Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional
Unleashed explores how to thrive as an independent professional. Each week we interview an experienced independent professional to discuss the types of projects they do, how they win business, and tips and tricks for how they thrive in business and life. Keywords: management consulting, independent consultant, business development, career, McKinsey, Bain, BCG
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630. Remco Visser, Introducing Saga, Legal AI Innovation
12/29/2025
630. Remco Visser, Introducing Saga, Legal AI Innovation
Show Notes: Remco Visser talks about Saga, an AI product used by 150 law firms. Remco explains that Saga is a legal AI innovation company helping law firms and legal departments implement AI into their practice and daily workflows. AI Training and Integration The platform includes AI training and adoption sessions to help firms integrate AI into their daily practices. However, Remco highlights the importance of understanding the viability space where AI can be effectively used if the firm is not yet ready for full AI implementation. Saga helps firms understand when AI integration is the best option and offers training on using AI in the workflow. He talks about LLMs and more standard software options Demonstrating Saga Remco demonstrates the AI platform's ability to draft legal documents, using an NDA as an example. The platform automatically recognizes when a user wants to draft a document and opens a window for AI-generated documents, and he shows the platform’s ability to ask follow-up questions for customization, such as what country state law should govern it? What's the main purpose? How long do you want it to last? Remco explains the platform's new updates require more context to draft accurate documents. The Saga Prompt Improver Remco introduces the concept of a prompt improver that automatically improves prompts for users. The platform can suggest variables for users to fill in, making it easier to draft accurate documents. To highlight the program’s efficiency, he gives an example of a prompt improved by the platform. Remco emphasizes the importance of providing context, such as jurisdiction and language, to improve the accuracy of AI-generated documents. He explains how the prompts can be stored in the Prompt Library improver and how the Saga lab tests and shares prompts for customers to access. Saga Use Cases Remco discusses various use cases, including drafting letters of intent and reviewing agreements, and mentions that people with no legal experience can use it. The platform can use templates and attach documents to draft comprehensive legal documents. Remco demonstrates the ability to redline documents and suggest changes based on templates. The platform can also assist with litigation by drafting arguments, memos, and letters, and providing detailed timelines. Saga’s Assistance Roles Remco explains the concept of assistance roles, such as devil's advocate, contract assistant, and legal research assistant. These roles help users challenge their arguments and improve their legal strategies. Data Accuracy and AI Hallucinations Remco addresses the issue of hallucinations in AI-generated documents, explaining how Saga mitigates this risk. The platform uses citations and reasoning models to ensure the accuracy of generated documents. He demonstrates the various assistant models available from proofreader and tax authority to Judge and goes into detail on how to check citations and ensure data is accurate. Saga’s Implementation Process Remco outlines the implementation process for firms, recommending starting with a smaller group for training. The training program includes sessions on AI basics, prompting, workflows, and legal databases. Firms can also bring practice groups together to brainstorm AI use cases and share information. Remco emphasizes the importance of hands-on exercises during training to ensure users understand how to use the platform effectively. Time-saving Features and Pricing Remco explains that Saga charges per seat per month, with a price of 125 euros per user. Firms save an average of four to five hours a week and see an improvement in work quality, especially for juniors. The platform is designed to be a no-brainer for firms looking to improve efficiency and quality in legal work. He acknowledges the challenges of implementing new software but believes the value proposition is clear. Grid Review Feature Remco demonstrates the grid review feature, which extracts information from documents and provides detailed insights. The platform can handle various types of documents, such as lease agreements, Chamber of Commerce extractions, and shareholders agreements. The grid review feature highlights the context around extracted information, providing a comprehensive understanding. In conclusion, Remco emphasizes the platform's ability to save time and improve the accuracy of legal reviews. Timestamps: 01:34: Demonstration of AI Platform Features 03:05: Improving Prompts and Context 05:25: Use Cases and Advanced Features 10:34: Assistance Roles and Safeguards 14:07: Implementation and Training 17:02: Pricing and Value Proposition 20:47: Advanced Features and Customization Links: Website: LinkedIn: This episode on Umbrex: https://umbrex.com/?post_type=unleashed&p=224463&preview=true Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at . *AI generated show notes and transcript
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629. Isa D’Eila, Co-founder of Goalbridge
12/22/2025
629. Isa D’Eila, Co-founder of Goalbridge
Show Notes: Isa D’Elia, co-founder of GoalBridge, an AI startup in stealth mode opens the conversation with a brief overview of her background, mentioning she was at Amazon for five years and her co-founder, Vedant, was a software engineer at a financial institution in India. The Origin Story of GoalBridge Isa met her business partner in Berkeley Haas Business school. Through many discussions, they identified a problem in the consulting industry where consultants spent too much time on admin and manual work. They saw an opportunity to use AI to automate these tasks, leading to the creation of GoalBridge. Isa describes how they started working on GoalBridge, entering accelerators, and doing pivots. GoalBridge Iterations They found a design partner who needed a solution to discover their work within SharePoint, Google Drive, CRM, and email. GoalBridge's first iteration was a search AI agent that taps into various platforms to understand the context of engagements. The tool is called "building the brain of a firm" and has been tested with clients, leading to the development of additional agents. Isa introduces the first agent they built, a proposal building agent, which focuses on storyboarding proposals. Dealing with Non-billable Work Streams Consultants often complain about the tediousness of writing proposals, which are non-billable work streams. The agent helps create cohesive stories for proposals by using information from various sources and allowing iterations. They have a roadmap of additional agents to help consultants focus on strategy work rather than manual tasks. GoalBridge’s Ideal Customer Profile When asked about the ideal customer profile for GoalBridge, Isa confirms they are targeting SMBs and tier two consulting firms, as larger firms have the resources to build their own tools. Currently, they have signed letters of intent with larger firms, indicating interest in their solution. The tool is designed to help consultants tap into strategy more effectively by automating manual tasks. Goalbridge’s Access to Data The conversation turns to the limitations of GoalBridge in terms of access to data. Isa explains that the tool only accesses data that the user has access to, such as their email and specific folders in Google Drive or SharePoint. The tool acts as an AI agent that can quickly scan and understand the context of the data the user has access to. She talks about the challenges of accessing data that is not organized in SharePoint or Google Drive, such as emails. AI Agent that Writes Case Studies and Compendiums Isa introduces the project closeout agent, which helps partners extract and share information, write case studies and compendiums for projects. The agent anonymizes data and creates a cohesive story from various sources, including emails. This agent addresses the issue of knowledge management being left to good intentions and helps capture project context. The closeout agent can also be used for older projects. Demonstrating GoalBridge Isa shows the tool's interface, which includes a project creation feature, a chat dialog box for queries, and a files tab for uploading documents. The tool can tap into various platforms like SharePoint, Google Drive, and CRM systems, with current integrations for HubSpot and Salesforce. They talk about the tool's ability to find examples of old projects and provide feedback on proposals. Isa explains the limitations of GoalBridge in terms of access to data. The tool only accesses data that the user has access to, such as their email and specific folders in Google Drive or SharePoint. The tool acts as an AI agent that can quickly scan and understand the context of the data the user has access to. She also talks about the challenges of accessing data that is not organized in SharePoint or Google Drive, such as emails. Primary Use Cases for GoalBridge Isa outlines the primary use cases for GoalBridge, including partners finding examples of old projects, engagement managers leveraging formatting, and associates copying slides. They discuss the potential for the tool to create PowerPoint presentations and provide feedback on them. Isa mentions future agents in the roadmap, such as a case study writing agent and a pricing strategy agent. The tool is designed to help consultants at all levels by automating manual tasks and improving the quality of their work. Security Concerns and Data Privacy On the issue of security and data privacy when giving external firms access to sensitive data, Isa explains that they have a separate server hosting client data, ensuring it is secure and not accessible by other clients. They are working on SOC 2 certification to further assure clients of their security measures. The tool does not train on client data, ensuring IP is protected and not used for other purposes. When it comes to pricing, Isa mentions their willingness to discuss pricing on a case-by-case basis. Timestamps: 00:02: GoalBridge AI Startup Introduction 02:19: Development and Initial Success of GoalBridge 03:36: Proposal Building Agent and Future Plans 05:59: Target Market and Ideal Customer Profile 09:20:Privacy and Access Limitations 11:25: Project Closeout Agent and Additional Use Cases 15:58: Demonstration of GoalBridge Tool 21:57: Primary Use Cases and Future Agents 22:55: Security and Data Privacy Links: Website: Email: This episode on Umbrex: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at . *AI generated timestamps and show notes.
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628. Bruno Strunz, How to Sell Value in Professional Services
12/15/2025
628. Bruno Strunz, How to Sell Value in Professional Services
Show Notes: Bruno Strunz, lawyer, keynote speaker, and author of How to Sell Value in the Legal Market, shares his background, including his career path as a lawyer, including making partner and working for Volkswagen, and his extensive experience working with various companies and firms in both the legal departments and sales departments. Business Development for Professional Services Firms Bruno discusses his focus on business development for professional services firms, by selling in a structured and data-driven manner. Since 2018, he has been helping firms with what they have called the commoditization of quality and how to stand out in this competitive landscape. Bruno explains that his company initially focused on working with law firms for the last two years; they also started working with different types of professional services firms, including law firms, service orientated businesses, and consultancy companies. A Bespoke Approach to Business Development Bruno explains his approach to business development, starting with a diagnostic to understand the client base, churn, revenue generation, and distribution channels over the previous three years. He highlights the importance of expanding within existing client bases rather than focusing solely on new client acquisition. Bruno discusses the common challenges law firms face, such as low CRM adoption and the need for better data-driven decision-making. He emphasizes the importance of using CRM platforms effectively to improve sales processes and decision-making. Best Practice Approach for Growth Bruno outlines a best practice approach for growing within existing clients, starting with an 80/20 analysis to identify strategic clients. He looks at each business unit and asks if they have an account management plan for each unit, which means power mapping, stakeholder mapping, who’s part of the decision-making process, assessing relationships, and understanding client goals for 2026. Bruno discusses the need for a SWOT analysis within specific accounts and the importance of looking for expansion opportunities. He highlights the challenges of client feedback in Latin America and the importance of guiding clients through their decision-making process. Differentiation in a Commoditized Market Bruno addresses the issue of differentiating in a commoditized market, where technical quality is no longer a competitive advantage. He emphasizes the importance of early engagement in the B2B buying cycle to avoid commoditization. Bruno discusses the role of relationship management, networking initiatives, and top-of-mind awareness in becoming the vendor of choice. He highlights the importance of bringing new insights and improving client experience to stand out in a competitive market. Client Success Stories Bruno shares a success story of working with a client in crisis management, focusing on educating the market and reframing their storytelling. He explains how the client successfully converted a multi-million dollar project during a major crisis. Bruno discusses another success story involving a proprietary framework to deep dive into client offerings and identify specific pain points. He highlights the importance of segmenting target lists, prioritizing outreach efforts, and bringing new ideas to clients. Bruno emphasizes the importance of consistency and discipline in business development strategies. Timestamps: 04:11: Business Development Strategies for Law Firms 10:43: Building a Programmatic Approach to Client Growth 14:49: Differentiating in a Commoditized Market 20:01: Success Stories and Client Impact 29:34: Final Thoughts and Contact Information Links: LinkedIn: Website: This episode on Umbrex: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at . *AI generated timestamps and show notes.
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627. Rod Neuenschwander, Author of From Crisis to Clarity and Co-founder of GIFT·OLOGY.
12/01/2025
627. Rod Neuenschwander, Author of From Crisis to Clarity and Co-founder of GIFT·OLOGY.
Show Notes: Rod Neuenschwander, author of From Crisis to Clarity and co-founder of GIFT·OLOGY, recounts his early days with John Ruhlin, their initial plan to buy companies, and their first turnaround experience. He also talks about the formation of Ruhlin Group and their transition to GIFT·OLOGY, focusing on corporate gifting. The Transition of Ruhlin Partners Rod talks about the development of Ruhlin Partners, a firm that helped companies through crises, and how it was the foundation for a new book project. He discusses John Ruhlin's sudden death and his immediate need to reconstitute the firm. He explains his initial struggle with gifting, his team's expertise, and the overall support from his team. Fulfilling a Promise and a Framework for Turnarounds The conversation turns to the idea of writing a book to fulfill a promise to John and provide a framework for turnarounds. He shares how John had been the top lead generator and how his crucial role in the firm left a large space to be filled. He explains the evolution of GIFT·OLOGY’s philosophy and the development of the Beyond GIFT·OLOGY program. The Focus of GIFT·OLOGY Rod explains what GIFT·OLOGY is, how it works, and how it differentiates from other firms that play in this field. The focus is on personalized, non-promotional gifts to build relationships. He talks about the importance of reaching clients on a personal level and being present to clients’ inner circles. He expands upon the acceleration of their platform and training program after John's passing, and how he managed the transition. A Relationship Operating System The interview moves on to the introduction of the Relationship Operating System to support leaders in building relationships, and Rod explains the components of the Relationship Operating System, including help identify, help connect, help equip, help track, help celebrate, and help scale. He talks about demonstrations of value, clarity conversations, and meaningful touchpoints through gifting. He also shares details about the development of a CRM plugin to support the training and execution of the Relationship Operating System and goes on to give a step-by-step explanation of the system. The Design of Connection Rod gives a detailed example of a client engagement, including the design of a connection plan, demonstration of value, how you communicate who you serve and how you serve, and gifting campaigns. He explains the role of GIFT·OLOGY in supporting leaders in their relationship-building efforts, and shares a detailed example of a client engagement, including the design of a connection plan and gifting campaigns. A Framework for Companies in Crisis Rod explains how he uses the same framework for GIFT·OLOGY as he does for other companies in crisis. He identifies the four types of crises: chronic underperformance, broken mirror, slow leak, and fire. Rod details the one-page recovery plan: clear purpose statement, go-forward operating plan, financial plan, and team plan. And he emphasizes the importance of moving fast with the plan and learning along the way. The Success of From Crisis to Clarity Rod talks about his book and his satisfaction with the feedback received for From Crisis to Clarity. He explains that the book's focus is on providing a simple framework for founders to navigate crises. He shares how the editing process was precise to ensure the book is concise and valuable for its target audience, and he shares his thoughts on the ongoing support and growth of GIFT·OLOGY despite the challenges faced. Timestamps: 04:05: The Impact of losing his business partner and friend. 09:53: GIFT·OLOGY’s Unique Approach to Corporate Gifting 11:47: The Relationship Operating System and Client Engagement 20:48: Rod's Framework for Crisis Recovery 28:44: The Success of From Crisis to Clarity Links: LinkedIn: From Crisis to Clarity: GIFT.OLOGY Group: This episode on Umbrex: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at . *AI generated timestamps and show notes.
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626. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, Author of HBR's Powered by Projects: Leading Your Organization in the Transformation Age
11/17/2025
626. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, Author of HBR's Powered by Projects: Leading Your Organization in the Transformation Age
Show Notes: Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, a leading expert on project management, talks about his upcoming HBR book. Antonio shares his career path, including his time at PwC, banking, and pharma, and his early realization of the importance of project management. Changing the Perception of Project Management He discusses his mission to change the perception of project management from a tactical to a strategic role, including his work with the Project Management Institute (PMI) and his goal to publish in Harvard Business Review (HBR). Antonio highlights the challenges he faced in gaining recognition for project management as a most important facet of any organization, and his eventual success in publishing his second book with HBR. Antonio explains the key concept of his new book and shares how he pitched the idea to HBR, emphasizing that everyone is a project manager and that organizations should be project-driven. The Definition of Project Management Antonio mentions the success of his first book with HBR, which sold over 50,000 copies and was translated into multiple languages. He moves on to outline the theme of his new book: how every organization should become project-driven to adapt faster and transform constantly in a changing world. When asked to define what a project is, Antonio provides a classic academic definition of a project, emphasizing its start, end, objective, and teamwork. He then shares a more inspirational definition, stating that projects build the future of organizations and should be seen as essential and prestigious. He stresses the importance of project managers being proud of their work and the significant impact projects have on the future of companies. Project-driven vs. Operations-driven Organizations Antonio compares and contrasts project-driven and operations-driven organizations. He explains that most established companies are operations-driven, with operations at the core and projects as secondary. He also discusses the impact of the agile mindset, which broke down silos and hierarchies but still prioritized operations. Antonio introduces his model of a project-driven organization, where projects are at the core, teams are fully dedicated, and operations become more modular and secondary. Transformation from Operations-driven to Project-driven When offering tips on driving transformation from operations-driven to project-driven, Antonio identifies three main challenges: the organization's culture, the role of leaders, and the evolution of project management. He highlights the high failure rate of projects and the need for continuous transformation rather than continuous improvement, and emphasizes the importance of co-creation, bottom-up approaches, and the courage to stop projects that are not working. Managing Project Portfolios and Tracking Projects Antonio suggests conducting an inventory of all projects, identifying owners, and cutting a significant number of projects to focus on the most important ones. He recommends using project portfolio management (PPM) tools or simple Excel sheets to track projects. Antonio stresses the importance of prioritizing projects that lead to exponential growth and big bets rather than incremental improvements. When managing project portfolios and changing their management infrastructure, Antonio advises leaders to sponsor no more than three projects and to group projects into programs for better focus. He recommends having fully dedicated project teams where people leave their day jobs to focus on projects. Antonio explains that leaders should act more as coaches, empowering teams to take decisions and prioritize within projects. And finally, he emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge and being open to exchanging ideas with others. Timestamps: 00:02: Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez's Background and Mission 04:08: Introduction to Powered by Projects 07:29: Defining Projects and Their Importance 09:05: Project-Driven vs. Operations-Driven Organizations 16:28: Challenges and Solutions for Project Management 22:28: Managing Project Portfolios and Prioritization 29:01: Empowering Project Teams and Leadership Links: LinkedIn: Business: New Book: Other Books: HBR Articles: This episode on Umbrex: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at . *AI generated timestamps and show notes.
