When To Hire a Consultant.

When to Hire a Consultant (and When Not To)

I know, I know. A blog post about when to hire someone like me is obviously biased. But here’s the thing: over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of founders and leaders who are deeply resistant to the idea of an operational consultant, not because they don’t have problems, but because they’ve been burned before. Too many people hear “consultant” and picture polished slide decks, abstract frameworks, and recommendations that never actually get implemented.

A good operational consultant isn’t there to tell you what should happen in theory. They’re there to help you do the work - designing systems, making trade-offs, untangling messy processes, and pushing decisions forward when the business is stuck. So when does it actually make sense to bring one in?

You know something isn’t working, but you can’t quite name it

This is the most common trigger. Revenue is growing, but everything feels harder. Your team is busy but progress is slow. Decisions take too long. Tools don’t talk to each other. You’re spending time in the weeds instead of on the business.

You don’t need a perfectly articulated problem statement to hire help. You just need to know that the current state isn’t sustainable. In fact, one of the real values of an experienced operator is helping you clarify the problem, not just solve it.

You don’t need ideas, you need execution

If what you’re missing is “what should we do next,” your issue might be strategic. But if you already know what needs to change and you’re struggling to make it happen - processes, systems, roles, accountability - that’s operational.

This is where many leaders get stuck. They keep thinking harder, holding more meetings, or hiring internally for roles that aren’t well-defined yet. An operational consultant can come in, impose structure, and help you move from intention to action without adding permanent headcount too early.

You have a project that must get done...but no one has the bandwidth

This is a big one, and it’s often misunderstood.

You know the project: a system implementation, a re-org, a process redesign, a tech migration, standing up KPIs, cleaning up data, formalizing onboarding, pick your poison. It’s important. It’s been sitting on the list for months. Everyone agrees it matters. And yet… it never moves. Not because your team is incompetent, but because they’re already at capacity running the business. Asking them to also plan, scope, and execute a complex project usually means one of two things: it drags on forever, or it gets done poorly. This is where an operational consultant can act as the “extra set of senior hands.” Someone who can:

• Define the scope and success criteria

• Break the work into realistic phases

• Do the unglamorous planning and the execution

• Keep momentum without stealing focus from your core team

The goal isn’t to replace your team - it’s to protect them while still moving the business forward.

You want progress without committing long-term...yet

Hiring a senior operator is expensive and risky if you’re not ready. Consulting can be a lower-commitment way to get momentum, test approaches, and learn what kind of capability you actually need long term. The key is keeping the scope tight.

Here’s an exercise I often recommend: You know the problem. Write it down, messy is fine. Then give it to a consultant you think might help. Pay them a small fixed fee to outline how they would approach it. Ask for:

• Clear actions

• Practical recommendations

• Assumptions they’re making

• What they would not do

Ask for zero decks. Bullet points are fine. Clarity is better. This tells you a lot, very quickly: how they think, whether they’re pragmatic, and if they actually understand your world.

You need an outside perspective that isn’t political

Internal teams carry history, incentives, and baggage...sometimes without realizing it. A good consultant can say the quiet part out loud, ask the uncomfortable questions, and challenge decisions without worrying about internal politics.

That only works if you’re open to being challenged. If what you really want is validation, don’t hire a consultant. You’ll both be frustrated.

When not to hire one

If you’re looking for someone to magically fix things without direction, accountability, or access...don’t bother. Operational consultants need context, trust, and at least a rough sense of where you want to go. You don’t need all the answers, but you do need a willingness to engage.

At the end of the day, the best consulting relationships feel less like outsourcing thinking and more like borrowing experienced hands for a period of time. Done well, it should leave you with clearer systems, stronger decision-making, and a business that runs better long after the engagement ends.

If you are interested in finding out more about how I can help your business, lets meet for a coffee and discuss.

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