Why Your Service Firm Is No Longer Growing

Ever feel like your professional service firm is a hamster wheel? You’re running faster and faster, but not really getting anywhere? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most firms hit a growth ceiling around a few million in revenue.

The Growth Ceiling: When More Isn’t Always More
Here’s the deal: most professional service firms struggle to grow beyond what the owners and a small team can handle. Why? Because they’re selling time and/or capabilities that don’t scale. And to make things worse, they are selling too many different types of solutions to too many different types of clients, with too many different ways of delivering value.

There is a reason why Henry Ford became mega-successful by leveraging the assembly line. And while you might not want a “conveyor belt business”, that type of business (also in services) is the best kind (of you want sustainable, profitable growth).

The Solution: Turn Your Services into Products (No Lab Coat Required)
Instead of trying to clone yourself (which sounds painful anyway) create offerings that are “clonable”. In plain English, build a product business (made of productized services).

And yes, you can (and probably should) keep a layer of “consulting services” to service both you highest-potential clients, and to satisfy your need for creativity and validation (you still get to play guru, but make it only the highest-value offering). This is what I recommend my clients to do, because it gives them a business that provides them with best of both worlds (money and sex).

To break free from this cycle, we need to shift from selling time to selling products. It’s like turning your homemade lemonade stand into a bottled lemonade empire. Here’s a three-step process to make it happen:

1. Simplify: Find the most profitable part to focus on.
   First things first, let’s Marie Kondo your business. We’re looking for the parts that spark joy (and profits).
   
   Key points:
   • Find your golden geese (the most profitable parts of your business)
   • Ditch the dead weight (bye-bye, unprofitable clients and services)
   • Focus your resources where they’ll make it rain
   
   By simplifying, you’re creating a lean, mean, profit-making machine. It’s like going from an all-you-can-eat buffet to a gourmet tasting menu.
   
   
2. Systematize: Build Your Money-Making Engine
   Now that we’ve trimmed the fat, it’s time to build a repeatable, sustainable growth engine. Many firms never scale because they’re reinventing the wheel with every client. It’s time to standardize! Create three core processes:
   
   1. Lead generation that doesn’t require you to sell your soul
   2. Sales conversion that’s smoother than a buttered slide
   3. Value delivery that keeps clients coming back for more
      Think of it as creating your own secret sauce recipe. Once you’ve got it, you can bottle it up and serve it again and again.
      
      
3. Scale: Time to Crank Up The Volume
   With your simplified focus and systematized processes, it’s time to scale. We’re talking about installing a set of turbo boosters on your business rocket. There are six levers that drive growth:
   
   1. Number of Leads (more fish in the sea)
   2. Sales Conversion % (better bait)
   3. Average Price (bigger fish)
   4. Number of transactions (more frequent fishing trips)
   5. Margin % (efficient fish gutting… okay, this analogy is falling apart)
   6. OPEX (cheaper fishing rods)
      
      By tweaking these levers, you can achieve growth that’s more geometric than your high school math class.
      
      Conclusion:
      Professional service businesses often operate with the leverage of a wet noodle. By simplifying, systematizing, and scaling, you can break free from the constraints of selling time.
      But here’s another truth bomb: moving from “fully customized” to “almost fully standardized” can feel like you’re turning your beloved business into a soulless factory.
      
      Fear not! We’re not talking about creating a 100% conveyor belt business (although that will be the most profitable, scalable business that is likely going to help you cement your market position better than any alternative).
      
      Instead, think of it as building a “growth engine” at the core with standardized front-end products (your bread and butter), while keeping a “consulting layer” on top. This satisfies your creative itch and allows you to offer a bit more customization for your VIP clients. It’s like having your cake and eating it too – and who doesn’t want that?
      
      Next Steps:
      If this sounds great so far, I offer to “Show You The Money” by doing a light audit and show you exactly how these ideas can help you double your profits, make your business more reliable, sustainable, and scalable.
      
      And because that sentence sounded a bit too good to be true, that’s why I offer to show you exactly how, free of charge.
      
      This offer is available to you if you own a 7 or 8-figure business, and the idea of doubling your profits appeals to you.
      
      To take me up on the free offer, go HERE and send me some information, then let’s book a 60-minute workshop.
      
      PS I also recommend checking our Beta™ – our productization program that will get you started on solving the problem discussed above. By creating a simple, standardized service product, you can convert more clients and build a scalable, predictable business.