You’re Not Solving the Right Problem (And That’s Why Clients Push Back on Price)
Ask most founders of boutique professional services firms what problem they solve, and they’ll give you a list of services.
Pro Serv Blogs
Managing CEO Stress and Anxiety in Healthy Ways
This quote resonates with me: “Work on the business, not in the business.”. For me, part of working on the business is making myself more resilient, healthy and happy so that I can make the investments in the rest of the business. If I’m not stable, energized and able to bounce back from challenges, then how am I supposed to work on the rest of the business?
Employment Law Axiom No. 21: Accept Resignations
When someone quits, let them. Thank them. Wish them well. And start planning for life without them.
Why Customer Research Is the Growth Lever Most Firms Overlook
When we began doing customer research at Integral, I thought it would confirm what I already knew. Instead, it changed how we saw our business.
The Retention Playbook: How to Treat Top, Core, and Legacy Clients
One of the hardest parts of running a professional services firm is keeping great clients and growing with them. Too often, founders fall into the trap of treating every client the same. That works in the early days, when you are just trying to get revenue in the door. But as your firm matures, that approach stalls growth.
Website is Your #1 Closer: Our 24-Day Sales Cycle Best Friend
One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received in professional services:
“Your website is your shop window. Treat it as such.”
Unfortunately, most professional services firms treat their website like an annual checkup. They refresh it reactively—usually when the copyright date at the bottom feels embarrassingly out of date.
Three Ways We’ve Spurred AI Adoption in our Professional Services Firm
In professional services, we pride ourselves on solving complex problems with smart people. But when it comes to adopting artificial intelligence, the constraint is rarely the technology; it’s us. Research shows that people resist, and sometimes even sabotage, AI initiatives. CIO.com, reported in the Pivot 5 newsletter, released a study revealing that 31% of workers (including 41% of Millennials and Gen Zs) are actively undermining their company’s generative AI rollout.
Why I Finally Stopped Fighting AI (And You Should Too)
For years, I wore my firm’s manual processes like a badge of honor. “We do things the old-fashioned way,” I’d tell clients. “Personal touch. Human expertise. No shortcuts.”
Stop Hiring Sellers, Start Building Sales Systems
Most boutique firm owners believe revenue growth comes from hiring a “rainmaker.” The truth? One star seller won’t save you. What scales is a repeatable system, not a heroic individual — and today, AI can help build it faster and smarter.
Crossing the Tightrope: Leading Through Change
As CEOs of professional services firms, we often tell our clients, “What got you here won’t get you to the next level.” We say it with conviction because we’ve seen it play out at companies of all kinds.