Until relatively recently, the market (at least in Russia) was of the opinion that consulting services were such an expensive toy for very large companies.
"They are the majors of the market, they can spend money on clever advice from highbrow consultants, and I do not need to learn the business. And at my own expense." This is roughly what the average Russian company owner thought. Events that have occurred over the past year, rapidly created a new reality in which consulting is becoming a vital necessity for all more or less serious companies and enterprises.
True, consulting itself is also changing.
Few people are really interested in "smart" advice and "long" strategies. The mood of the market players can be expressed approximately as follows: what other strategies can you offer us, if no one knows what will be in a week, not to mention longer terms.
But specific help from consultants to the owner can be very useful.
Have you rushed to open accounts for parallel payments in one of the Central Asian countries?
Does everyone do that?
Have you assessed the local regulatory risks? Did you analyze local legislation concerning the amounts of cross-border payments?
And now they come from the local National Bank and ask to pay fines? This is just a small example.
Consulting is becoming as concrete and down-to-earth as possible. This is not the time to build long strategies, but for prompt decisions and quick reactions. A consultant is not a theorist with papers, but a practitioner who is ready to quickly "drop in" to a situation (including in the literal sense) and help solve problems.
What is the Control Tower and what does a company need it for?
Why do owners take a long time to sell their business?
Where are the investors now, and why is everyone looking for them and not many of them find them?
About this in our next articles and posts.