Early in my consulting career, I noticed something odd—smart, capable consultants showing up like robots. Great résumés. Fancy decks. But no humanity. No warmth. No soul. I remember sitting in a room of very senior executives as a 22-year-old with what I thought was a dumb question. My internal monologue went like this:
For consulting and professional services firms, the first 100 days of a client engagement are make-or-break. This early phase sets the foundation for everything that follows—building connection and credibility, aligning expectations, surfacing hidden risks, and accelerating results. At Empactful Advisors, we approach this critical window not as “ramp-up time,” but as a deliberate opportunity to deliver value, build trust, and shape long-term success.
As you know, growth isn’t just about winning one more client or launching one more offering. Growth must be sustainable and intentional. For my firm, this means identifying and nurturing partnerships that expand our reach and increase our revenue.
The bottom line: Just because someone refers business to you doesn’t mean you should take it. The wrong project can derail your momentum, burn out your team, and cost far more than the revenue it brings in.
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. A vague or outdated ICP can’t guide decisions. It doesn’t scale. And it doesn’t protect the firm when the pipeline dries up.
“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. You know that you could double it if only…and then the list starts:• We had the right people• We could get in the right meetings with the right buyers• The economy would improve
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 off the road, or worse.
In those moments, you don’t look around — you look for the white line. That single white line on the edge of the road becomes your focus.
Ever since artificial intelligence (AI) became widely accessible and democratized just a couple of years ago, a wave of uncertainty swept across professional service firms. The prevailing concern was clear: Will AI replace us? Will clients simply turn to AI tools instead of hiring experts who have spent years mastering their craft?
Early in my consulting career, I noticed something odd—smart, capable consultants showing up like robots. Great résumés. Fancy decks. But no humanity. No warmth. No soul. I remember sitting in a room of very senior executives as a 22-year-old with what I thought was a dumb question. My internal monologue went like this:
Are you trying to impress your clients by doing more? It might be hurting your business and slowing your growth and scale journey.
