Branched from Robert · Acme Consulting: Strategy Project Kickoff · Jun 10, 2025
Acme Consulting was growing quickly but losing experienced consultants to Big Four firms and tech companies. Robert needed a talent strategy that leveraged Acme's culture as a competitive advantage while building a sustainable pipeline of senior consultants.
When we engaged in 2024, Acme had 180 employees and was losing 25% of its senior consultants annually. The firm had a strong culture but no formal employer brand, no structured leadership development, and was competing on compensation alone, a fight they couldn't win against larger firms.
A comprehensive culture and talent strategy that:
- Codified Acme's cultural values into a distinctive employer brand
- Launched a leadership development pipeline targeting mid-career professionals
- Created a "Consulting Accelerator" program for career-changers from industry
- Reduced voluntary turnover from 28% to 22% in the first 6 months
- Won "Best Places to Work" Austin 2024 (directly tied to our work)
Escalating: Budget Freeze Limiting Innovation
Intensity 6/10 — External
Escalating: Executive Committee Q2 Deadline for Lab ROI
Escalating: Big Four Encroachment on Mid-Market Advisory
Prerequisites
Kickoff meeting for the Acme Consulting positioning project. Robert Chen walked through Acme's current state, $40M revenue, generalist positioning, and growing pressure from Big Four firms moving into mid-market. He's considering industry specialization but unsure which verticals. Strong alignment on a 3-month engagement to develop a competitive positioning strategy.
Deep operational review with Sarah Nguyen, VP Operations at Acme Consulting. Sarah was promoted six months ago and is seeing the firm from a new vantage point. She shared that utilization rates have dropped from 72% to 65%, that three major proposals were lost to Big Four firms pricing below market, and that the partner group can't agree on specialization strategy. Sarah was surprisingly candid about the internal dynamics, she sees the identity crisis clearly and wants help addressing it. She also flagged that the culture work from our 2024 engagement is "losing momentum" as the firm hasn't invested in the next phase.
Follow-up conversation with Elena Rodriguez about the impact of our 2024 culture and talent strategy work. The "Best Places to Work" win was a high point, but Elena is concerned about sustainability. Voluntary turnover is still at 22%, and the employer branding work needs a Phase 2, specifically, leadership development and career path clarity for mid-career consultants. She mentioned that the AI disruption conversation is making it harder to recruit: "People ask me what Acme's AI strategy is, and I don't have an answer." She suggested that the talent strategy and the positioning strategy are deeply connected, you can't attract talent without a clear identity.
Final wrap-up for the Acme Consulting positioning project. Robert was pleased with the deliverables, particularly the competitive analysis and the industry specialization framework. He mentioned the firm hit "Best Places to Work" in Austin, which validates the culture-first approach we recommended. Briefly touched on AI disruption as a future concern. Conversation felt like a natural close, but the door is open for future work.
alignment · signed
Deloitte, EY, and PwC are aggressively pricing below market to capture mid-market advisory clients, Acme's core segment. Three major clients were lost in Q1 2025, and two more are in competitive reviews. The Big Four are using AI-powered delivery to undercut Acme's pricing while offering brand prestige Acme can't match.
AI tools are enabling clients to do internally what they used to hire consultants for: data analysis, market research, strategic frameworks. Robert mentioned this "almost as an afterthought" but his tone suggested deeper worry. Acme has no AI strategy and risks being disrupted by both competitors who adopt AI and clients who no longer need traditional consulting.
Acme built its reputation as a "we do everything" firm, but in a market that rewards specialization, this positioning has become a liability. Internally, partners disagree on whether to specialize (and in what). Robert knows the answer intellectually but can't get alignment. Sarah Nguyen privately called it "the elephant in every partner meeting."
Despite winning "Best Places to Work," Acme is still losing senior consultants to higher-paying firms and tech companies. Elena Rodriguez has flagged that the employer brand work from 2024 is losing momentum as the firm hasn't invested in the next phase: leadership development and career path clarity for mid-career hires.
Status Actions
This deal has been closed won.
Started at Alignment
Jun 12, 2024 · 1 years ago
Jun 20, 2024 · 1 years ago
Jul 1, 2024 · 1 years ago
Jul 10, 2024 · 1 years ago
Project delivered successfully
Sep 10, 2025 · 6 months ago
