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.
Pro Serv Blogs
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.
And yet, very few professional services firms do it well (or at all).
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. Sound familiar? Here’s what most business owners don’t realize: You may not need another bookkeeper anymore. AI can now handle many bookkeeping tasks. Instead of posting job ads and training new hires, it may be time to explore a completely different solution to your bookkeeping problems.
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.
For some, Collective 54 is as much a part of each day as that second cup of coffee or the trip through the Business section of the Wall Street Journal. You wear your 30% annual EBITDA growth like a finely tailored suit. You have a strong and deep team behind you that lets you focus fully on scaling and your eventual successful exit.
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. For my firm, this means identifying and nurturing partnerships that expand our reach and increase our revenue.
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. But let’s be honest about what happens when a deal is stuck. When the client objects to the price, deliverables or compares you to the competition.
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. So I joined EO—the Entrepreneurs’ Organization—and it made a real difference in my life. The people I met, the forums I joined, and the events I attended helped me grow personally and professionally.
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. Your field has plenty of smart, capable, hard-working leaders, but only a few truly stand out. Even fewer have earned genuine trust.
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. The wrong project can derail your momentum, burn out your team, and cost far more than the revenue it brings in.
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. 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.