May 28, 2025

How do I compete with big firms?

A classic question popped up in Ditcherville the other day:

As a solo consultant, how do I compete with big firms?

Three thoughts:

1. Specialize—Most big firms are generalists by definition. If you specialize and become a recognized expert (i.e., THE authority on the subject), you can beat out a big firm.
2. Smaller is faster—Solo consultants are virtually always faster than large firms, so if the client can’t wait a month for a large firm to get up to speed, you can win the deal.
3. Why not both?—It’s not necessarily an either/or proposition. It’s not uncommon for a large company to hire both a big firm and an independent expert to collaborate on their project.

Note that “smaller is cheaper” isn’t on this list.

Yes, you could probably charge what to you is a king’s ransom and still cost less than a big firm, but don’t mention that in your marketing or sales process.

Yours,

—J

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