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625. Samora P. Z. Wolokolie, How to Hire a Consultant in Liberia
11/10/2025
625. Samora P. Z. Wolokolie, How to Hire a Consultant in Liberia
Show Notes: Samora Wolokolie talks about his dual roles as a CPA, CA and attorney in Monrovia, Liberia. Samora lists his credentials: chartered accountant, certified public accountant, certified forensic investigation professional, certified fraud examiner, certified tax practitioner, and lawyer, and details his academic background. He is also an assistant professor at the University of Liberia where he teaches all levels of accounting. Samora also teaches at other universities and holds graduate and post graduate degrees from Cuttington University, and Charisma University. He talks about his career path, including working with Deloitte in 2000, then moved to PKF Liberia and Baker Tilly, where he qualified as a chartered accountant in 2014. Serving as Liberia’s Deputy Minister of Finance for Fiscal AffairsSamora served as Liberia's Deputy Minister of Finance for Fiscal Affairs from 2018 to 2024, managing the national budget and growing it from $600 million to $800 million. When asked about the major sources of revenue for the Liberian government, Samora explains that over 80% of the government budget comes from domestic revenue, with the rest from External resources (donors like the IMF, World Bank, and European Union). He details the importance of conducting audits and meeting benchmarks to access external resources and shares a few examples of how this works. Samora discusses his role in developing revenue policies and regulations, focusing on domestic resource mobilization to grow the budget to $1 billion. He highlights the challenges and strategies needed to achieve this goal, including tax policies and revenue measures. He goes on to explain the structure of the companies he currently works for, his roles there, and how it focuses on both accounting and legal issues. Major Industries and Economic Potential in Liberia The conversation turns to the main industries in Liberia. Samora describes Liberia as an input-driven economy with significant potential in mining, forestry, and infrastructure development. He mentions the mining sector's potential, including gold, iron ore, and diamonds, and the involvement of companies like ArcelorMittal. Samora also discusses the forestry sector's potential, including logs and the Kimberley Process. He emphasizes the government's efforts in infrastructure development, particularly road construction and building maintenance. He goes on to talk about investment potential and licensing, shipping, and exporting. Consulting and Legal Processes in LiberiaSamora talks about the process of hiring independent consultants in Liberia. He advises talking to an attorney and a CPA. He recommends checking with the Liberian Institute of Certified Public Accountants (LICPA) and the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA) for licensed professionals. Samora explains the distinction between attorneys and counsellors at law in Liberia and recommends dealing with firms to ensure coverage through professional liability and insurance coverage. He goes into detail on the importance of following processes and doing due diligence and background checks when hiring consultants. Taxation and Labor Law Considerations for Foreign Companies Focusing on the tax implications for foreign companies hiring consultants in Liberia, Samora explains the withholding tax rates for resident and non-resident taxpayers, including the 10% and 15% rates for ordinary companies and the 6% rate for mining operations. He clarifies the concept of resident and non-resident status based on the number of days spent in Liberia. Samora discusses the importance of understanding Labor law considerations, including contracts, occupational health and safety, and long-term employment. He also explains the tax brackets and Social Security tax obligations for foreign companies, employees and independent contractors, in addition to labour laws and health and safety laws in Liberia. Insurance Requirements for Firms in Liberia. Samora advises firms to have professional liability insurance to cover potential transgressions. He emphasizes the importance of ensuring payments pass through formal financial institutions to avoid money laundering issues. Samora suggests using bank-to-bank wire transfers or prepaid cards for payments to consultants, and he reiterates the importance of due diligence and background checks when hiring consultants in Liberia. Timestamps: 04:11: Revenue Sources and Management in Liberia 09:38: Major Industries and Economic Potential 20:04: Consulting and Legal Processes in Liberia 27:08: Taxation and Labor Law Considerations 36:50: Insurance and Payment Methods Links: LinkedIn: Alliance CPA Inc: TORCH Professional Consultancy Inc: This episode on Umbrex: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at .
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624. David Nour, Author of Relationship Economics
10/27/2025
624. David Nour, Author of Relationship Economics
Show Notes: David Nour, author of Relationship Economics, discusses the six phases of strategic relationships. He emphasizes intentionality and a portfolio approach to relationship investing. The six phases he uses throughout the episode are: mapping, relating, nurturing, sustaining, requesting, and capitalizing. Different Levels of Relationship Management Nour explains that when a challenge arises, the first questions should be: Who do I need? Who do I know? How do I connect the dots? He contrasts haphazard outreach, simple lists, and CRM-driven discipline, underscoring the importance of intentionality and consistency. He highlights relationship mapping to achieve specific goals—beginning with identifying targets, nurturing, and sustaining relationships. In a pharma example, he shows how to identify key companies and contacts and introduces the ideal relationship profile—focusing on specific individuals (not logos) because relationships are built between people. He also stresses finding “lookalikes”: individuals whose values are aligned, who value and respect the relationship. Cold Outreach to Build Relationships On building new relationships—especially via cold outreach—Nour recommends focusing on fewer but better-qualified leads: go where potential clients already are (e.g., micro-events), be more interested than interesting, and engage with thoughtful questions. Quick, consistent follow-up turns initial introductions into meaningful relationships. He shares specific questions he uses to spark valuable conversations and secure meetings. Initial Conversations in Relationship Building Nour critiques “intellectually lazy” openings like “Tell me about your situation.” Instead, come prepared with a hypothesis based on research and use questions to set the agenda. Authenticity matters: each consultant should develop their own style. To avoid being forgettable, respectfully provoke prospects to think differently. Unpacking the Four Middle Phases Nour details the four phases that form the “engine” of relationship development: Relating: Share relevant stories so prospects see themselves in similar situations. Nurturing: Add value with ideas, checklists, and stress-testing to build trust and credibility. Sustaining: Maintain momentum over time; help the buyer buy; enable internal champions. Requesting: Earn the right to ask for deeper access (e.g., org charts, NDAs, stakeholder conversations) to better understand needs and increase impact. Capitalizing on Relationships After Project Completion Two-thirds of the way through a project, identify existing, impending, and created needs to link projects and avoid losing momentum post-delivery. Nour shares how he invites senior executives from one client to speak at another client’s event (non-competing industries), creating an ecosystem of seasoned leaders who become walking case studies. Climbing the Relationship Value Pyramid Nour bridges the gap between recognizing the importance of relationships and harnessing their significance with three ideas: Intelligent Relationship Management: Set relationship-centric outcomes, identify pivotal contacts, and make consistent “favor economy” deposits. Strategic Relationship Planning: Map company-to-company relationships from now to next (champions, cadence, outcomes). Relationship Value Pyramid: Categorize by depth and relevance—situation, investment, portfolio, recall (2 a.m.)—and apply a portfolio approach with a “three-touch rule” before reallocating attention. Reciprocity in Relationship Building Nour reviews gratitude, reciprocity, and paying it forward as observable behaviors. Twice a year, he reviews his top 100 relationships to prioritize where to invest next. He also mentions Avnir, his AI platform that builds a private relationship vault from existing data sources and prompts context-relevant actions to deepen connections. Timestamps 05:40: Mapping & Ideal Relationship Profiles 10:20: Building New Relationships (Cold Outreach) 22:16: The Six Phases: Mapping, Relating, Nurturing, Sustaining, Requesting, Capitalizing 28:31: Capitalizing on Relationships 35:51: Relationship Economics Framework 42:34: Portfolio Approach & Three-Touch Rule 48:41: Activating the Untapped Power of Relationships Links Professional Services Website: AI Platform Website: Nour on LinkedIn: This episode on Umbrex: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at .
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623. Kartik Sundar, TeamSlide, A Free AI Tool for Generating Consulting-style PPT Slides
10/20/2025
623. Kartik Sundar, TeamSlide, A Free AI Tool for Generating Consulting-style PPT Slides
Show Notes: Kartik Sundar, founder of TeamSlide, a tool that uses AI to create PowerPoint slides, explains that TeamSlide is available through a web browser and a PowerPoint add-in, with users starting in the web browser and eventually using the add-in for more seamless access. A Demonstration of TeamSlide Kartik demonstrates how TeamSlide converts notes into consulting-style slides using AI for visual design and text layout. He explains the chat interface-like layout and the ability to generate multiple slide layouts from the same content. TeamSlide identifies the best layout for the story and structures it accordingly, using the example of four takeaways. Users can select specific layouts and input data, which TeamSlide will then convert into the chosen template. Features and Customization of TeamSlide Kartik shows how users can be more prescriptive by selecting specific layouts and inputting data, which TeamSlide will then convert into the chosen template. Kartik explains that TeamSlide considers the size of text boxes and edits sentences to fit within them, maintaining the look and feel of the slide. He pulls data from ChatGPT to demonstrate how TeamSlide adapts the information to the slide deck. When asked about using personal PowerPoint templates, Kartik explains that while independent users cannot insert their own templates, TeamSlide's templates are designed to be transferable to any PowerPoint template. Kartik mentions that consulting firms and enterprises can specify their templates and layouts, which TeamSlide will then adapt to fit their brand and voice. Exploring Templates and Features Kartik demonstrates the variety of templates available in TeamSlide, including flows, executive summaries, data visualization, and specialized slides like maturity curves and funnels. Kartik talks about the different templates, noting the advanced manipulation capabilities of TeamSlide, such as restructuring slides in complex ways to meet specific needs and uses building an org chart with specified team members as an example. Kartik explains that independent consultants can access TeamSlide for free, while enterprises can tailor the solution to their brand and voice for a fee. PowerPoint Add-In and AI Assistant Kartik demonstrates the PowerPoint add-in, which is available in Microsoft's app source and integrates seamlessly with PowerPoint for a more streamlined experience. When asked about the integration of personal PowerPoint templates, Kartik explains that the add-in will transfer the color scheme and styling of the user's template. He also mentions the search function in TeamSlide, which allows users to find slides in their knowledge repository, such as SharePoint or Box. History and Evolution of TeamSlide Kartik provides a brief history of TeamSlide, starting with a deep slide search tool in 2014 and evolving to include AI-generated slides and the training data used to develop the tool. TeamSlide was initially designed for consulting firms to improve the process of finding and creating slides, and later expanded to serve marketing and sales teams. The AI aspect of TeamSlide was developed after testing internally to see what features would be most valuable to their audience. Integration of Brand Voice Kartik highlights the importance of tailoring the solution to the brand and voice of consulting firms and enterprises, ensuring that the slides fit their specific needs.The conversation summarizes the various features and benefits of TeamSlide, including the ability to generate slides with specific layouts and data, and the advanced manipulation capabilities. The pricing for enterprises depends on the number of users and includes customization charges. Timestamps: 00:02: Overview of TeamSlide 02:08: Demo of TeamSlide in the Browser 04:52: Advanced Features and Customization 07:05: Exploring Templates and Features 11:39: PowerPoint Add-In and AI Assistant 17:27: History and Evolution of TeamSlide Links: This episode on Umbrex: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at .
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622. Brian Potter, Author of The Origins of Efficiency
10/13/2025
622. Brian Potter, Author of The Origins of Efficiency
Show Notes: Brian Potter, author of The Origins of Efficiency, explains his core model of efficiency, which includes five levers: production method, increasing production rate, lowering input costs, removing steps, and reducing variability. The Work behind the Book Brian discusses his background in the construction industry and his initial struggles in writing the book, including difficulties in explaining his thesis simply and coherently and the inspiration behind writing the book. He describes his process of iterating and refining his ideas, eventually classifying various strategies for improving productivity into a few key buckets. Economies of Scale in the Construction Industry The conversation turns to the book’s argument that construction costs have not decreased, contrasting it with other manufactured goods. Brian explains the unique challenges in achieving economies of scale in construction, such as the difficulty in transporting buildings and the high costs of building materials and labor. He discusses the historical lack of economies of scale in large home builders and the challenges posed by different building codes, permitting jurisdictions, and environmental requirements. Brian emphasizes the difficulty of reducing input costs in construction due to the fixed nature of building materials and labor costs and explains how it compares to other industries and products. How Transport Impacts Costs in Construction The book explores the importance of reducing transport costs for efficiency gains, and Brian explains how the development of railroads in the 19th century enabled large-scale production by reducing transport costs and improving reliability. He discusses the impact of container shipping on modern manufacturing, highlighting the cost advantages of larger container ships due to geometric scaling and fixed cost scaling. Brian also mentions the historical example of iron stoves becoming more common after the development of railroads, which made it economical to transport them long distances. How Changing Production Methods Reduce Cost Brian is asked for an example of how changing production methods can unlock efficiency, and he talks about the discovery of a new process for making steel, which dramatically reduced the cost and time required to produce steel compared to the cementation process. He explains how the Bessemer process allowed for the widespread use of steel in construction, enabling the construction of buildings with steel frames. Brian highlights the importance of technological advancements in reducing the cost and increasing the efficiency of production methods. Examples of Efficiency Gains: Increasing Production Rate When asked for an example of how increasing production rate can lead to efficiency gains, Brian refers to container shipping, where larger ships have reduced costs per container due to geometric scaling and fixed cost scaling. He explains how spreading fixed costs over a larger output can make production more efficient. Brian mentions the example of Japanese factories in the 1980s, which were cheaper to build because they needed to store less inventory due to lean manufacturing principles. How Lowering Input Costs Leads to Efficiency Gains Brian explains how thread is an example of how lowering input costs can lead to efficiency gains. Thread became much cheaper due to technological advancements in spinning and weaving. He explains how cheaper inputs can lead to lower costs in the final product, making it more affordable for consumers. Brian also mentions the example of Iceland producing a large amount of aluminum due to its cheap hydroelectricity, which is a significant input cost in aluminum production. Improving Efficiency Gains by Removing Steps Brian shares an example of removing unnecessary steps in the production process at Tesla, such as removing sound-absorbing mats in the car that did not add value and the robots were having great difficulty installing. When they ran tests they found the mats didn’t actually improve noise reduction. Brian explains how minimizing unnecessary steps can reduce costs and improve efficiency. He talks about common steps that can be removed ,and the importance of minimizing inventories and buffers in lean manufacturing to reduce costs and improve flow. Reducing Variability to Improve Efficiency Gains Brian discusses the example of semiconductor manufacturing, where reducing variability can significantly increase yields and reduce waste. He explains how precise control of the manufacturing process can lead to more reliable and efficient production. Brian mentions the importance of reducing errors and failures in production processes to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Evolution of Construction Physics Brian explains how his Substack started focusing on construction and housing but expanded to include topics like the energy grid, energy tech, institutions, innovation dynamics, and global production. He explains how his work at a construction startup influenced the topics he covered in the Substack, and how he began by just following his interests. However, later a thinktank became a fan of his Substack and sponsored him. Brian also mentions the support he received from the Institute for Progress, which helped him expand his reach and focus on broader topics. The Role of Institutions and Organizations as a Production Technology Brian explains that organizations and the way work is structured can be a significant factor in productivity improvement. He discusses the importance of lean manufacturing and other industrial improvement methods in rearranging work to improve efficiency. He also mentions that organizations and their patterns and behaviors can embody important technological knowledge and practices. Research and Primary Sources Brian shares that he is primarily a text-based researcher and relies on books, manuals, and other written sources for his research. He explains that his experience working in the construction industry informs his understanding of different industries and production methods. He also discusses the importance of finding sources that provide detailed information about production processes and technological advancements, and why he doesn’t talk to much about manufacturing in China. Future Plans and Final Thoughts Looking ahead, Brian has ideas for new books, including a short history of the shipbuilding industry. He also discusses his ongoing work on the Substack Construction Physics and his focus on following his interests and learning more about various topics. Timestamps: 00:02: Origins of Efficiency: Introduction and Core Model 05:07: Challenges in Construction Efficiency 09:37: Transport Costs and Economies of Scale 14:10: Examples of Efficiency Gains: Production Methods 18:55: Examples of Efficiency Gains: Increasing Production Rate 21:16: Examples of Efficiency Gains: Lowering Input Costs 24:10: Examples of Efficiency Gains: Removing Steps 27:38: Examples of Efficiency Gains: Reducing Variability Links: Substack: (embedded link on that phrase should be: The Book: (link should be: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at .
