The biggest mistake consultants make after early success? (And why it cost this firm their momentum.)
A client of mine recently said, “I want to go big.”
It was an exciting statement. Their consulting firm had crossed the $1M revenue mark, an important milestone. The founder was ambitious, the team was skilled, and they had a strong reputation in their industry.
But there was a problem.
Despite that momentum, revenue had started to dip. Not dramatically, but enough to raise concern.
Naturally, the founder was frustrated. They couldn’t understand why growth was stalling when everything “seemed” to be in place. So we took a closer look at their recent activity.
Here’s what we uncovered in just one week:
❌ Multiple internal sales deadlines had been missed
❌ No outbound outreach was executed
❌ A case study, intended to support new business development, was still incomplete
❌ The sales team was pursuing prospects in cold, unresponsive segments
❌ Meanwhile, existing market segments, where they already had traction, were being neglected
❌ And critically, the marketing team and the founder were not aligned on strategy
In short, the issue wasn’t with their market or their service. It was a classic case of misaligned execution.
What had happened?
Early success had given them confidence, but it also led to overreach. Rather than continuing to build on the market segments that were already responding well, they started chasing “bigger” opportunities in unfamiliar territories.
The intention was growth. But the outcome was fragmentation, and operational consistency slipped.
To the founder’s credit, they were willing to confront this head-on and realign their focus.
If you’re in a similar situation, coming off a strong year and considering a shift in strategy, pause and reflect on these questions:
⭐ Is your current market large enough and underserved to support further growth, or are you expanding prematurely?
⭐ Is your sales and marketing execution consistent, focused, and aligned with the strengths of your firm?
⭐ If you absolutely must explore new markets, have you deeply considered your strategic options and clearly defined your go-to-market plan?
Ambition is essential. But ambition without focus and follow-through leads to stalled growth, not scale. Often the smartest move isn’t to go bigger and wider. It’s to go deeper.
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Image credit: Dalle-3
