Ask Spinnaker: What Are the Advantages of Working with a Smaller Consulting Firm?

Got questions about trends, insights, and challenges related to Spinnaker’s areas of expertise? In this regular blog, we tap into our Spinnaker team of experts and do what we do best: Roll up our sleeves to find you the answers you need. In this installment of “Ask Spinnaker,” we’re taking a close look at the three big advantages of working with a smaller consulting firm like Spinnaker.

Question: What Are the Advantages of Working with a Smaller Consulting Firm?

Shawn Sweeney, Spinnaker Managing Partner:

The question of size is one we hear often, because most corporate executives today have become accustomed to hiring and working with large consulting firms — firms that employ thousands of consultants in offices around the globe. We know, because we once were the ones doing the hiring and working directly with these big-firm consulting teams.

But that’s not the only route to go.

Working with a smaller consulting firm like Spinnaker can provide huge upside in achieving the results you need. That upside is actually the reason we launched Spinnaker in the first place, to fill a gap we saw in the industry — a gap we experienced firsthand while working with large consulting firms.

The Advantages of Working with a Smaller Consulting Firm

There are three big advantages of working with a smaller consulting firm:

You’re More Important To a Smaller Consulting Firm

Want to be a client, not a number? Your project materially matters to a smaller consulting firm because you’re not one of literally thousands of projects going on at any one time. To use the old adage: You’re a big fish in a smaller pond, instead of one of thousands in the sea. This means the success of your project also materially matters to the smaller firm. You can be assured it will act like it! When working with a smaller consulting firm, you’ll also have direct access to its most senior members, often receiving immediate replies and thoughtful, personalized — not cookie-cutter — attention to your questions and needs.\

A smaller consulting firm like Spinnaker is built on strong relationships and superior results, and will give its all to ensure it delivers on both.

Smaller Consulting Firms Are More Flexible

There’s no such thing as a “typical” project. Every situation, every company, and every project is unique. So why would you want to work with a consulting firm that uses a “standard” formulaic approach? You don’t! A smaller consulting firm is more flexible, more dynamic, and more nimble in its approach, because it isn’t forced into using a rigid team structure or off-the-shelf pricing schedule for the engagement.

A smaller consulting firm like Spinnaker has the latitude and the ability to customize every element of your project engagement to meet your needs — your exact needs.

Smaller Consulting Firms Get Started Faster

Think about the team who’s going to be working on your project. With a smaller consulting firm, it’s common for the team to know one another coming into your project. They’ve likely already collaborated on multiple projects together. On the flip side, it’s common for larger firms to frequently shift individuals to new projects and for team members to be more transient, both of which significantly reduce the chance a big-firm team has worked together in the past.

When a team knows one another and has already aligned on past projects, it has the ability to hit the ground running as soon as your project starts. You won’t waste valuable time and money while a large-firm team works through its learning curve. Time is often one of the most critical considerations for your project — every week and every day makes a difference for your company, your reputation, and your bottom line. Smaller firms help you make the most of it.

A smaller consulting firm like Spinnaker ramps up faster so you can advance and achieve results faster.

So, why should you choose to work with a smaller consulting firm? You’ll get more. More importance. More flexibility. And a more rapid start — which helps you achieve results faster.

We want to hear from you! Got questions about trends in your industry? Want to know more about best practices in a specific area? Need advice about a challenge you’re trying to solve? Send your questions to info@SpinnakerConsultingGroup.com, or post a question for Ask Spinnaker to our LinkedIn page by tagging us at @Spinnaker Consulting Group LLC. We look forward to rolling up our sleeves to find you the answers!