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621. Vadim Rogovskiy, Founder of EVE
10/06/2025
621. Vadim Rogovskiy, Founder of EVE
Introducing EVE This episode kicks off with an introduction to EVE, an AI operator that turns email inboxes into lead generation. Founder Vadim Rogovskiy explains that EVE helps small businesses organize their inboxes to find leads and follow-ups. EVE saves time by drafting personalized emails and flagging upsell or churn signals. He mentions the special pricing: $250 per month for an individual plan and $500 per month for a team plan. EVE offers a seven-day trial, a refund for the first month, and a risk-free first month. Vadim also provides information on how to find more information about EVE online and on LinkedIn. EVE for Independent Consultants The conversation highlights how EVE can be useful for independent consultants who manage their own sales and work. Vadim explains that EVE requires minimal onboarding; users just need to connect their corporate email. EVE integrates with Google and Microsoft for privacy and security, and EVE builds a knowledge graph about the business by analyzing years of email data and internet-based research. Functionality and Features Vadim describes how EVE classifies contacts and extracts customer profiles from email data and public databases. EVE analyses communication to adopt tone and style, and provides an executive summary of the business to filter and prioritize leads. EVE flags leads that fit the ideal customer profile and provides necessary context for follow-ups and analyzes and prioritizes urgency. EVE can draft emails in the user's style and automate bespoke responses based on previous email history. Automated Re-Engagement of Cold Leads When asked about re-engaging cold leads that have not responded in months or years, Vadim explains that EVE can suggest templates for re-engaging cold leads. EVE's vision includes automating communications to handle a majority of leads without human intervention. EVE can schedule calls, draft contracts, and answer questions based on the company's knowledge base. EVE's Capabilities in Action. Vadim shares his screen and logs into EVE using his corporate email. EVE displays new opportunities and follow-up leads, providing context and recommended actions. EVE shows a full history of communication with leads and allows filtering by various criteria. Timestamps: 00:02: Overview of EVE 01:28: Use Cases and Onboarding Process 04:28: Detailed Functionality and Features 06:40: Re-Engaging Cold Leads 10:25: Demonstration of EVE's Capabilities 13:49: Pricing and Availability Links: Website: LinkedIn: This episode on Umbrex: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at .
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620. Christian Derosiers, Co-founder of Flashpoint.ai
09/29/2025
620. Christian Derosiers, Co-founder of Flashpoint.ai
Show Notes: Christian Derosier, co-founder of Flashpoint.ai, explains that it is an AI-native market research agency that offers tools and methods typically used by market research agencies but at a fraction of the time and cost. Flashpoint.ai includes surveys, media monitoring, expert calls, and proprietary tools, aiming to provide a comprehensive market research solution. The tool is designed to help business leaders and consultants live at the level of business problems, clarifying objectives and translating them into a coordinated set of tools. Demonstrating Flashpoint.ai Features Christian shares his screen to demonstrate the tool, starting with a generic research query about market trends related to lactose-free ice cream in the United States. The tool generates an AI web overview, providing initial context and a research plan, including sections on growth drivers, consumer preferences, competition, and barriers to scale. Users can edit and add new sections to the research plan, and the tool provides an AI assistant for further context and detail. The action plan translates the high-level objective into specific tools, such as surveys, expert interviews, and generative R&D testing. The Generative R&D Tool Christian explains the generative R&D tool, which conducts market testing by running ads to evaluate interest and demand for products. The tool generates ads and landing pages, allowing users to observe real consumer behavior and preferences. The ads are deployed on Google Ads, and the landing pages provide real information and links to actual products or services. The tool is useful for concept testing, new product development, and disruptive innovation, as it allows testing without attaching real brand names. Generative R&D Case Study Christian shares a case study where a small liberal arts school used the generative R&D tool to test different marketing strategies. The school tested various concepts, including study abroad offers, practical applications of liberal arts degrees, and even anti-woke liberal arts schools. The tool helped the school identify latent demand and insights into future planning. The cost for running the ads and generating insights is relatively low, making it an efficient and cost-effective method for market research. Flashpoint.ai Licensing The base fee for a Flashpoint.ai license is $40 per month per user, billed annually at $480. Additional costs come from sample sizes, ad runs, expert calls, and other project-specific expenses. Users can purchase resources a la carte for each project, avoiding long-term commitments. The tool is available on flashpoint.ai, and additional resources, such as sample deliverables and video walkthroughs, can be provided upon request. Timestamps: 0:02: Overview of Flashpoint.ai 04:07 Live Demo of Flashpoint.ai 11:29: Generative R&D Testing 21:41: Case Study and Insights 23:50: Pricing and Availability Links: Website: This episode on Umbrex: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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619. Uday Turaga, What the AI Boom Means for Energy
09/22/2025
619. Uday Turaga, What the AI Boom Means for Energy
Show Notes: Uday Turaga runs ADI Analytics, a boutique firm specializing in oil and gas, energy, and chemical industries. ADI Analytics was founded in 2009, has 20 employees, and operates globally. The firm focuses on the value chain across oil and gas, energy, and chemicals, including upstream exploration, midstream natural gas and LNG markets, downstream fuels, power utilities, and energy transition. In 2017, ADI Analytics acquired Chemical Market Resources, expanding its capabilities in the chemicals and materials spaces. Oil and Gas Projects Uday discusses various oil and gas projects, including work with large oil and gas majors like Exxon, BP, and Shell. ADI Analytics helps refining independents explore export markets in Latin America due to the US refining complex's gasoline surplus. The firm conducts feasibility studies for LNG export terminals on the US Gulf Coast, analyzing competitive positioning, technology, risks, and financing. He explains that scenario planning for an oil major focuses on long-term energy demand, and how it can be affected by the growing demand for natural gas from data centers and emerging markets globally. About ADI Analytics Uday talks about ADI Analytics. They work with large chemical players like BASF, Dow, and SABIC, covering the entire value chain, and help them on the feedstocks conversion into key building blocks in the chemicals industries, such as olefins, aromatics, and then all the derivatives, and further down into plastics, polymers and and how those plastics and polymers end up in our lives as consumers. He explains why the chemical industry is distressed, and how the firm helps clients understand the cost competitiveness of different chemicals globally and the impact of energy transition on the industry. Projects include due diligence for private equity firms on specialty chemical and materials markets and mapping the impact of energy transition on supply chains. Data Center Growth in the US Uday provides an overview of the data center landscape, noting the significant growth in data center capacity in the US Hyperscalers are building larger data centers, often in non-traditional locations like Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, driven by the need for secure energy and power. He explains how large the demand for electricity from data centers is with hyperscalers requiring up to a gigawatt of power, which is challenging to secure. Energy needs between households and data centers are compared to give an example of the scale needed. However, the process of adding new power generation capacity to the grid is slow, with interconnection queues taking multiple years, leading to delays in meeting data center power needs. Energy Sources and Strategies for Data Centers Hyperscalers are pursuing various strategies to secure power, including building data centers in non-preferred locations, partnering with utilities, and investing in early-stage technologies like geothermal and small modular nuclear reactors. Uday discusses the challenges of securing power for data centers, including the need for significant new power generation capacity and the difficulties in connecting to the grid. The conversation highlights the importance of low-carbon energy sources for data centers, with interest in geothermal, nuclear, and hydrogen. ADI Analytics is involved in projects helping tech companies identify sources of low-carbon energy and exploring opportunities for oil and gas majors in the power generation space. Geothermal Energy and Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Uday explains the potential of geothermal energy, including traditional hydrothermal resources and advanced geothermal systems (EGS). EGS involves drilling deep into the Earth's surface to extract heat, but the technology is still in development and faces challenges like high costs and engineering complexities. Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) are gaining interest due to growing electricity demand from data centers and industrial electrification. The conversation covers the regulatory and permitting challenges for SMRs, the need for innovation in nuclear power, and the potential for these technologies to address energy needs. Politics and Policy on Energy Projects The conversation turns to the impact of political and policy decisions on energy projects, including the opposition to renewable energy projects and support for nuclear power. Uday highlights the need for a balanced energy policy that supports all forms of energy, recognizing the unique advantages and challenges of each technology. He emphasizes the importance of allowing markets to determine the most competitive energy solutions, rather than imposing political or regulatory barriers. The discussion concludes with a call for a more cohesive and market-driven energy policy to meet the diverse energy needs of the future. Timestamps 02:22 Oil and Gas Project Examples 04:56: Chemical Industry Projects 08:16: Data Center Trends and Challenges 23:45: Energy Sources and Strategies for Data Centers 25:28: Geothermal Energy and Small Modular Nuclear Reactors 33:18: Political and Policy Considerations Links: ADI Analytics website: LinkedIn: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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618. David A. Fields, How AI is Impacting Consulting Hiring
09/15/2025
618. David A. Fields, How AI is Impacting Consulting Hiring
Show Notes: David A. Fields talks about how AI is affecting consulting firms. David clarifies that his company’s active client base is 30-50 firms, and they are being asked more frequently to help firms with an AI strategy. In terms of size, 20% of their business is solo consultants, while the rest are mostly businesses that range from $2 million to $100 million. Consulting Firms and AI Adoption David explains that the average revenue per FTE in consulting has remained around $250,000 for the past decade.He notes that firms are looking to create the same revenue with fewer people, which is the big promise of AI. He mentions the wide range of AI adoption rates among firms, from those just starting with chatbots to those seeing significant productivity gains. He also highlights the impact of AI on hiring junior people, with firms debating whether to hire junior analysts or use AI for faster, cheaper work. How High-Adopter Firms Use AI The conversation turns to examples of high-adopter firms and the tools they use. David describes a Canadian client that has seen 60% productivity gains by replacing functions with AI, including analysis, presentations, and proposals. The client has taken a hard line on not hiring anyone if AI can replace the function, leading to significant productivity gains and faster client results. David explains that the client uses AI to create summaries of context discussions, and templates for presentations and proposals, which are then populated with data. Additionally, AI speeds turnaround time, and has reduced the need to hire more people to do analysis or when the number of clients increases. Challenges and Opportunities in AI Adoption David discusses the challenges of creating effective AI templates and the importance of good direction for AI tools. He mentions that firms are often building AI templates in-house with some direction from experts. He talks about the variety of AI tools available, including general-purpose tools like ChatGPT and specialized tools for specific tasks. David emphasizes the importance of staying flexible and not fully committing to any one tool by subscribing to an annual membership, as the landscape is constantly changing. Variation in AI Adoption by Functional Areas The discussion moves on to variations in AI adoption by functional areas like strategy, operations, marketing, etc. David explains that adoption rates are more driven by the founder's mindset and operational orientation rather than the specific function. He notes that some industries feel less pressure to adopt AI, while others recognize that AI delivers the analytical horsepower that is needed to stay relevant. There are varying levels of AI adoption across different firms. Predictions for AI in 2026 David predicts that the next few months will be spiky, with specialists who can provide practical applications of AI faring better. He mentions that generalist recommendation givers may struggle more. It is recognized that clients often prefer consultants with specific industry experience, which can be a challenge for AI tools. He also mentions the limitations of AI research. When it comes to advice for junior consultants looking to enter the field, David suggests that domain expertise and knowledge that AI tools don't have are crucial for getting into consulting firms. He emphasizes the importance of being a top user of AI tools and for junior consultants to differentiate themselves by mastering AI tools and demonstrating their value to firms. Timestamps: 02:40: Impact of AI on Hiring and Revenue in Consulting Firms 05:59: Specific AI Tools and Practices in High-Adopter Firms 11:12: Challenges and Opportunities in AI Adoption 14:56: Variation in AI Adoption by Functional Areas 19:26: Predictions for AI in 2026 and Beyond 21:06: Advice for Junior Consultants Links: Website: . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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617. Sri Kaza, Unconvention: A Small Business Strategy Guide
09/01/2025
617. Sri Kaza, Unconvention: A Small Business Strategy Guide
Show Notes: Sri Kaza is a former McKinsey partner and the author of Unconvention, A Small Business Strategy Guide. Sri explains why he left McKinsey after nearly a decade of working with large corporations, to start working with small businesses. Around 12 years ago he decided to pursue entrepreneurship and independence. He worked for Tor Hagen at Viking Cruises, who was a former McKinsey partner, and Sri was impressed by Tor’s ability to allow his vision to take risks and drive decision-making. This inspired Sri to look more broadly at entrepreneurship. The Tax Credit Company After working with Hagen, Sri joined a new entrepreneurial venture, the Tax Credit Co., which focused on small businesses with less than 100 or 500 employees. His focus was operationalizing their work opportunity tax credit business, helping them access the government credits they simply were not aware of. Sri’s company spent a significant amount of time and money acquiring customers, focusing on providing value and helping them navigate the complex world of tax credits. Explaining The Work Opportunity Tax Credit Sri explains how The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which allows small businesses to claim tax credits up to 2000 dollars for hiring individuals on government assistance or from unique districts with socio-economic issues. Sri talks about the scale of tax credit opportunities available as well as the potential for fraud and exploitation. To build a scalable back end, Sri drew from his McKinsey experience and suggests thinking about the business from the perspective of the small business owner and providing guidance on where the big problems are. Small Business Lending Sri shared examples from his most recent role as CEO of ForwardLine Financial, a small business lender about being informative and helping businesses research their problems. This approach helped both the small business clients and Sri’s company scale up well; but many of their clients’ business faced challenges during the COVID pandemic and a third of their customers did not survive the pandemic. Sri then developed a framework for building business cases and understanding the strategies of small firms, helping them apply funds and succeed. It was this experience that inspired the concept of his book. Agility and Speed of Decision-Making Incorporating agility and speed of decision making into a small business framework is crucial for success. Small business owners have the advantage of knowing their customers day-to-day and making decisions quickly. This is different from CEOs of big companies, who have to make decisions based on government restrictions. Sri explains that, during the post-COVID period, many businesses didn't wait to set up their standards for their in-store experience. They adjusted their offerings based on customer preferences, even in states with more freedom. For example, in Florida and Texas, businesses with a large number of operations struggled and saw higher revenue declines on average than some California cities. Business owners in these states didn't wait for the government to dictate their practices, but instead understood their customers' concerns and did their own research. This allowed them to make decisions quickly and reflect their customers' preferences, which helped them stay in better shape than chains that were waiting for national rules. The Importance of Purpose and Pride for Small Businesses Sri discusses the concept of purpose in small businesses, comparing it to the concept of Shokunin, or craftsmanship. Sri talks about his time in Japan and what he learned from small businesses there. He found that these businesses focused on their craft rather than profit or growth. He later realized that purpose allows individuals to choose their return on investment and pursue their passions. Individuals often leave consulting to pursue independence, not to make more money. They value the freedoms they gain from doing so. When making decisions, it's crucial not to compromise on their purpose, as it's powerful and doesn't have to follow the path of larger corporations. Pricing for Small Businesses Sri discusses the concept of raising prices for small businesses, which can be a challenge. He explains that there is more to understanding customer value than just price, and that small businesses should be conscious of the benefits they are sharing. He suggests that small businesses should not solely focus on profit but also on what they are trying to accomplish. He lays out pricing principles in his book to help small businesses understand how to calculate pricing and be conscious of the driving factors behind it that may not simply be profit. Plans for the Future Sri's personal plans for his book include becoming a coach or consultant to small businesses, launching a nonprofit foundation, and having an impact on 30 million entrepreneurs in the country. He believes that these entrepreneurs are challenged and need advice from people who have practical experience. He plans to create a nonprofit foundation and help build tools and reach a wider distribution. Timestamps: 02:15: Sri Kaza's Background and Entrepreneurial Journey 03:52: Challenges and Successes in Small Business Consulting 08:02: The Concept of Underdog Principles 22:40: Purpose and Craftsmanship in Small Businesses 26:27: Agility and Speed in Small Business Decision-Making 27:03: Value and Pricing in Small Businesses 28:42: Future Plans and Impact of the Book Links: Website: Gift for Unleashed Listeners: Substack: The Book: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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616. Sandor Marton, Chronos Insights, a Gen AI Tool for Market Assessments
08/18/2025
616. Sandor Marton, Chronos Insights, a Gen AI Tool for Market Assessments
Show Notes: Sandor Marton, a McKinsey alum and co-founder of Chronos Insights introduces the AI research companion tool and explains its features. Sandor shares his background in growth strategy, commercial strategy, and due diligence work. He identifies the problems faced by small firms and independent practitioners who don’t have large teams in place to assign people to do the massive amount of necessary foundational research, which limits the size of projects they can take on. An Overview of Chronos Insights Sandor discusses partnering with Matt Jones and Dustin Chrysler to develop an AI-powered solution for market and competitive landscape research. He talks about the background of the team and the issues they initially tackled. The team aimed to create a specialized prompt leveraging ChatGPT's large language model while moving away from ChatGPT’s programming “to make people happy” and to deliver more accurate results. They developed their tool, Chronos, with a different approach. The tool uses neural search and keyword search to provide more accurate and sourced research solutions. Sandor talks about how they tested the agents. He found it saved 75% of research time using the platform and emphasizes the need for review and revision of AI-generated outputs. Chronos Research Capabilities The conversation turns to access to proprietary databases, and Sandor explains the current use of the alpha version sources publicly available information. He also talks about their engineering resources and can build a version that taps into proprietary, private, or licensed resources, and that the user can direct the agent to source from specific sources. Sandor refers to a large Fortune 100 company that has hired them to build an agent to work with their internal research team. Sandor discusses potential future features like an interview finder tool and a composite self-referencing insights feature. The discussion touches on the flexibility of the tool in handling different types of research problems. User Interface Explained Sandor explains the simple UI of the tool, which includes five landing pages: Project Overview, Research Statement of Work, Research Plan, Research Tab, and Research Summary. The tool creates a research plan based on the user's research statement of work, breaking it down into discrete task prompts. Sandor demonstrates how to use the tool by copying and pasting a Word document into the Research Statement of Work tab. The tool generates a detailed research plan, including market landscape, competitor landscape, and key trends and developments. Project Overview Research Plan Generation Sandor explains the process of generating a research plan, including organizing research tasks by major research categories and subsections. He shares an example of the various categories to be researched within the statement of work. The tool creates task prompts for each topic within the research statement of work. Users can edit tasks and change the language model used for research. Sandor highlights the efficiency of running multiple tasks concurrently using the platform and demonstrates how it works and the various categories of research that can be explored, analyzed, and summarized. How Chronos Summarizes Prompts Sections Identified and Tasks to Complete Subsections Explained Reviewing and Exporting Sandor demonstrates how to review and export the research outputs generated by the tool. The tool provides citations for each task, allowing users to verify the sources. Users can rerun tasks and edit them as needed. The tool offers a research summary feature, which condenses the research outputs into a concise format. Research Task Overview Market Landscape Research Use Cases and Future Developments Sandor talks about use cases and future developments. He explains that it can handle various research topics and how they have programmed the agent to eliminate errors. Sandor mentions a project which included researching sales cycles and client selection criteria. The tool has potential for developing primary research, valuation and diligence work, and incorporating proprietary or licensed material. Timestamps: 02:44: Development of the AI Research Companion 05:42: Current and Future Features of the Tool 08:55: Walkthrough of the AI Research Companion Tool 18:54: Detailed Explanation of the Research Plan 25:22: Running and Reviewing the Research Plan 33:20: Future Developments and Use Cases 37:20: Conclusion and Contact Information Links: Website: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at .
