Pro Serv Blogs Archives - Collective 54

When Compliance Becomes Competitive Advantage

Greg Alexander / March 17, 2026

Most professional services firms treat compliance as a burden.
More rules.
More documentation.
More audits.
The natural instinct is to do the minimum required and move on. We initially approached it the same way at ACE Consulting.
When the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements began affecting federal contractors, the first reaction was predictable. It looked like friction. It looked like overhead. It looked like something that would slow us down. Instead, it strengthened our firm.

Pro Serv Blogs

The Great Divide in M&A — Courtesy of the AI Impact

Greg Alexander / March 16, 2026

Imagine a private equity investment committee reviewing two nearly identical companies. Both generate $30 million in revenue. Both operate in the same industry and serve similar customers. On paper, their historical financial performance looks remarkably similar.

Pro Serv Blogs

The Biggest Driver of EBITDA

Greg Alexander / March 13, 2026

As boutique professional services owners, most of us are trying multiple ways to profitably grow our business. For organic growth, this includes investing in AI, improving sales effectiveness, or cutting unnecessary costs.

Pro Serv Blogs

What a CFO Needs to Hear Before We Pay for Outcomes

Greg Alexander / March 12, 2026

If your outcome-based pricing proposal hit my inbox, it would likely get rejected. Not because the concept is wrong, but because the attribution is lazy. Here’s the good news: I’m going to tell you what folks like me need to see to accept these proposals. I’m having these conversations right now with clients.

Pro Serv Blogs

Outside Capital: What Are You Really Giving Up in Return?

Greg Alexander / March 10, 2026

As professional services founders, we all understand that in the course of founding and scaling a business, there are times when an infusion of cash becomes helpful, if not crucial: funding a hiring surge, acquiring a competitor or bridging a gap before a large retainer kicks in, just to name a few examples.

Pro Serv Blogs

The AI CEO Who Spends 40% of His Time on Culture

Greg Alexander / March 9, 2026

I’m getting whiplash from my professional services network right now.
Every conversation is about AI. Every conference session is about AI. Every LinkedIn post is about “revolutionizing your firm with artificial intelligence.”

Pro Serv Blogs

The Founder Who Stays in the Work (And Isn’t Sorry About It)

Greg Alexander / March 6, 2026

Greg Alexander is right. The founder bottleneck is real, it kills firms, and if you’re still the one doing everything three years after you should have delegated it — that’s on you. I’ve read the book. I believe the thesis. I’ve spent years pulling myself out of day-to-day client work, building a team, and trusting the people I hired to do the job I hired them for. And yet. Here I am, personally involved in three active engagements right now. Before you close the tab — hear me out.

Pro Serv Blogs

The Pitts Problem: How Your Professional Services Firm Is Trying to Kill You

Greg Alexander / March 5, 2026

As pilots and FAA professionals we have friends that fly the Pitts S-1, one of the most legendary aerobatic biplanes ever built. When asked what it’s like to fly the Pitts, those pilots don’t start the thrill of inverted flight or the rush of a perfect aerobatic maneuver. they often say something I related to: “It’s not a fun airplane to fly. It’s always trying to kill you.”

Pro Serv Blogs

One Use Case at a Time: How to Build Your Firm’s AI Skill

Greg Alexander / March 3, 2026

AI is reshaping professional services faster than anyone expected. The biggest consulting firms are using it to rethink how they develop strategy for clients. They’re changing their business models, restructuring how they deliver work, and planning for a very different future.

Pro Serv Blogs

Don’t Delegate AI to the Middle

Greg Alexander / March 2, 2026

If you hand AI strategy to a manager, you’ll get automation. Not transformation.
Most founders are approaching AI the same way they approached their CRM rollout, their marketing automation platform, and their new reporting dashboard. They find a smart manager, hand them the tools, and say: “Go find some efficiency.” Wrong move.

Pro Serv Blogs

When Compliance Becomes Competitive Advantage

The Great Divide in M&A — Courtesy of the AI Impact

The Biggest Driver of EBITDA

What a CFO Needs to Hear Before We Pay for Outcomes

Outside Capital: What Are You Really Giving Up in Return?

The AI CEO Who Spends 40% of His Time on Culture

The Founder Who Stays in the Work (And Isn’t Sorry About It)

The Pitts Problem: How Your Professional Services Firm Is Trying to Kill You

One Use Case at a Time: How to Build Your Firm’s AI Skill

Don’t Delegate AI to the Middle

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