Why 90% of Consultancies Never Scale (And How to Be the 10%)

Host: Craig Herd 

Most consultancy founders are stuck in a dumb loop. You start out hustling, doing everything yourself—winning deals, handling clients, hiring, marketing, even buying the office biscuits. Then you grow, hire people… and somehow still end up doing everything. Sound familiar?

In this episode, Craig breaks down why founders get trapped as Mr Everything, why hiring more people won’t fix it, and the real way to escape the grind. If you want a business that runs without you, this is the episode you need to hear.

Key Topics Covered

🔥 Why you’re stuck running everything.
⚠️ The myth that hiring will solve all your problems.
🛑 Being the bottleneck is killing growth.
📈 The reason your consultancy isn’t scaling.
🔧 The first system to build.
💰 Founder closed £36K deal while golfing.

Episode Highlights & Resources

The ‘Mr Everything’ Trap: Why Founders Get Stuck

• You’re running everything—sales, delivery, ops, hiring, admin.
• More team members? More problems. 
• This is the opposite of freedom. 

How to Escape: Systemise Everything

• If your consultancy only works when you’re working.
• The secret? Removing yourself from client acquisition.
• You don’t need to be the rainmaker. 

The Goal: A Business That Runs Without You

• If you're the business, it’s not sellable, scalable, or sustainable.
• Stop being the bottleneck. Stop doing everything.
• Systemise client acquisition, build leverage, and reclaim your time.

Related Episodes & Resources

📖 Built to Sell – A playbook for creating a business that runs itself
📖 The E-Myth – Why most small businesses fail (and how to avoid it)

If you’re tired of being Mr Everything and want to actually own a business (not just a job), listen to this episode and start making the shift today.