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615. Sid Masson, Co-Founder of Wokelo.ai, a Powerful Tool for Commercial Due Diligence
08/11/2025
615. Sid Masson, Co-Founder of Wokelo.ai, a Powerful Tool for Commercial Due Diligence
Show Notes: Sid Masson, co-founder and CEO of Wokelo.ai explains that Wokelo is an agentic platform for investment research and commercial due diligence, automating market research and desk research activities performed by consulting firms, investment banks, private equity analysts and so on. It offers private market research and allows the user to pass through hundreds and 1000s of data sets in a matter of minutes, but beyond just research, it automates end-to-end deliverables, all the way to a well formatted PowerPoint deck in a format of your choice. How Wokelo.ai Works Sid mentions that Wokelo has been in production for two and a half years and commercially launched in November 2023. The platform has 40+ paying customers, including big four consulting firms like KPMG, investment banks, and venture capital firms. Pricing starts at $30,000 annually for five seats and proportionate usage. Sid explains that larger enterprises use bespoke models which cost more and cases where certain boutique consulting firms who may not have may not need five or 10 seats and are offered customized pricing. Wokelo also ensures various security levels, including SOC 2 compliant cloud, private cloud instances, and on-prem deployments. A Demonstration of Wokelo Sid explains Wokelo's web application, which offers several workflows for different tasks. The platform includes standardized workflows like company research, industry research, and market maps, as well as custom workflows designed by users. He demonstrates the process of creating a live report for a company, including adding company attributes, uploading files, and generating insights. The platform generates a detailed, editable notebook with insights, sources, and charts, which can be exported in various formats. Sid lists the data sources Wokelo uses, including third-party data partnerships, public data scraping, and user-uploaded data. The platform has partnerships with CrunchBase, PitchBook, SNP Cap IQ, and IEP Query for patent data. Wokelo's proprietary private company database includes detailed information beyond firmographics, such as product catalogs and management profiles. Wokelo’s Custom Workflow Feature Sid explains the custom workflow feature, which allows users to design their own bespoke workflows to mimic their existing methodologies. Custom workflows can include custom analysis, synergy potential mapping, and IC memos, tailored to specific user needs. The platform's user interface is designed to be easy to use, with guardrails and standardized constraints to ensure high-quality outputs. Wokelo's editable notebooks and charts are designed to be user-friendly and customizable, allowing for detailed and professional reports. The Wokelo Team Sid shares the background of the Wokelo team, including his and his co-founder's experience in management consulting and AI. The team has grown from 10 to 25 members in the last 12 months, with a focus on building a solid product and team. Wokelo has raised two rounds of funding: a pre-seed round in 2023 and a seed round in September 2022, totaling $5.5 million. The funding has helped the team build a solid product and team, focusing on quality and value rather than excessive funding. Sid discusses the challenges of selling to large firms and the initial skepticism they face. Wokelo plans to continue iterating and improving the platform, focusing on user experience and domain expertise. The team aims to expand their customer base and offer more customized solutions to meet the evolving needs of their clients. Timestamps: 00:02: Overview of Wokelo and its purpose 02:47: Customer base and pricing 05:51: Demonstration of Wokelo's features 08:50: Data sources and security 19:24: Custom workflows and user interface 27:04: Team background and funding 35:46: Challenges and future plans Links: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at .
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614. Dina David, Umbrex and Veritux Mastermind Groups
08/07/2025
614. Dina David, Umbrex and Veritux Mastermind Groups
Show Notes: Will Bachman and Dina David, the facilitator for the Umbrex and Veritux Mastermind groups, discuss the program's basics. Mastermind groups are peer-structured programs for middle-seven to nine people, ideally eight, over a 10-month period. The program kicks off in September and wraps up in June, 2026. Applications are due August 15, and for those not yet members, independent consultants should join the community to access the opportunity. The Details on Mastermind Groups Dina explains that meetings take place monthly and are one hour sessions. The sessions take place online.They typically start with an introduction, a quick update on goals, and a check-in on progress. The majority of the session is dedicated to a deep dive into a specified topic, sharing practical ideas, best practices, and lessons learned. The session ends with a closing check-out, focusing on what was learned and what the group plans to do in the next month based on the conversations that have taken place. Dina also discusses the different formats of the groups, such as breakout groups, warm seats, guest speakers, and show and tells. Business Development and Online Presence Dina shares an example of how the program works and helped improve LinkedIn profiles. She also discusses the importance of deep dives into a website. The discussion revolves around firm overview documents, business development, and pricing strategies. It highlights the importance of having clear deliverables and testimonies to ensure that clients can remember their work. Business development is another key topic discussed, with examples of specific topics such as the fishing line, which helps consultants understand who they serve and what problems they solve. The group also discusses strategies for implementing comprehensive business development processes, such as using CRM systems like HubSpot. How to Improve Marketing Strategies Dina also touches on strategies for marketing, such as warm and cold outreach, and how to get people to respond to LinkedIn messages or emails. The group emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, but learning from others' strategies can help consultants stay ahead in today's busy world. Sharing templates and examples has been helpful in addressing the overwhelming amount of information available online. Approaches to Pricing Price is another important topic discussed, with many groups discussing tier-based pricing approaches, such as Bronze, Silver, and Gold options, and how to word offerings. This approach brings consultants closer to the value brace and helps them learn best practices from each other. Strategies include pricing when working with startups or maintaining a retainer. Handling Client Negotiations However, the discussion also touches on handling client negotiations and managing scroll scope creep. Many consultants face challenges in handling changes at the leadership level, dealing with organizational changes, and managing relationships with clients. Internal operations, such as insurance and invoicing, are also discussed, with examples of how consultants can benefit from external support. Scaling Up for Independent Firms The discussion revolves around the journey of scaling up for independent firms, which can be challenging but rewarding. It is essential to build networks and connections, as well as understand when to hire and manage subcontractors. The group debrief helps in making informed decisions about hiring and managing subcontractors. The Benefits of Joining a Mastermind Group Dina the benefits of joining these groups which include new projects, client referrals, networking opportunities, and accountability. Members gain access to peer-based resources, which can help them hold themselves accountable and stay motivated. Members state that they have built genuine relationships, which can be invaluable for their businesses. In between monthly sessions, members receive a recording, summary recap, and additional resources. They are assigned an accountability buddy from their group, who they check in with within the month of the next live session. This allows them to discuss ideas, support each other, and work towards their goals. Applications for the 2025 to 2026 cohort are due on August 15. If you are a member of Umbrex or Veritux, you will receive emails about the program and links to fill out the application. Timestamps: 00:02 Introduction and Overview of Mastermind Groups 01:23: Monthly Meeting Agenda 02:54: Specific Topics and Examples 09:00: Business Development and Pricing Strategies 11:05: Internal Operations and Scaling Up 13:31: Benefits and Accountability 15:02: Between-Session Activities Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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613. Brian Stollery, AlphaSense's AI Market Intel for Consulting
07/07/2025
613. Brian Stollery, AlphaSense's AI Market Intel for Consulting
Show Notes: Brian Stollery talks about AlphaSense, an information provider that independent consultants and boutique firms are using to gain an edge over those who rely on chat GPT or consumer LLM tools. AlphaSense is built for this kind of work, pulling in verified content such as industry reports, broker research filings, earnings calls, expert calls, news, and internal research and internal content. It layers this with market-leading AI functionality that can read and synthesize all of it to deliver consulting-grade insights at scale. AlphaSense Explained Brian clarifies that AlphaSense is not primarily an expert network like AlphaSights, but rather a market company and enterprise intelligence search engine for the AI generation. It offers the depth and breadth of authoritative data that would be obtained from a legacy research platform with the intuitive user experience of modern AI tools. The value of AlphaSense lies in the deep, authoritative content set that is the foundation of AlphaSense, along with the speed and accuracy of the AI that allows users to quickly surface relevant insights. Brian also talks about the major categories of sources of proprietary information that feed into AlphaSense. The AlphaSense Platform The AlphaSense platform features an index where users can go to different things, such as portfolio monitors, research topics, expert insights, news, risk signals on consumer tech growth investment strategy, events, company documents, and talent job executive movements. The dashboard includes eight or nine widgets that provide a list of seven or eight articles on various topics. These articles are sourced from various sources, such as news articles or interviews with experts. The platform also has over 200,000 pre-recorded, transcribed expert calls, which are added to the library for analysis by the AI. How AlphaSense Gathers Information The interviewers are usually conducted by-side analysts, corporate users, and experts in respective fields. They work with corporate development teams and head of corporate strategy to conduct these interviews. The platform believes that a rising tide lifts all boats, and every expert call that happens throughout the AlphaSense is published back in the platform to further enhance and grow its library of expert calls from subject matter experts who are currently active in their industry. AlphaSense Use Cases In management consulting, AlphaSense may not be suitable for calls that would be better suited to AlphaSights where the information is sensitive or should have restricted access. However, the use case for AlphaSense is to get up to speed on an engagement and quickly search across benchmark expert perspectives. This allows them to bolster their expertise within the management consulting space. AlphaSense is an institutional grade content engine that consolidates information from various sources, including expert calls, news, research reports, broker research, and more. It offers over 6000 vetted business and market news sources and trade journals, most of which require paywalls. AlphaSense allows users to bypass these paywalls and provides real-time insights from over 700 partners. The AlphaSense Dashboard The dashboard includes relevant documents related to executive movements, risk signals, growth, and investment strategies. Users can explore the dashboard by searching for trigger words related to their watchlist of consumer tech companies. The AI can then pull relevant documents, such as expert insights, event transcripts, press releases, and news, to provide valuable insights for business development or due diligence. The Executive Search Function The document search module within AlphaSense allows users to get forensic insights from relevant documents, such as executive search, talent, and hiring practices. The AI can also generate summary responses, which are useful for top-tier consulting use cases. However, the AI may sometimes make a guess or hallucination if an answer is not available. This is why the Big Three and Big Four rely on AlphaSense for their consulting use cases. The AlphaSense Research Tool The AlphaSense generative search tool is a research analyst team in a box. The tool is designed to answer macro business questions, such as market size or pricing trends. Brian checks McKinsey, Bain and BCG's performance in 2025, including their revenue, talent, hiring, and growth areas. The AI agent breaks down these questions into subquestions and finds 3000 documents across the content library. It then extracts documents from expert calls, press releases, investor relations presentations, research reports, and sustainability reports. The AI outputs a summary of the documents. The tool is particularly useful for understanding the performance of consulting firms like McKinsey Bain and BCG. Quality Sources and Quantitative Data AlphaSense provides bullet points on McKinsey, revenue, growth, talent, and hiring, with links to expert calls and other sources of data. The AI outputs are deep linked and cited to the source, ensuring accuracy. For instance, McKinsey Sciences for Growth, a 2025 focus, integrates tech-enabled capabilities and AI. BCG reported $13.5 billion in 2024 revenue, achieving 10% global growth and expanding its workforce to 33,000 employees. AlphaSense also has sentence-level citations, ensuring every sentence is deep linked and cited to its source. AlphaSense uses various models from partners like open AI, sonnet four, and Gemini 2.5, all grounded in high-quality, relevant documents. The tool's intelligence selects the best model based on the use case, whether it's reasoning-based or quantitative or qualitative. The AI is a comprehensive market-leading library of authoritative content that consultants care about. Modes of Research and Meeting Prep for Management Consultants Brian shares the typical use cases for management consultants using generative search platforms. He highlights two modes: think longer and deep research. Brian used generative search to prepare for a meeting with a client at a mid-sized consulting firm, focusing on digital strategy. The AI summarized transcripts, expert calls, earnings calls, and press releases from iHeart, highlighting the company's focus on technology, digitization, and AI-enabled automation as the key to cost savings and digital revenue acceleration. The platform also offers an iPhone app for on-the-go access to insights. The AI analyzed bullet points and planned insights on every section, creating a comprehensive competitive intelligence report. The report includes chatter on core service offerings, engagement models, pricing structures, sector specialization, news partnerships, partnerships, and tech bets. AlphaSense’s Generative Grid Brian talks about using AlphaSense's generative grid, which is a generative AI-powered spreadsheet to aggregate documents and interrogate them. This is useful for tracking executive compensation and performance components for target accounts. The grid allows consulting users to analyze past performance and understand the current climate. Another use case is connecting consulting, transformation, and strategic advisory services to key performance indicators, such as free cash flow, human capital, strategic objectives, or EBITDA. By attaching value drivers directly to performance components, consultants can focus on adjusted EBITDA growth, cost optimization, Target, discover integration execution drive, adjusted ROTC, and revenue growth tied to executive compensation. AlphaSense for Understanding Business Development Brian explains that the use cases and projects of consultants using AlphaSense vary, but one major use case is business development understanding. It helps in identifying companies' propensity for M&A or divestitures, such as changes in management or new strategic initiatives. AlphaSense also offers a deal scanner for M&A consultants looking at acquisitions or private equity deals across a portfolio of companies or industries. It also provides due diligence services, such as meeting prep, company research, trend analysis, market assessment, client benchmarking, and sentiment analysis. Alpha Sense’s Access to Information Providers AlphaSense has access to SEC filings, newspapers, trade journals, investment bank coverage, and reports. AlphaSense also has access to other information providers like CrunchBase, capital, IQ, and Pitch Book. The Venn diagram highlights the overlap of information between AlphaSense and other information providers, such as CrunchBase, Morningstar, and CrunchBase. If a company's revenue or employee count is in CrunchBase, it can be accessed via AlphaSense. Alpha Sense vs. Capital IQ The conversation turns to the differences between AlphaSense and Capital IQ, a financial reporting platform. AlphaSense is an end-to-end intelligence engine that provides access to investment banking reports, but it requires downloading them one by one. It is not possible to search across all content sets at once. Capital IQ, on the other hand, offers valuable structured data, is great for downloading Industry Reports, and is a strategic database of financials and filings. It is also useful for importing statistical or financial models into Excel. AlphaSense, on the other hand, is an end-to-end intelligence engine that provides decision-ready insights across billions of data points. Timestamps: 03:23: Overview of AlphaSense's Content and AI Capabilities 07:27: Detailed Walkthrough of AlphaSense Dashboard 12:38: Exploring Different Categories of Information Sources 16:36: Generative Search and Deep Research Capabilities 26:05: Use Cases for Management Consultants 42:50: Comparison with Other Information Providers 49:22: Pricing and Accessibility Links: Website: Recently feature on AlphaSense on CNBC with more insight on our Deep Research differentiation: If folks want to reach out directly for their own personalized demo: Email: bstollery@alpha-sense.com LinkedIn: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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612. Wes Wheless, Intellectual Headshots for Solo Consultants
06/30/2025
612. Wes Wheless, Intellectual Headshots for Solo Consultants
