Pro Serv Blogs

Pro Serv Blogs

Building a Target Operating Model: Begin with the End in Mind

The mission of Collective 54 is to help us founders grow, scale, and exit their boutique professional services firm. We are all on various points in that journey experiencing all of the same elation and frustrations that are part of the territory. I have recently become more focused on the exit that I will, in part, define the culmination of that journey.

Pro Serv Blogs

The Death of the Consulting Pyramid

Are you still building your consulting practice on the traditional pyramid model while your competitors race toward AI-powered transformation? Here’s a wake-up call: the consulting industry has fundamentally changed. While you’re optimizing billable hours and adding junior analysts, forward-thinking firms are already leveraging AI-amplified expertise to deliver five times the value without increasing their overhead.

Pro Serv Blogs

The Mindset Shift That Unlocks Your First Great #2

There are two conversations happening in your business. The first is public: growth, new clients, visible momentum. The second happens in private, at 11pm, in your office. You are putting out fires your team should have handled, missing another evening with your family while a proposal only you can approve sits unfinished. The thought creeps in: “If I stop, everything stops.” This is the conversation we need to have.

Pro Serv Blogs

Beyond Static Planning: Why Your Annual Plan Should Breathe, Not Suffocate

As professional services owners, we know the importance of having a strategic plan. We spend considerable time each year crafting thoughtful annual plans, setting ambitious but achievable goals, and mapping out the path forward. But here’s what I’ve learned over the years: the real challenge isn’t creating the plan—it’s keeping it alive and relevant throughout the year while maintaining focus on what truly matters.

Pro Serv Blogs

Consistent Growth Through Account Strategy

For founders of professional services firms, growth cannot depend solely on chasing new logos. The most sustainable path to scale comes from expanding within your existing accounts. Many founders in Collective54 tell me that Account growth is critical, and has historically been their top growth lever. But it’s not predictable, and seems like it’s very much customer driven – not sales driven. Account growth delivers higher margins, lowers client acquisition cost, and creates fertile ground for referrals and reputation.