In a conversation with a client yesterday, he observed that intelligent people often get in their own way.

I’ve noticed the same thing in myself and in the consultancy owners I work with.

Have you ever talked yourself out of an idea? Or become distracted by another one? Or abandoned something with real potential before you’d given it long enough to work?

Running a solo or boutique consultancy amplifies this tendency because, when you’re working on your own business, you’re only answerable to yourself.

The view from inside

When you’re in a dense forest it can be tricky to find the way out. The trees all look similar, you can’t see the horizon and there are no clear paths through.

Growing a consultancy can feel much the same. You’re cutting your own path rather than following one somebody else has already cleared.

Every decision opens one route while closing another.

And because nobody is standing beside you questioning those decisions, it’s remarkably easy to wander onto a path that isn’t taking you where you really want to go.

The view from outside

Now imagine you have someone who can see the forest from above and where you are in it.

From their vantage point, they can see where you are, where you’re heading, and whether the route you’re taking is likely to get you there. They can’t walk the path for you, but they can help you navigate it.

Sometimes that’s reassurance. Other times, it’s a gentle challenge before you invest another three months heading in the wrong direction.

Having someone on the outside doesn’t remove the hard work. It just makes it less likely you’ll spend months heading in the wrong direction.

The right perspective

Growing a solo or micro-boutique consultancy is a very specific job. While it shares plenty in common with growing other businesses, there are enough differences that you can’t simply follow a standard business playbook.

Ideally, you’ll have someone on the outside who has been where you are, understands the obstacles first-hand and knows how to get around them.

You also want to grow your consultancy your way. So they need the flexibility to understand you, how you like to work and the unique destination you’re working towards.

One person doesn’t have all the answers

That’s one of the reasons I’ve come to value communities of people solving similar problems.

One person spots something you’ve missed, another asks a question you’d never have thought to ask and a third shares an experience that changes how you see your own situation.

It’s rarely one breakthrough. It’s the accumulation of different perspectives.

I’ve noticed that the members who regularly join our Friday morning calls are often the ones building consultancies that fit them best.

It’s not because of any single conversation or single call.

It’s because every week they have another opportunity to step outside their own thinking. They’re exposed to different questions, experiences and perspectives. Individually, they don’t seem dramatic. Together, they steadily change how people see their own business.

Who helps you see the paths you can’t see from where you’re standing?