Wes Wheless helps solo consultants bottle their secret sauce. To do so, Wes offers two services: The NicheFinder Sprint and The IP Builder Sprint. He believes that consultants need to identify a niche or specialization and a unique approach to serving that niche, typically codified into intellectual property (IP). Each sprint is delivered one-on-one over 1-2 weeks. Niche Finder Explained NicheFinder is designed for early-stage solo consultants who are struggling to narrow down their niche. It involves working one-on-one to identify their zone of genius and then lay out potential ICPs. The client and the consultant come up with three specific ICPs, which are then run through a custom GPT that runs a detailed viability analysis on each lane. The GPT also derives three additional ICPs based on context and evaluates their viability as well. With an identified niche, the consultant can now decisively focus on building a market position around that specific problem and buyer. Examples of Niche Consulting Wes shares an example of a client whose determined niche is fractional CMO for B2C subscription companies that have hit a growth plateau and have not invested in brand marketing. Another example is a client who went solo from a boutique consulting firm that specializes in change management. Her genius zone was being the translation layer between strategic vision and operational teams. She had a keen understanding of internal issues and also helped new executives acclimate to their roles. The GPT analysis suggested that she should focus on innovation teams running pilots but not getting traction due to organizational resistance. Wes explains that the GPT analysis includes 12 viability factors, including access, lifetime value, competitive alternatives, and target revenue numbers. These factors help narrow down options and identify red flags, ultimately leading to a more viable solution. Sourcing Consulting Opportunities Before Niching Down The discussion explores the approach of starting with potential buyers from your existing network, rather than relying on staffing firms or referrals. Will suggests starting with decision makers or influencers. This approach can help you identify your potential universe of buyers and determine what services they are willing to pay for. Wes adds that this approach can help you learn about selling yourself and what people are interested in. However, Wes points out that it can also lead to triangulating into a specialty that might not be interesting or appropriate for you. If you continue to work for anyone who will hire you at the moment, you may end up working in areas where you don't have much business taking on that kind of work. Identifying and Validating a Consulting Niche Wes discusses the process of developing a niche through the NicheFinder sprint. He emphasizes the importance of having a strong understanding of the client's pain points and interests before proceeding with the niche finder. Wes suggests that the process should be followed by market validation conversations, where potential clients can share their ideas and validate their interest in the service. This process should take around three to five conversations. Wes suggests changing the LinkedIn headline and content to be specific to the identified problem. He also suggests codifying relevant IP and developing visual assets that can be shared. The IP Builder Sprint and Intellectual Headshots Wes suggests that consultants should have served at least two or three clients within their niche before starting the IP Builder sprint. Wes suggests that consultants should display their expertise prominently through visual assets, which Wes calls intellectual headshots. These are instantly digestible visual articulations of your expertise that can prompt and streamline conversations. They can be distributed at scale and can look like typical consulting frameworks. Some clients have created headshots that look like comic strips or memes, which can open up dialogue and help clients see their problem or pain point. In conclusion, The IP Builder Sprint is a valuable investment for consultants to showcase their expertise and engage clients. By creating intellectual headshots, consultants can instantly telegraph their unique expertise, ultimately leading to elevated sales conversations and more client conversions. Examples of Client Intellectual Headshots Wes shares examples of client intellectual headshots. The first quickly communicates the five service models and personas in the consulting industry. The framework is designed to help consultants understand their roles and potential career paths. Another example is a line chart showing the client mix over time, with a warm network starting at zero and gradually increasing. Word of mouth referrals also increase over time, but the social plateau indicates that word of mouth referrals will eventually hit an asymptote. Wes then presents a client example,, a fractional general counsel for B2B SaaS companies. Mark wanted to address the stereotype that lawyers are not liked and can gum up the process. They created a visual to illustrate this point, using a skier jumping off a ski ramp to demonstrate that lawyers can build momentum rather than kill deals. This humorous approach makes fun of the stereotype and encourages clients to focus on building momentum rather than killing deals. In this discussion, Wes Wheless and Will Bachman discuss their approach to business and the importance of memorable and easily digestible content. They discuss the Grim Reaper, a humorous concept that addresses the elephant in the room and highlights the co-creative nature of the sprint. They also discuss Mark's ability to speed up the sales contract process, which is crucial for closing deals faster and increasing sales revenue. Mark's approach is not about charging by the hour but about making sure deals close, rather than covering his own assets or inflating his billable hours. He uses simple, clear language to convey his main point, making it easy for people to understand and remember. The final topic discussed is the sale contract process, which can lead to deals losing due to the lack of a clear and concise presentation. Mark's approach focuses on shrinking the contract process, reducing the risk of losing the deal once it's won. This differentiation with Mark and his ideas can lead to increased revenue and better deals for the company. The Benefits of the Intellectual Headshot Wes highlights the importance of posting these assets on LinkedIn and other platforms to ensure they reflect the work done. Wes also emphasizes the role of visuals in reducing pressure on consultants, especially new ones, who may feel anxious about speaking their expertise. By providing a simple visual that serves as a common ground for conversation, it allows consultants to focus on the main points of the conversation without having to deliver a lengthy spiel. On the client side, Wes emphasizes the importance of reducing cognitive load and freeing up time for the discussion. Timestamps: 0:02: Introduction to Wes Wheless and His Services 01:11: Details of the Niche Finder Program 12:43: Implementation and Validation of Niche Finder Results 20:53: Introduction to IP Builder and Intellectual Headshots 32:43: Examples of Intellectual Headshots Links: Website: LinkedIn: The Lightbulb daily newsletter for solo consultants: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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611. Ilya Druzhnikov and Alex Lugosch, Using Cold Calls to Find Product-Market Fit
06/02/2025
611. Ilya Druzhnikov and Alex Lugosch, Using Cold Calls to Find Product-Market Fit
Show Notes: Alex Lugosch and Ilya Druzhnikov, founders of True PMF, explain that True PMF is a rapid prototyping and discovery service for startups and established companies who are releasing a new product or testing a new market and don’t have the tools or six to eight months to try new experiments for product market fit. The firm uses cold calling tools to test out different ideas and pitches to potential clients, focusing on understanding the reactions of potential buyers. Ilya explains how their tool saves time and money by improving the cold call process. First Steps in a Cold Call Strategy Alex and Ilya work with a founder to identify their target audience and use tools like ZoomInfo to gather a list of people that fit that profile. They then use cold calling tool to test out different ideas and iterate different pitches to potential clients. They also train the founder to do cold calls, helping them understand the process and find what resonates with potential buyers. The firm often stacks rank lists of 20 audiences to test in the next 20 days, with each experiment taking about two sessions of an hour each. At a certain point, they do turnover, where the founder takes over to learn how to do the process. They use several list building services, data validation services, and dialers to build tight lists, accessing many people at the C-suite that most founders can only dream of contacting. Within one or two calls, they find that those people are picking up on their pitches and talking to them, which is a significant improvement from the traditional six-month process of trying to determine if something is a product market fit. The Cold Call Conversation and Analysis Ilya explains the process, beginning from when they contact the founder, building the initial list, finding direct phone numbers for 80-100 people, and loading them into their enterprise-grade tech stack that few startups can afford. He goes on to explain how they start the conversation. They try to make the pitch relevant to the founder and explain that their solution could save time and money while having a positive impact on the bottom line. After the call, the transcript goes directly into the AI model, which produces an analysis of the conversation and offers recommendations on how to proceed. The next step is to determine the outcome of the call. In a typical calling session, there are sometimes upwards of 14 or 15 connects. As the conversation gets closer to the target, the conversations become more rich, with more follow-up emails, scheduled demos, and referrals. It's an iterative process until discovering the audience is interested in the topic and/or the call can be referred to the right person. Cold Calling Techniques The conversation turns to the importance of effective cold pitching techniques. They mention the importance of recognizing what’s currently relevant to the client. They also discuss the concept of partnering one person to take a pitch and then alternate to the other person without giving feedback. The key to getting better at cold pitching is focusing on the elements that work in the previous pitch. This technique can be applied to other situations as well, such as listening to each other's tone of voice and understanding their preferences. Alex emphasizes that these techniques are not meant to scale sales but to provide relevant information about messaging and product features that can be used in outbound campaigns that are scalable, such as emails, LinkedIn messages, or conferences. Ilya and Alex give an impromptu example of an opening conversation with mid-market private equity owned portfolio companies. Ilya explains that their informs more effective marketing strategies. This approach helps clients narrow down their ideas about the persona, develop stronger content that connects with their target market(s), and ensures that their marketing efforts are highly effective. Cost of SDRs Cold Calling The discussion revolves around the cost of cold calling sales development representatives (SDRs) and their effectiveness in B2B product spaces. Emphasis is placed on understanding the messaging and the potential for managing costs. They mention a company with 400 clients across Europe that raised over $50 million and had six SDRs, but none of them were effective. They also mention that a multinational tech startup with a large B2B sales team cannot afford six CROs to run their sales team. They advise against giving cold calls to unskilled SDRs, as they may not be adaptable enough to handle complex situations. However, cold calling is a good prototyping tool, as it allows companies to reach a wider audience, gain insights and understanding of their market, and potentially increase their revenue. Examples of How TruePMF Serves Clients Alex and Ilya initially focused on high-growth e-commerce brands, but later discovered that they needed to target established e-commerce brands looking for margin expansion. They created a new list of these brands and tested it with CTOs, which proved more relevant. Then, they called private equity partners, specifically tech stack operating partners, to expand their reach. This allowed them to sell their solution across multiple brands. Another example is a smaller company with 20 clients, all big enterprise clients, looking to sell to private equity firms. Ilya also discusses the process of selling a product before building it, and emphasizes the importance of honesty and transparency in the sales process. About the Founders of TruePMF.com Alex Lugosch, a FinTech founder and executive at a wholesale, e-commerce company, and the B2B credit space, and Ilya Druzhnikov, a serial entrepreneur and angel investor, have both been working with founders and CEOs to help them understand Product Market Fit. They have worked in various industries, including B2B wholesale, e-commerce, and angel investing. The website, Pmf.com, is by referral only, and they have a bias for working with serious people who are serious about their business. They require founders to attend every call, including the CEO, Chief Revenue Officer, and Head of Sales. The company has sold their product to 400 companies across Europe and is coming to the United States. Timestamps: 00:02: Introduction to True PMF and Their Unique Approach 03:28: Explaining the True PMF Service 06:35: Detailed Walkthrough of the Process 10:47: Iterative Improvement and Audience Targeting 16:29: The Role of Cold Calling in Business Development 34:04: Client Examples and Success Stories 40:23: Background of Alex and Ilya Links: Website: https://truepmf.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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610. Vanessa Liu, Co-founder & CEO of Sugarwork
05/26/2025
610. Vanessa Liu, Co-founder & CEO of Sugarwork
Show Notes: Vanessa Liu, co-founder and CEO of Sugarwork, talks about how this tool helps enterprises capture tacit knowledge by acting as a guide. Sugarwork helps companies capture specific information at scale and enables sharing, and guides companies to ask specific questions to elicit the required insights. How the Sugarwork Platform Works Vanessa explains how the dashboard works and how it helps companies understand, leverage, and easily access their tacit knowledge for better decision-making and growth. She introduces the scheduling section. Vanessa shows how the Knowledge Share section acts as a guide that helps advance the discussion and gathering of key insights. She talks through the shares a few query examples that guide questions that gather insights, including roles and responsibilities, problem-solving, and core technical questions. Sharing Resources and Data from Meetings Vanessa explains how scheduling meetings works and the integrations with several different meeting apps. Vanessa talks about the AI avatar or an employee interview an interviewee, and how the information gathered and stored in the Knowledge Share section. The platform allows companies to schedule video meetings where an AI note taker transcribes the conversation and provides a summary. The raw data from the meeting is also available, allowing participants to share their insights. Shared Resources are uploaded into a repository, allowing the company to access the information on a permissions-based basis. She demonstrates how AI takes notes and issues a summary and overview. Asking Questions and Accessing Knowledge Share Vanessa explains that the platform is typically used for short, compressed periods, such as a transformation or launch of something new. This allows HR teams to access knowledge shares and ask questions as if they were talking to the interviewees. The platform also allows for queries based on ChatGPT, or other tools to understand why a client or customer works with a particular vendor. The platform is designed to be accessible to the entire company. Interview Use Cases and Documenting Processes The conversation turns to the use of interviewers in companies, with two common models: one involves a trained interviewer interviewing everyone in the company, and another involves multiple interviewers for onboarding junior employees. Vanessa suggests two use cases for this approach: documenting processes and understanding succession planning work. A project manager can document the process and create a process map to optimize it. Another use case involves understanding people's knowledge shares for succession planning or transformations. Saving Time and Improving Efficiency Vanessa also mentions the activity value added analysis (AVA) project, where companies can identify activities that are taking up significant time and eliminate them. This tool can be used for cost-cutting projects, such as the AVA project, where companies can identify bottlenecks and improve efficiency. The second use case is business optimization, where companies can map processes to identify areas for optimization and understand where people are spending time. For example, a new product development process can be analyzed to identify pain points and identify solutions for bottlenecks. This can include changing the configuration of people involved or adjusting handoffs. Budget Processes and Interviews Sugarwork is designed to help companies understand their processes and identify key themes in customer segments. The platform is not intended for detailed process mapping, but rather for understanding the different customer segments and their roles in the process. Sugarwork provides a consolidated view of everyone involved in the budgeting process. The platform also helps identify key themes across various customer segments. Its focus on detail, data analysis, and automation makes it an attractive option for companies looking to streamline their processes and improve their efficiency. Insights and Pricing The platform has been used by mid-sized companies going through digital transformation, large companies hiring consulting firms, and small consultancies seeking to understand best practices, talent, and processes. Vanessa explains that customized templates are created for companies based on desired outputs and participants' roles and functions. She goes on to talk about the pricing structure of Sugarwork and use cases on customers looking for insights into best practices, talent, and automation. Sugarwork has also been used by small consulting firms to run analysis with their clients, as they can scale their work and use the tool faster. Vanessa shares an example of a consulting firm using Sugarwork when working with a government agency. They had to conduct numerous interviews and needed to scale their team. By using Sugarwork, they were able to easily store, access, and analyze the data and make informed decisions about their strategies and resources. Timestamps: 01:59: Overview of Sugarwork Dashboard 02:38: Detailed Walkthrough of Sugarwork Features 06:16: Interview Process and AI Integration 10:40: Use Cases and Recommendations 14:27: Data Analysis and Customer Targeting 20:12: Pricing and Availability Links: Website: LinkedIn:
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609. Ami Parekh, Chief Health Officer at Included Health
05/19/2025
609. Ami Parekh, Chief Health Officer at Included Health
Show Notes: Ami Parekh discusses the business model and services of Included Health, a company that provides personalized healthcare. Included Health partners with self-insured employers and health plans to improve the way working Americans and their families receive healthcare. Included Health Services About a third of Fortune, 100 companies, and 10 million Americans have access to Included Health’s services. The company focuses on providing access answers and advocacy as people engage in the healthcare system. The company has nearly 3000 people, including 1000 clinicians across the country, including primary care doctors, specialists, nurse practitioners, and therapists. Additionally, hundreds of care advocates help patients understand the ins and outs of the healthcare system. Many patients come to Included Health because they can't get access to primary care and behavioral health, which can take one to two months across most of the country. The company aims to address this supply problem. Navigating the Healthcare System Ami talks about the role of Included Health in helping patients navigate the healthcare system, focusing on personalized and best-for-the-patient approach. She explains how it can help patients navigate their insurance and coverage options. She also covers the use of data and data science to match patients with the highest quality healthcare professionals for specific requirements, such as orthopedic surgeons or specialists. Ami emphasizes that Included Health are not plans or payers, but providers who work with a wide field of providers, and their job is to help patients achieve the best outcomes within the current healthcare system. Accessing Quality Data in Healthcare The conversation turns to the concept of quality data in healthcare, how it is crucial to consider the quality of care and the likelihood of repeat surgeries, and the issue of inappropriate prescribing behavior, such as the use of opiates and benzodiazepines, which can be addictive. Ami explains how Included Health accesses and uses data, and how collected sanctioned data can help determine if a provider is safe for family members to see. Ami emphasizes that data is never perfect, and in the worst case scenario, patients can consult with clinicians to find the right doctor. The data can help inform conversations about who to see, and Included Health offers support in finding publicly available data sources and the right practitioner. She highlights the need for better data and collaboration between healthcare providers and patients to improve patient outcomes and overall healthcare quality. Improving Healthcare Pricing and Cost Employers typically pay for Included Health as a layer on top of their health plan, as they want their employees to be healthy, productive, and engaged members of their workforce. They also want healthcare costs to remain low so that they can pay their employees a living wage and invest in other benefits. Healthcare is often the number two cost after supplies in America, and employers want their employees to be healthy, productive, and engaged. Included Health offers a way to give healthy days back to employees by reducing the number of days they are unable to be healthy due to mental or physical health reasons. This results in increased productivity, better work performance, and overall cost savings. There are two dimensions to using included health services: first-time care and saving time. First, employees get the right care the first time, which can lead to cost savings. Second, health plans are incentivized to offer support to their patient population, as they are paying for it. Third, Included Health helps find providers quickly, saving employees time and