective 54 for a little over three years now. In that time, I've supported hundreds of founders and executives as they look to make more money, make scaling easier, and ultimately...

Zach Witonsky

Your Coach Says You Suck – Here’s Why That’s a Good Thing

Business is fast, competitive, and always evolving. Whether you’re managing a small team or running a multimillion-dollar firm, being great at your craft isn’t enough.

Scott Arias

The First 100 Days: How Professional Services Firms Can Build Trust, Set Direction, and Accelerate Client Impact

For consulting and professional services firms, the first 100 days of a client engagement are make-or-break.

Justin Wasserman

Delayed Exit? How to Build your Go-to-Market for a Marathon

You were planning for a brisk sprint to exit. Now, due to market conditions beyond your control, it’s instead become an endurance marathon.

Dan Bernoske

The Win-Loss Playbook: Questions, Timing, and Who Should Lead the Call

If you want to improve your close rate, tighten your sales messaging, and better understand your buyer, there’s no faster path than a structured win-loss call process.

Matt Alexander

Is It Time to Replace Your Bookkeeper with AI?

Your business is growing fast. But your bookkeeping is not keeping up. Reports are late and disjointed. Mistakes are increasing. You’re working too hard to get basic financial data.

Rob Ripp

Traveling Collective 54 While on a Budget – A Time Budget

From the start, I want to acknowledge that this blog may not be for everyone in the Collective 54 family.

Todd Rapp

Leveraging Strategic Partnerships & Alliances As a Professional Services Firm

As you know, growth isn’t just about winning one more client or launching one more offering. Growth must be sustainable and intentional.

Adam Diesselhorst

Stop Losing Deals: How to Help Your Sales Team Overcome Objections Like You Do

You’re scaling the firm. You are no longer the Chief Rainmaker who is winning every deal. You have salespeople now who are generating leads and closing deals.

Jeff Klaumann

Why Founders of Boutique Professional Service Firms Should Join Both EO and Collective 54

Years ago, I was a young entrepreneur building a small firm from the ground up. Like many of you, I was hungry for growth, learning, and community.

Co-authored by Greg Alexander and the C54 AI Assistant

Market Eminence: How To Truly Stand Out as A Professional Services Leader

For professional services leaders who want to win more respect, reputation, and revenue, the worst thing you can be is forgettable. Look around.

David Newman

When Referrals Turn Toxic: The Hidden Cost of Not Saying No

The bottom line: Just because someone refers business to you doesn't mean you should take it.

Dan Morris

A Strong ICP Is How You Scale, Not Just How You Sell

Ask a founder if they have their Ideal Client Profile figured out, and most will say yes without hesitation. Ask their team, and you’ll hear a dozen different versions. That’s the problem.

Julie Rogers

Your Business Wants to Double, Here’s How to Help It

"Once you have demonstrated you can help a company solve problems, they never run out of problems they want you to help them solve.” You have a great business, and you know it.

Tom Searcy

Creating Connection at Scale: How a Podcast Can Elevate Your Consulting Firm’s Brand and Build Client Trust

One of our core beliefs at Tenzing is that deep, authentic conversations have the power to drive business forward.

Thom McLeod - Founder & CEO — Simon Rycraft - Partner — Tenzing Consulting — Members of Collective 54

The Unburdened Founder: Finding Freedom in Operational Excellence

Every founder experiences the exhilarating rush of building something new. However, this initial energy often gives way to overwhelm as daily operations become overbearing.

Randell Mauricio

From Information Overload to Strategic Implementation: A Professional Services Firm Owner's Guide

The Professional Services Owner's Dilemma "That's a great idea! How do I act on that? And then that one, and that one…" Sound familiar? As a professional services firm owner, you're caught in a...

Brian Albers

Be the Signal

A few winters ago, I was driving down I-29 in a brutal Midwest blizzard. The kind where you can’t see more than a few feet and you’re just praying you can make it to the next exit before you slide...

Ali Schwanke

From Paper to Practice: Bringing a Core Value to Life

Many firms craft value statements, put them in a slide deck, and hope the words sink in. The unfortunate reality is that values that live only on paper rarely have any gravitational pull.

Alex Chase

The Apotheosis of the Hero: Tips for getting CEOs to make Buying Decisions

As I’ve spoken with more members of Collective54 about their Go-To-Market strategy, there is a common theme. Their primary Buyers, their Heroes, are typically C-level executives, but rarely the CEO.

John Kearney