40: Scaling a Boutique Consultancy with Anish Patel

Episode notes

Anish Patel takes us on a fascinating journey from his beginnings as a "physics geek" to building and selling a successful consultancy in this candid conversation about growth, leadership, and knowing when to exit. With refreshing honesty, Anish reveals how his scientific background created the perfect foundation for consulting work. "The scientific method was something that really I was interested in," he explains, describing how identifying issues, gathering data, developing hypotheses, and convincing others translates perfectly from physics to business consulting. The conversation delves into the struggles of transitioning from a well-known consultancy to founding Patel Miller. Anish shares a powerful realization that many founders experience: "I thought I was one of the best salesmen of consultancy in the retail industry out there... What I realized when I started my own firm was that I was brilliant at converting opportunities, but I wasn't very good at originating them." This distinction between originating and converting work becomes a crucial insight for anyone building a consultancy.

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