freeing them up to focus on the healing process and family. Furthermore, Included Health provides access to primary care doctors, which is crucial for long-term cost savings and better health. How Included Health Works Included Health has about 1500 clinicians available for virtual appointments, including behavioral health providers. The app allows users to schedule appointments within a week, ensuring choice and quick access to healthcare services. Technology has brought about broader trends in the industry, such as value-based care and making things easier to access. The cost of healthcare is increasing by seven to 10% year over year, making it unsustainable for the American population. Employers, who are often the purchasers of healthcare, are seeking better solutions to control healthcare costs. They are trying to do this through products and services, creating new networks, and focusing on wellness. The trend is driven by employers and the government, as well as insurance companies. Included Health fits into this trend by reducing total care costs and prioritizing the member experience. By being a one-stop shop for patients and members, employers can experiment with different services without disrupting the member experience. This allows them to work with the growing trend of cost-cutting and value-based care in the healthcare industry. Included Health’s Clients and Pricing Structure The pricing structure for the company is custom, client-by-client, and depends on the population being served. The company does not have a per-head pricing structure, but rather on a population level. Performance guarantees are part of the pricing model, which includes up-operation and delivery of savings.The company has started participating in shared savings models with CalPERS, which allows California employees and their dependents access to their services. Payers see the company as a provider for their members, and they believe that these models are helping them achieve better outcomes for patients. Included Health mostly focuses on larger enterprise and jumbo clients, with 33 of the Fortune 100 companies being clients. Smaller clients also receive good results from the company. The Role of AI in Healthcare Ami discusses the use of Telehealth in healthcare. She mentions her parents as an example of how they could do more virtually than they are today. Ami also discusses the role of AI in healthcare, stating that, by providing tools that can help healthcare workers it is a beneficial tool. AI has been used in healthcare for therapy, diagnosis, and diagnosis, with 20% of conversations being healthcare-related. She is excited about the potential of AI in healthcare. Member-facing AI can answer basic health insurance questions and provide guidance on insurance deductibles and costs. Included Health ensures all of their AI services are supported by humans, whether on the clinical side or on the care team side, to ensure a human is available to the customer when needed. Ami believes that AI will be a tool that supports the human workforce in healthcare, making their jobs easier and allowing them to do more for the members. Over the next year or two, AI will play a significant role in healthcare, with AI helping navigate systems, schedule calls, and provide better access to care for patients. Timestamps: 01:22 Included Health's Services and Impact 03:22: Navigating the Healthcare System 07:20: Challenges and Solutions in Healthcare Data 14:29: Employer and Health Plan Perspectives 21:33: Value-Based Care and Pricing Structure 27:21: Health Plan and TPA Relationships 32:41: Role of AI in Healthcare Link: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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608. Sarah Dobson, Design of Brand for Entrepreneurs
05/12/2025
608. Sarah Dobson, Design of Brand for Entrepreneurs
Show Notes: Sarah Dobson, founder and creative director at Design of Brand, discusses their niche in helping founders of companies establish their brand identity. They offer a process that includes brand strategy, naming, and creating a visual identity system for launch or relaunch. She explains what a brand identity entails and provides examples of successful case studies. Discovering and Designing a Brand Identity Sarah explains what the core of a brand identity is, how it is more than just a palette or a logo, and how she helps founders articulate that identity from developing the symbolic mark, word mark, and often, the name of the company through to the visual design elements of fonts and colours etc. She discusses her practice of collecting examples for design inspiration. She shares that he takes photos of various elements, such as typography, street signs, shapes, and color palettes, and banks them to find the right place in someone's identity. She also mentions that she started using Pinterest early on and quickly gained 800,000 followers. Sarah believes that understanding trends is crucial for creating unique designs and not looking like another brand. She uses Pinterest to research interiors and symbols for clients where she populates secret boards with images and ideas. She researches broadly online to find inspiration from a variety of sources and uses it to create visually appealing designs. Sarah mentions that she is considering launching a course to help people name their companies. She believes that sharing her capabilities with others would be meaningful to help more people develop their brand identity. A Case Study on Naming a Brand Sarah shares a case study of working with a founder who didn't have a name for their company. She shares the story of Othership, a social sauna and cold plunge business in New York. The founder had stopped drinking and was looking for alternative alternatives to bars. Sarah explains that she had two clients who were also interested in Sonic culture and the Soho House of Wellness. The clients joined forces to establish their company and Sarah explains how she worked closely with them to develop a deep understanding of who they were and of the company they were developing. Sarah observed the founders as they were prototyping and building out the space. They developed breath work, audio and physical space to help them synthesize their vision for a more social, healthy way of having fun. Sarah explains how she encouraged them to change their name from Inward to Othership because it reflected the founder's focus on connections and creating a healthy space with and for others rather than internal issues. She also explains how playing with suffixes and compound words is a part of the naming process. Case Study on Creating a Visual Identity Sarah discusses the process of creating a visual identity for the brand Othership, including the logo mark, buttons, and photography. She talks about where she found inspiration for the symbol mark, which included drawing inspiration from the spinning top toy and The Sims. The logo has had an incredible effect on people's lives, with at least five people now having tattoos of it. The color scheme was inspired by Disney’s Fantasia, and the founders' energy was a key factor in the design, and the color palette was atypical and flexible, not just two colors. Sarah explains that this approach was similar to a design she developed for a super food snack cafe's color palette. In terms of process and iterations, Sarah mentions that, sometimes, two to three different concepts are explored, with one being the most likely one based on the client's preferences and the other exploring more strategic ideas. The process is seen as due diligence, with the goal of finding the one that resonates with the client. Case Study on the Brand Identity of a Cannabis Retailer and an Organic Food Snack Sarah discusses his experiences in creating a cannabis retailer in Canada, which was a unique and exciting venture. She created a brand called Superette, which aimed to make people feel comfortable buying cannabis legally. The brand was inspired by Peter Pan in Brooklyn, an old Polish bakery because the store felt like a community, with lineups and regulars for breakfast. Another case example is a nut milk bar cafe and a nut milk. The cafe was developed by a friend after completing a nutrition education course and wanted to provide a healthier cafe alternative to muffins and unhealthy drinks. The founder went on to develop and sell the nut milk, which t is made from scratch and is nutritionally dense, making it a potential competitor to Starbucks. The brand was rebranded and reworked, with the word mark and visual identity system updated. The goal was to strengthen and optimize the brand for future success. A Design Perspective on Fonts Sarah talks about her knowledge with fonts. She shares a quote, “words have meaning but typography has a feeling and can be spectacular.” She talks about the evolution of typography from handwriting, scripting, manuscripts, and the printing press to the computer. A study by the New York Times found that serifs such as Baskerville or Garamond were found to be the most believable font. Sarah suggests starting to educate oneself by examining their intuition and feeling the right fit. She mentions that Comic Sans, an early digital font, has been found to be beneficial for dyslexia due to its letter forms. Sarah talks about her methods of classification when choosing a brand font and gives a few examples of how a font feels. She suggests that anyone interested in learning more about fonts should start by exploring different font styles and their impact on the human subconscious. Timestamps: 01:44 Explaining Brand Identity 07:31: Case Study: Other Ship 17:30: Visual Identity and Branding Elements 22:17: Typography and Design Philosophy 22:34: Case Study: Superette 25:37: Case Study: Nut Bar Links: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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607. Chad Oakley, Current State of the Job Market for Consultants
05/05/2025
607. Chad Oakley, Current State of the Job Market for Consultants
Chad Oakley, CEO of Charles Aris, a second-generation executive search firm, discusses their 55-year history and their focus on four areas. Charles Aris specializes in strategy and go-to-market practice, which places individuals into corporations, private equity firms, and portfolio companies. Chad explains their areas of expertise and mentions that the firm has a team of over 100 and has completed over 1,450 positions in this area in the last 21 years. They also have a finance and corporate development practice, which handles CFOs, FPAs, and candidates for merger and acquisition roles. Additionally, they have an engineering and operations practice that handles supply chain, CFO, and plant managers. The Changing Market for Consultants Chad, a former consultant, discusses the changing market for consulting in the age of uncertainty, and what the market is looking for. He traces back to April 2024, when consulting in the United States was down, particularly for top firms like Bain, BCG, McKinsey Strategy, and L.E.K EY Parthenon. The downturn was driven by higher interest rates and inflation. Chad talks about the factors leading to high interest rates and how it impacted consulting firms, private equity firms and M&A activity. He touches on how consulting firms reacted to this downturn and how it affected consultants. Chad shares a 2025 Compensation study conducted by Charles Aris showing a range of data that covers undergrads and MBAs, major consulting firms and competitors. He then shares three primary factors that caused a rise in the market in January 2025. The market is now looking for new opportunities and challenges. Key Factors Leading to Market Change for Consultants Chad explains the factors that led to the changes in the market over the past year. The newly elected President, Trump, was bullish on business, promising to rally markets better than Biden and eliminate red tape and regulations. This positive outlook led to a more optimistic outlook for the market. Business is recovering, creating solid momentum in the economy. In Q1 2024, companies started investing and private equity firms resumed deals, resulting in stronger demand for consulting services. However, the implementation of tariffs by the President has arrested this momentum, creating uncertainty for business leaders. The current tariffs have no playbook for them, and the possibility of changes in the future makes it difficult for current CEOs or business leadership teams to commit to action. Chad shares a conversation he had with the CEO of a publicly traded manufacturing company CEO, who has manufacturing facilities in the US, China, and South America. He cannot justify the massive investment in onshore manufacturing due to the potential decrease in tariffs. This has halted deal momentum, particularly in consulting services. Despite this, consulting firms are still working on projects they sold in the first few months of the year. They are now trying to be strategic about their consulting services, focusing on key areas to win and play in the market. The Number One Area of Focus for Consulting Firms. Chad explains that consulting firms are trying to be strategic in their direction, which has led to a focus on supply chain consulting. Companies are trying to navigate the impact of tariffs on their supply chains, and consulting firms are helping them do so by reshuffling their manufacturing base from high tariff countries to low tariff countries. They are also helping clients re-negotiate procurement contracts with global suppliers and consider acquiring competitors with a more favorable supply chain structure. Consulting firms are gearing up for a bulk of demand for supply chain services, and focusing on blue and white collar services. They are also doubling down on consulting playbooks for their services, including blue and white collar services, which is also a major area of focus for private equity firms. Consulting firms are also looking at government advocacy, such as lobbying and creating influence with lawmakers. The Impact of AI on Consulting Firms Chad discusses the significant impact of AI on consulting services. He mentions that many successful big brand companies are utilizing AI in their operations. A private equity firm's head of AI stated that the impact of AI is expected to be minimal in the next 18 months, as companies are still trying to find ways to add value with the technology. Chad acknowledges that AI is an incredible tool, and that it will be interesting to see how much it will truly change the way businesses operate in the next 12-18 months. A Growing Trend of Interim Consulting Roles Chad talks about the growth in what they call interim executive hiring in the marketplace, specifically around private equity and mostly for a limited period of time. The primary areas hiring for these roles are finance and strategy. He explains that specificity is highly sought after, and he encourages generalists to narrow their scope. The conversation turns to the structure of executive search firms for P.E. firms. Chad states that there are two primary groups within PE firms: the Deal team, and the Portfolio Operations team. He explains how they function and how they find and recruit talent. He offers advice on how to reach out to the hiring team, and talks about reaching out to consulting firms for a position and which areas of service have seen a decline and which ones are in demand. He specifically mentions pricing as an area of demand due to the tariffs. Key Questions Answered in the Q&A Session Chad answers questions from the panel, including his recommendations on the path to a private equity operating partner, areas of experience that are highly valued; the impact of DOGE on consulting, how independent consultants can position themselves for a full-time position; the value of demonstrable startup experience, AI displacing junior roles; recruiting for board roles, PE’s interests in blue collar and white collar companies; and a positive outlook for mature consultants. Timestamps: 02:50 Overview of Charles Aris and Chad Oakley's Background 08:11: Market Overview and Impact of AI 11:28: Current Market Conditions and Consulting Services 16:08: Trends in Full-Time Roles and Interim Executive Hiring 22:49: Consulting Firm Hiring and AI Impact 28:00: The areas of decline and demand for consulting services 42:13: Path to Private Equity Operating Partner Roles 49:54: Impact of Government Consulting Contracts on the Market 52:24: Tips for Independent Consultants Seeking Full-Time Roles Links: Website: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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606. Joe O’Mahoney, Helping Boutique Consulting Firms Scale Up
04/28/2025
606. Joe O’Mahoney, Helping Boutique Consulting Firms Scale Up
Show Notes: Joe O’Mahoney is a part-time professor of consulting at Cardiff University and a leading authority on the growth and sale of boutiques and small consultancies. He has spent 20 years researching consultancies and interviewing hundreds of owners and senior leaders. He has developed a growth drivers model, which includes factors like leadership quality, client relationships, and market positioning. He conducts benchmark surveys and interviews with leadership teams and clients. Joe then conducts a SWOT analysis, and estimates the valuation of the firm. He helps the owner satisfy their equity goals, and pull the levers. Joe typically focuses on two to three priorities each year to drive up the firm's growth. He shares three key factors in leadership and team management that are crucial to a successful scale up. Building a Sales Team for a Boutique Consultancy Joe explains that, in the long term, building a competent sales team is crucial for a firm's valuation. This involves promoting, training, mentoring, rewarding, and recruiting sales capabilities. A culture that puts sales first should be complemented by a competent system that listens to sales calls and introduces new hires. This will help build a pipeline of capable sales people in the future. In the short term, implementing these strategies can improve marketing efforts. It is important to consider how your value proposition is translated into marketing themes and content, as well as the frequency and visibility of these posts. It is crucial to ensure that marketing efforts are effective and aligned with the company's goals. Challenges of Scaling a Business Joe discusses the challenges of scaling a business, particularly for those with a two to 3 million revenue mark. He suggests that firms need to focus on their signature service, which is high value, high growth, and can cross-sell. Marketing algorithms reward clarity in these areas, leading to better value propositions, marketing, and themes. This clarity allows firms to build intellectual property (IP) and increase margins. Once sales, project margin, or EBITDA are reached, firms can decide on additional products to sell alongside their existing offerings, such as parallel products, cross-selling services, or follow-on services. By building a logical sequence of events, firms can achieve high-quality revenue. The Importance of IP in Scaling Consulting Firms Joe shares an example of a firm that focused on a manual approach to cloud consultancy. However, when breaking down their service lines by revenue, the company realized that they should change their focus. In terms of branding and content, Joe explains that buyers are interested in the past growth, future growth, and margin of the firm, but they also want a marketing machine that generates clients, and an architecture of sales that generates high-quality leads. Joe explains that IP is a top priority for buyers, including the quality of the leadership team. This includes delivery IP, marketing IP, thought leadership, website design, and content. LinkedIn is an interesting example, as due diligence is starting to reveal its influence on a firm's success. Valuation and Growth Trajectory Valuation is a crucial factor for buyers and private equity, as they are interested in the future value of the firm. A healthy growth trajectory is essential, and a machine that can push up the multiple is preferred. Joe explains that it is often better to focus on building the architecture that will allow you to improve your multiple, rather than focusing on increasing your profit margin. This can be achieved by implementing a PSA system, CRM system, training people, and building out IP. However, it is difficult to drive up the multiple quickly, as everyone is talking about margin all the time. It is important for buyers to consider the firm's potential for growth and profitability before making a decision. Joe talks about the EBITDA and how it should be approached. The conversation turns to the treatment of owners' compensation and how it is recalculated during the sale process. He explains that if a board member is preparing a company for sale, Joe’s fee is taken out, and if a founder is paying themselves in dividends to improve profits, the EBITDA is adjusted accordingly. Employees and Recruiting Talent for Boutique Consulting Firms Joe discusses the importance of recruiting and training employees to provide better value to clients and charge more. He suggests that consultancies operate in two markets: the market for clients and the market for employees. Boutique consultancies often struggle to recruit decent consultants due to the lack of brand recognition and value proposition. To attract the right people, consultancies need to have a clear value proposition for both clients and employees. This includes a clear cultural side of the company, clear values, and clear due diligence rules. The architecture behind this includes competencies, promotions, training, and mentoring. Buyers of Consulting Firms The typical buyers of consulting firms are typically strategic and industry buyers, who have a gap in their offerings. Private equity has become more involved in the market, accounting for 55% of purchases of consulting firms, including private equity-backed strategic buyers. This shift has led to a growing number of non-consultancies seeking to develop consultancy arms, accounting for about 15% of purchases. The Boutique Leaders Club for Consultants Joe shares information about IP aspects he provides to his clients. He runs the Boutique Leaders club, a group of about 40 owners of consultancies above the 5 million revenue mark. Joe gives them access to 250 bits of IP. This includes competency frameworks, succession plans, and training on business development. The group can also conduct benchmarking surveys twice a year, tracking progress and creating plans for the future. The Boutique Leaders club also offers training materials, both online and face-to-face, to help firms prepare for the selling process, such as finding the best corporate advisor, selecting the right lawyers, and preparing for the selling process. Joe’s Engagement Model with Consulting Firms Joe also shares his engagement model with consulting firms, which includes three ways: Board Advisory, as part of his leaders club, and one-off projects. He typically works with clients on a monthly basis, with a focus on value proposition, business development, and marketing. His clients are mostly UK-based, with three US clients and some in Western Europe. He left corporate consulting due to his dislike of managing people, and he is currently the bottleneck to his own firm. He has worked with some good ex-CEOs but struggles with quality of revenues. Bachman asks O'Mahoney to share his website and LinkedIn profile, and he appreciates the opportunity to discuss his experiences and insights on the industry. Timestamps: 01:59: Joe O'Mahoney's Consulting Services 03:48: Diagnostic Process and Growth Drivers Model 05:35: Improving Performance and Leadership Development 09:37: Building a Sales Architecture and CRM Systems 16:36: Intellectual Property and Digital Marketing 28:20: Recruiting and Developing People 34:45: Typical Buyers and Market Trends 37:46: Joe O'Mahoney's IP and Engagement Model Links: Website: https://joeomahoney.com/ LinkedIn: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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605. Chris Freeberg, Building deck.support, which brings MBB-tools to GSlides
04/21/2025
605. Chris Freeberg, Building deck.support, which brings MBB-tools to GSlides
Show Notes: Chris Freeberg is the co-founder of deck.support, a company that brings some of the best tools for PowerPoint into Google Slides. Chris and cofounder Dimitri Limberopoulos recognized the need for increased functionality in Google Slides as more companies were switching from PowerPoint to Google Slides but wanted a larger variety of tools and functionality for projects. deck.support was launched last month in the Google workspace marketplace as an extension to Google Slides and provides a wide range of tools to increase creativity and functionality that are available for PowerPoint. deck.support is an affordable and essential tool for those who prefer working in Google Slides for client or collaboration reasons. An Introduction to deck.support deck.support lives within Google Slides and Chris demonstrates how to access the extension. He discusses the use of deck.support which offers various formatting shortcuts and alignment tools. These tools allow users to quickly align images, columns, and objects, and automatically resize them for better alignment. deck.support Objects and Templates Tutorial Chris explains how to use objects and templates. Objects are text and graphical elements that can be inserted onto a page, such as three-step process wheels or four-step process wheels. Templates are more elaborate versions of layouts. Templates can include a table of contents, detailed agenda, context, findings, matrix, BFA, call out, box prioritization, traffic light, slide, Harvey Ball, timeline, slide, customer funnels, and more. The founders have tried to replicate the visual languages used in their slides. The collection of templates, key actions, deliverables, and hypotheses is a complete list of 90% of the standard slide designs used in consulting projects. deck.support for Project Goals and Objectives The project also includes charts with more numerous charts to explore the project's goals and objectives. The goal is to provide a more engaging and effective presentation for clients. They have built a roadmap of 10 different chart types to start with, aiming to bring a high level of precision to Google Slides. AI is another feature which allows users to prompt the AI to read a slide and add finishing touches. This is an integration with Open AI, which will look at a slide and add specific notes to the speaker notes at the bottom. The AI suggestions launched at the bottom of the slide include a more action-oriented or informative headline that concisely summarizes the benefits of deck support. deck.support and the Golden Age of Entrepreneurship Chris discusses the importance of remembering who the audience is for a slide presentation to ensure clarity and comprehension. The process of building the tool involved a quick analysis of the potential of Google Slides, and hiring a developer with expertise in Google Apps Scripts. The augmented intelligence provided by AI tools allowed him to understand the process of development and make informed decisions. Chris believes that AI is a gold standard in the field of entrepreneurship, as it provides a demystification of the process, making it easier and more enjoyable for the audience. He also mentions the importance of considering the audience's needs and the potential for advancements in the field. Chris and Dimitri built a roadmap using PowerPoint and AI to understand the purpose of their software. They were guided by 17 years of BCG experience and were familiar with existing tools and their limitations. Developing, Testing, and Pricing deck.support Chris discusses the development process of their product, which took about six months. The first step was identifying how to communicate what they wanted in terms of tools and functionality, and identifying the limitations of current tools on the market. They used chat GPT to evaluate different jurisdictions for incorporation, such as Delaware, Ireland, Dubai, and Singapore. They landed on Singapore, as it was the best place for two international people selling software. Chat GPT helped them evaluate different options and run simulations of fees, given different revenue levels and currency flows. Each section of the tool became its own block, and they tested each one before launching it in the App Store. They learned that the most valuable aspect of the product was the user-centered approach and understanding how it would be used and integrated into workflows.They currently offer the product for free on the Google workspace marketplace, but the alignment tools will be paid for. The core version of export will have an annual fee of $50 per year, and charts will be an additional feature that people can pay for. The pricing for charts is currently around $300 a year, and efficient elements will be around $100 a year. The overall value of the product is expected to be around $150 a year for charts. AI Tools for PowerPoint The conversation turns to AI tools for PowerPoint and their potential to create specific slides for consultants and professionals. Most people don't want someone to create the entire pitch deck for them, but rather just insert a slide according to their template. Chris believes that AI tools are still a few years away from being able to do this and that the need for AI tools will diminish as knowledge professionals have a better understanding of how to visually bring a presentation to life. He states that AI tools can be useful for high school students and sales professionals, but they may fall short when it comes to the nuance of consulting work. He talks about the limitations of AI models in generating creative campaigns. One of the biggest challenges is their inability to replicate the same character over and over again. AI models today are better at starting from a link sheet and bringing consistency from users on a micro level. The Process of Getting a deck.support into Google App Store Chris shares that getting a product into the Google App Store was painful, as there is a process that requires submission to the Google Workplace Marketplace for approval. This process verifies the app's security, consistency with best practices, and that there is no attempt to steal user information. The challenge was navigating two different teams within Google, all of whom seemed to be based on different sides of the world. The process lasted about six weeks, with cryptic emails asking for approvals and cryptic questions asking for help. Chat GPT helped identify opportunities to fix issues within the Google Cloud console. Security Measures for deck.support When it comes to security, Chris explains that the tool has no ability to see how users use the tool or what buttons they push. Once CRM capabilities are turned on, they capture email addresses and user accounts, but only the slide being viewed is transmitted to Open AI. Open AI returns this information consistent with the Terms of Service. Chris emphasizes the importance of enterprise security, as they have completed an enterprise security assessment for a consulting firm that uses Google Slides. They have documented that there is no image or information capture in the tool, only knowing who a user is, their active account, and the right to press the Layout button.Chris also talks about the use of Google App Script for the Google Slide extension, which ensures compliance with SOC 2 compliance. This means that the tool is not covered by the Google Workplace sandbox, which means it doesn't have to pay $40,000 for its own SOC 2 compliance. Chris explains that the tool lives in the cloud, not on its own. Users can download the tool from the deck.support website. Chris also mentions the limitations of Google Slides extensions, which require users to click on the "Open sidebar" button every time. To fix this, an App Script can be added to Google Slides, allowing users to click on the "Open sidebar" button when opening the slide. The Script can be found in the Extensions menu within Google Slides. Timestamps: 02:20: Overview of deck.support and Its Features 36:30: Detailed Features of deck.support 36:45: Development and Building of deck.support 36:59: Challenges and Future Plans for deck.support 38:50: User Experience and Availability of deck.support Links: Website: Marketplace Listing for downloads: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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604. Stephan Meier, Author of The Employee Advantage
03/17/2025
604. Stephan Meier, Author of The Employee Advantage
Show Notes: Stephan Meier, a professor at Columbia Business School, is the author of the book "Employee Advantage." He teaches the business strategy core class, which is required for all MBA students. Stephan also teaches an elective on the future of work, focusing on how treating employees and labor interacts with technology and business strategy. Stephan conducts international trips to African countries, such as Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya, to provide students with international experiences and perspectives on businesses, strategy, and different environments. His focus is on putting workers first to help businesses thrive. The conversation turns to Stephan’s book and the concept of the workplace and business strategy. He mentions how the pandemic brought the workplace under the spotlight and technology use ramped up, while at the same time, Stephan was teaching a class on the Future of Work. The conversation turns to the concept of putting workers first as a key element of business success, and how the business language reveals the mode of managing the employee base. This outlook has led to a large divide between employee and employer. According to Gallup surveys, about 65% of Americans are not engaged at work, and this number is even higher worldwide. Stephan also talks about customer centricity and how employee experience is crucial for both innovation and customer satisfaction. The Employee First Approach Stephan cites Jeff Bezos, and Amazon as examples of organizations that prioritize employee satisfaction. Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos believes that learning from dissatisfied employees can lead to continuous improvement and better business outcomes. This mindset is also seen in other industries, such as Costco in the US, which provides clear career paths, communicates clearly, and promotes internally. DHL Express, for two years in a row, was named the best employer in the world on the best workplaces in the world list for two consecutive years. They put employees first because they realized that turnover is terrible and happy employees are more engaged and leads to satisfied customers. They changed aspects of communication, listening, training, and career path within the organization, leading to financial success. How the Employee/Customer Centric Approach Wins Stephan discusses the importance of treating employees well and putting them first at the margin when making trade-offs. He talks about Starbucks, where the company's customer-centric approach has led to a loss of a customer-centric environment. He talks about how this could be improved. Stephan also emphasizes that both customers and employees are critical stakeholders that create value within the organization. Companies that prioritize their employees are more likely to be successful. This is because they have a strong focus on competence, which is encouraged by offering the right tasks that push employees optimally. This is crucial for motivation and retention, as people often leave organizations when they don't learn anything new. How Successful Companies Prioritize Employees Stephan states that companies strive to differentiate through a customer-centric approach, but he goes on to explain that the employee-centric and the customer-centric approach are often interchangeable. He offers examples of companies that prioritize their employees including Costco, DHL Express, and MasterCard. Microsoft uses an AI-powered tool called Unlocked, which allows employees to choose projects they want to participate in and matches them with opportunities within the company. This approach not only improves the internal market but also creates a better experience for employees. Companies like KKR, which invest heavily in portfolio companies, implement ownership programs, which give employees stock options as a start. To differentiate between companies that prioritize their employees, companies should consider metrics such as engagement level and turnover rates. By focusing on these early indicators, companies can better understand their commitment to their employees and work towards creating a healthy workplace culture that leads to productive and engaged workers. How to Build an Employee-centric Workplace Stephan suggests that companies should start by focusing on what they do with customers and how they do it with employees. They can use ideation workshops to understand customer needs and differentiate themselves from competitors. For example, Eli Lilly applied customer journeys to employees, focusing on their experiences and moments that matter. This approach helped them get more people promoted and had a significant impact on their business. Stephan recommends designing workshops to help employees think about ideas and motivations, as well as redesigning processes and procedures within the organization. By doing so, companies can better understand their employees' needs and preferences, leading to a more engaged, productive, and innovative workforce. Timestamps: 04:09: Development of The Employee Advantage 04:29: Counterintuitive Claims and Examples of Employee-Centric Companies 12:29: Balancing Employee and Customer Centricity 15:01: Practical Examples of Employee-Centric Companies 19:44: Criteria for Identifying Employee-Centric Companies 23:23: Industry-Specific Considerations 27:30: Consulting Approach for Implementing Employee-Centric Strategies Links: Website: Stephan’s Book: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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603. Dori Yona, Founder of Simple Closure, How to Shut Down a Business
03/10/2025
603. Dori Yona, Founder of Simple Closure, How to Shut Down a Business
Show Notes: Dori Yona, founder of Simple Closure, explains the process of shutting down a company. The process is painful, manual, and bureaucratic, with an average time of nine to 12 months. It can cost companies thousands of dollars or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees. Many companies end up doing it incorrectly, leading to fines and penalties. The Multiple Moving Parts of a Business Shut Down Dori explains that the main difficulty in shutting down a company is the coordination of multiple moving parts, such as the state of incorporation, IRS, lawyers, accountants, payroll provider, vendors, service providers, investors, payroll, and state departments. The average shutdown for a venture-backed company has about 95 moving parts, and if any of them are missed or not done correctly, the process can drag on and on. First Steps in Shutting Down a Business Dori talks about three typical approaches for a shutdown of a firm, which they categorize into three main “buckets”. The first bucket is companies that reach out six to nine months before they need to shut down, as they are running out of cash and trying to raise another round or convince existing investors to invest more in their company. They want to be ready for what happens if it doesn't work out, so they reach out to the Simple Closure six months before to discover what the process involves. Dori mentions the Shut Down calculator his firm developed and put on their website to help business owners work through costs and assess the time they have left before going into the red and complicating the shut down. Bucket number two is when companies decide to shut down immediately, need quick media advice, need help presenting to the board, or with winding down the business. Bucket number three is when companies have shut down operationally six months or a year ago but never dealt with properly winding down the business. They may face penalties, fines, and liens on their personal property due to improper actions. The Financial Reality of Shutting Down a Business Dori emphasizes that it is not easy to walk away from a company, as it can come back and haunt the owner(s). He explains that while a corporate entity is there to protect board members, investors, and founders, if certain things are not done properly, it can pierce the corporate veil, making the board and founders personally liable and potentially sued. The most common issue is wages, where an employee is owed wages and has not been paid. Companies should make sure that the proper winding up process is done to avoid loose ends and potential lawsuits from stakeholders, such as vendors, investors, state departments, and payroll departments. Dori also stresses the importance of considering investors during the shutdown process. Payroll Providers and the Shut Down Process A company's shutdown process involves understanding the number of employees it has and how to properly shut down them. Dori uses a typical seed stage company as an example. This type of company usually has around 15 to 20 employees at its peak, with a few founders and one more engineer or person. To properly shut down the company, it is crucial to know who is currently on payroll, whether full-time or contractors, and how many employees the company had at its peak across different states and locations. Most startups use payroll providers, but they are not good at shutting down payroll accounts. When a company shuts down, they terminate the relationship between themselves and the payroll provider, this does not mean the payroll provider has closed down all accounts in all states. To help close out all accounts and notify all states, companies should ask for the HRIS census, which provides background and history of employees. Analyzing this data helps determine who is a past employee versus an active employee. The discussion explores the issue of 1099s for companies that are about to shut down, such as those in the US. Dori explains that the ultimate goal is to close out all accounts and notify all states, as every state operates differently and how to shut down accounts for active and non-active employees, and contractors. Technology that Automates and Scales the Shutdown Process The goal of Dori’s company is to build a technology solution to automate and scale the process of closing out payroll departments. The company aims to be the TurboTax shutting down platform, providing a platform for companies to easily close out their payroll departments. He mentions that the company has built automations to automate various processes, such as faxes, phone calls, emails, and online forms. However, there are many AI solutions available today, such as outbound SDR and AI calls that can call in and provide basic account information. The company's goal is to develop a platform that allows companies to easily close out their payroll departments and help streamline and automate the process. Dori also talks about shutting down repeat services such as subscriptions. Three Main Phases of a Company Shut Down The winding down of a company involves three main phases: dissolution, wind up, and shut down. In Delaware, the first phase involves notifying the state and other entities, such as shareholders, board, and employees, about the decision to shut down the company. This involves notifying the state, preparing franchise taxes, filing the certificate of dissolution, and canceling the EIN. The second phase is the winding up phase, which involves unwinding payroll, paying out vendors, collecting invoices, and dealing with accounts receivable and payable. After the dissolution phase, the company must file a final tax return, distribute any remaining money to investors or creditors, and close out bank accounts. The third phase is the shutdown phase, which involves closing out bank accounts and sending out certificates of closure to investors and shareholders. It's important to have an export of all contracts with vendors and understand their options for cancellation. This process depends on the type of vendor and the company's capital. Dori shares information on how to deal with vendors during the shut down process. The Legal Requirements of Data Retention The conversation turns to the importance of data retention and the value of company data and IP. Dori talks about the importance of understanding the industry and company type, such as healthcare companies needing to keep patient records for seven years post-shutdown. Dori recommends using data custodians to store these records in a safe place, adhering to protocols and encryption levels. He also discusses the need for tokenization around the store to ensure a safe and secure process. On the IP side, Dori explains how founders can monetize their IP after the company shuts down. Delaware law states that winding down the business should maximize value for shareholders, as it is the shareholders' company. They can either acquire the IP or sell it, depending on the situation. They also support the process of repurposing IP, which can take various forms, such as acquiring a domain or selling the domain. Overall, the conversation highlights the importance of considering the legal requirements and the value of IP in the business world. Sale of Data during a Business Shut Down The discussion revolves around the process of closing a company, including the sale of data, intellectual property, patents, and code base. A platform called Simple Closing offers buyers to buy assets of companies shutting down, making the process as simple and streamlined as possible. Tax reporting and other tasks are prepaid by the accountant or accounting firm, but the final stage involves closing the bank account, paying off vendors, and sending out final checks to investors.The final stage involves record retention, notifying the IRS about the shutdown, and distributing funds to investors. This process is methodical and involves a waterfall calculation to determine the amount each person should receive back. This calculation is done on a pro rata basis, and after paying all taxes and closing the company, the money is wired out and distributed back to investors. The Final Stage of a Company Shut Down The final stage involves closing the bank account, paying off vendors, and sending out final checks to investors, record retention, payment of vendors, and distribution of funds. The final stage involves tying up loose ends and ensuring accurate distribution of funds to investors. Dori explains the process of closing a business, particularly when it comes to payroll, and the challenges faced by founders, such as filing quarterly taxes and dealing with payroll issues. He also talks about the importance of estimating the involvement and duration of founders, such as prepaying themselves with severance packages or bulk sums and why waterfall calculations must be done and how they work. The Simple Closure Company Explained Dori talks about Simple Closure, an online platform that helps founders and operators in the unfortunate position of wanting to shut down their firm. Their mission is not to shut down companies, but to help founders and operators have the peace of mind to move on to what's next. They believe that entrepreneurship is a community of repeat founders and businesses, and the faster they can get founders back on their feet, the more mind space they can give them to build and find their next job. He shares his company's go-to market, which includes referrals from venture-backed firms or inbounds from their website. He explains that they invest in partnerships to meet customers at the right moment in time and build trust with them. The company aims to partner with companies, firms, or entities, such as venture-backed firms, to help them navigate the process and ensure their brand reputation is built. Timestamps: 02:49: Overview of Shutdown Process 05:42: Handling Payroll and Employee Wages 19:28: Wind-Up Phase and Vendor Management 27:36: Data and Intellectual Property Management 31:53: Final Stages and Distribution of Funds 38:44: Go-to-Market Strategy and Pricing Link: Company website: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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602. Jacob Bank, Founder of Relay.app, No-code AI Agents
03/03/2025
602. Jacob Bank, Founder of Relay.app, No-code AI Agents
Show Notes Jacob Bank, founder and CEO of Relay.App, talks about the rise of AI agents, a type of chatbot that can work on your behalf in the background. He explains that AI agents can perform tasks similar to junior-level employees or interns. How AI Agents Work An example of an AI agent working on your blog post is Chat GPT, which can automatically draft a blog post about a new recipe. The agent may ask for feedback and then publish it for you. This makes AI agents less of a thought prompt partner and more like an intern who takes on a mission on your behalf. There are two ways AI agents can take action on your behalf: making direct computer calls called API calls, or controlling your computer. API calls allow agents to make direct connections with tools like Salesforce, Calendly, Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, and HubSpot. The second approach involves the AI controlling your computer, i.e., constantly looking at the screen and clicking buttons on it. Relay.App focuses on business productivity applications and automated calls, so it cannot log into your bank and perform actions on your behalf. However, a tool using the computer use capability would need two factor authentication and captcha. AI Agent Interaction: Solutions and Problems AI agents can interact with any website or tool that has an API, such as email browsers, CRM systems, and business productivity tools. There are three categories of AI agents: APIs, which perform tasks on a computer screen, AI in-built capabilities, and capabilities in reasoning. One problem AI agents need to solve is how they interact with their tools, such as reading and writing data from Salesforce, and how they can do this either via an API or by controlling the browser. Additionally, AI agents have the ability to extract information from PDFs, translate language information, turn text to speech, create videos automatically, and browse the web and do research. Three Models of AI Agents There are three models of AI agents to keep in mind: one class is a tool like relay.app, where the tool comes on your cloud or services, and interacts with things, while another class is a tool owned by the customer or freelancing agents. Models to consider when building AI agents: pre-built AI agents, which are commonly used in customer support tools, custom AI agents, and freelancing agents. These models are designed for specific vertical use cases and can be hosted on a platform or servers. AI agents can interact with various tools and platforms, including email marketing tools, CRM systems, and cloud-based versions of Microsoft tools. They can also perform tasks such as transcription, summary notes, and internet research. Customer Service Agents Customer service agents can be trained on a company's knowledge base. These agents can take various actions, such as replying to emails, triggering password reset emails, or issuing refunds. There are three main types of customer support agents: pre-built agents for specific use cases, custom built agents on easy-to-use platforms like lyndee.ai, relevance.ai, and Zapier, and engineers building their own agents using developer-focused frameworks. There are two options for building agents: one that interacts with APIs, and another that almost takes over your desktop. The fully browser-based approach is less reliable and predictable, but API-based approaches provide clearer guardrails for the agents. Common Use Cases for Relay.App The most common use cases for Relay.app include email handling, calendar management, customer interaction and relationship management, and marketing content creation. Email calendar management involves extracting information from emails, summarizing PDFs, forwarding them to others, drafting or applying to emails, labeling them, and archived emails. Personal productivity use cases involve managing emails, scheduling meetings, and reminding people to RSVP. Customer interaction and relationship management involves researching prospects, sending personalized emails, creating contracts, and reviewing support tickets. Marketing content creation involves creating life cycle marketing campaigns, blog posts, LinkedIn posts, and Twitter posts. These are the big three use cases for AI agents. However, there are also a wide range of businesses with different bespoke use cases, so they can build AI agents to do custom tasks. AI Agent Meeting Prep Jacob shares the step-by-step process to using the AI agent. The agent will help prepare for meetings by providing information about the person they are about to meet. The next step is to add a trigger, which is what happens in the outside world that causes the agent to wake up and start working on our behalf. The trigger can be based on an event in an application or on a scheduled basis. In this case, the trigger will be when an event is upcoming in Google Calendar. The agent will then be able to check if any changes in the person's calendar are made and reschedule the meeting. The AI agent will then be able to look at all the meetings that the person has tomorrow, and the time picker will show that the trigger will happen daily at 5pm. Using AI Agents to Find Events Jacob introduces a new step in Google Calendar that allows users to find events and filter them based on criteria. The step is set up to find all events that match the specified criteria, such as start time coming after today or before today plus two. If no events are found, the system can either notify the user or continue with the day without meetings. The next step is to use an iterator to iterate over the list of events found in the previous step. The output of one step can be used as input for the next step, as it often references previous information. In this case, the list of events is the list of events found in the previous step. Using AI Judgement To use AI judgement, Jacob adds a step to an AI step, selecting Custom Prompt. This prompts the AI to provide detailed instructions and insert relevant data for context. For example, if everyone has responded to a meeting, Jacob sends an email stating "looking forward to seeing you tomorrow" and if not, an email asking if the meeting still works for everyone. A path is created, which allows the user to decide whether to proceed with the AI's task. The first branch of the path is everyone replied, where the user can choose which rules determine whether to go down that path. In this case, the user selects "everybody replied," which will send an email to the list of guests, stating "looking forward to seeing you tomorrow." The email can be written manually or sent by the user. AI Agents' Primary Target Audience The primary target audience is non-technical individuals who have never written code or used code tools. The goal is to make the product easy for everyone to use. The company offers a partner program with automation and AI experts and agencies to help businesses set up workflows or advise on AI usage. Jacob also provides YouTube tutorials that can be helpful for creating workflows. Once people watch tutorials and follow them, they can understand the process at each step. The hope is that everyone can create their own workflows without needing a partner. However, complex business needs may require assistance.The goal is to make the product accessible to everyone, regardless of their technical skills. The company also offers a partner program with automation and AI experts to help businesses set up workflows and advise on AI usage. Relay.App Pricing The pricing of the tool is a standard self-serve freemium model, with subscriptions based on how much users use the product. The free tier offers 200 steps and 500 AI credits, while the first paid tier is $9 a month, which includes more steps and AI credits. The team tier starts at $59 a month for companies using it with multiple people. As users use the tool more, it needs more steps and AI reasoning. Bundles of credits are available on top of the subscriptions.The typical cost for a typical business is between $100 and $200 a month. However, if users are getting value from the product, they will pay $100 to $200 a month. Finding Talent with Relay.App On the Relay.App website, which features a gallery of common use cases, such as competitive research, pre-meeting dossiers, and email extracting. The app also includes a human-in-the-loop step where users can ask for help in identifying the right profile based on their information. This human-led approach can help AI agents make more informed decisions and ensure the effectiveness of their work. The app also includes a human-in-the-loop step, allowing users to identify the most suitable profile based on their information. Timestamps: 03:12: Capabilities and Limitations of AI Agents 10:01: Interaction Models and Use Cases 14:13: Building an AI Agent: Step-by-Step 29:56: Advanced Features and Customization 31:25: Pricing and Availability 33:33: LinkedIn Profile Finder Use Case 38:02: Conclusion and Resources Link: Company website: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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601. Nikola Lazarov, Co-Founder & CEO at Eilla AI
02/24/2025
601. Nikola Lazarov, Co-Founder & CEO at Eilla AI
Nikola Lazarov is the co-founder and CEO of Eilla AI, a tool that provides AI workers for private market intelligence. Nikola is an AI engineer who started his career at a London-based hedge fund, Marble Bar Asset Management, where he worked as a quant. He realized the value of AI in structuring unstructured data for private companies and decided to start a company almost three years ago. What Eilla AI Does While Nikola mentions that their target clients are investors and investment bankers, Eilla AI's tool does various tasks, such as finding competitors, analyzing their USP, target market, and financials. It also offers a solution for finding comparable transactions and conducting valuation reports. By searching for similar companies, it can determine their multiples, revenues, and valuations. The tool collects data from various data providers, including CrunchBase Zero and PitchBook, and scrapes it on its own. One of the most exciting solutions offered by Eilla AI is finding comparable transactions and doing valuation reports. This involves finding similar companies, analyzing their financials, average multiples, and what is driving these valuations. The tool automatically gathers and compares the data, providing valuable insights for startups, investors, and investment bankers. How Eilla AI Works The conversation turns to how it works. Nikola talks through using the software and explains the visuals on the screen, which includes tabs such as company, profile, competitor, research, buyer, selection, investment highlights, key questions, risks and mitigates, and a one-pager. The company profile page provides a consolidated set of information about the company, including its headquarters location, number of employees, founding status, total raised, and last transaction. The company description, industry, problem solved, key team members, funding, product, clients, business model, digital intelligence, and news are all included. The platform is similar to CrunchBase and other data aggregators, but it aggregates data from various sources, such as LinkedIn, their website, CrunchBase, and Capita. The platform also offers footnotes for each piece of data, allowing users to hover over it to see the source of the information. The platform also provides information on the website traffic, such as the source and the number of followers. Aggregating Data from Various Sources Nikola explains how the tool works using competitor research as the example to find the closest competitors to Payhawk. He explains that this process saves time and helps save time by aggregating data. However, what differentiates Eilla AI is what happens on top of this aggregated data. It uses a proprietary database of in-depth product information to gather information from over 7 million companies, ranking them based on funding, cat count, and other factors. AI is used to determine the number of competitors and similar companies. A Vertical View of Information Users can select a few companies to dive deeper into, and a vertical view allows for a comparison table. The table includes company name type, description, product description, headquarters location, team, year of founding, last round of funding, status, ownership status, detailed offering, unique selling proposition, and target market. The information is organized in a way that would take weeks to pull together. Users can use the vertical view to see the companies side by side. The platform also includes green dots on product descriptions to indicate high similarity and source information. This tool is unique in that it not only provides data but also replicates the workflow of competitor research. It offers insights such as a SWOT analysis on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Pay Hawk versus its competitors. Product and Services The platform also includes a Products and Services tab with bullet points around PayHawk versus its competitors. Each product has a footnote where users can click to see the sources and scroll down to understand the differences between the two companies. Nikola also mentions the upcoming release of Cap IQ Financial, which includes important information like revenue, beta, valuation, and financials. The buyer selection tab is particularly interesting, as it shows all similar companies to Payco, including acquisitions and mergers. These companies are split into potential strategic buyers, competitors, and financial buyers. The tool also highlights the similarities between Pay Hawk and other companies, such as Visma and Instant, a platform that automates control for secure payments and trustworthy suppliers. The platform also assesses the financial capabilities of the company to buy companies like Payhawk. Eilla AI Features Nikola explains that the platform aims to replicate the workflow of investors and investment bankers by breaking down complex workflows into simpler steps. This is done by breaking down data from various sources, such as data providers, CRMs, emails, and nodes. The goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of the company's funding, team, head count, product, services, USP, and detailed offering. The platform also offers a one-pager, which can be easily downloaded and viewed as a PDF. This information provides a detailed overview of the company's funding, team, head count, product, and services, as well as its unique selling points. The platform also provides a free seven-day trial for potential customers, such as corporate executives or business consultants looking for acquisitions. Eilla AI Pricing Schedule The pricing schedule is based on the number of requests per user and the amount of time spent on due diligence. For larger companies, the standard price is $98 per month per seat, while for smaller companies, it is $300 per month per user. The platform also offers a free seven-day trial for those interested in trying out the product without the need for sales meetings. Timestamps: 02:38: Overview of Eilla AI’s Services 04:46: Demonstration of Eilla AI’s Capabilities 09:50: Competitor Research and Insights 16:08: Buyer Selection and Investment Highlights 20:18: Key Questions and Risks Mitigation 22:09: Customer Base and Pricing 24:50: Conclusion and Next Steps Links: Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at
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