Business development can become exhausting when the founder is the only person carrying it.

In this episode, Michelle shares a story from Chris Spurvey’s early days building Plato Consulting, when he felt responsible for keeping every consultant billable, every project moving, and every plate spinning.

That pressure led to what Chris calls the “bird in hand” mentality, listen to the episode to hear the moment this changed for Chris and how you can open the door to growth with this different perspective.

Most consulting founders carry too much of the business development burden. In this episode, learn how The Ladder Framework helps create a culture where everyone contributes to growth.

If you'd like to talk about how Niche Consulting Growth can help you end the feast or famine cycle, Schedule a conversation .

Today we're tackling a problem that almost every boutique consulting firm founder

faces at some point. The exhausting reality of trying to handle

all the business development yourself.

I was recently talking to Chris about this exact issue and he shared a story with

me from the early days of his first firm,

Plato Consulting, and it perfectly captures this struggle.

He told me that back then,

He felt the weight of business development resting entirely on his own shoulders.

His team was delivering exceptional work,

but the pressure of keeping everyone billable fell completely on him.

He described it to me as spinning plates.

So imagine balancing plates on sticks and each one represents a member

of your team. As long as they keep spinning,

everyone is fine. But the moment a project ends,

and a consultant hits the bench,

it immediately eats into your margins.

Chris explained how this stress forced him into a survival mindset,

what he calls a bird in hand mentality,

where he started saying yes to almost anything that represented revenue,

even if it didn't align with his team's expertise or career goals.

It was burning him out and hurting the team's morale.

And you can see too, even as a solo consultant,

this is a very common trap and how damaging it can be.

The turning point in our conversation was when Chris told me about a mentor

he had at the time and his mentor,

who was a respected partner in the firm,

was sitting across from him one day at the boardroom table and said something

to him that stopped Chris in his tracks.

And this is what he said. He said,

Chris, why do you think you're the only one responsible for business development?

What would happen if

Everyone played a role Now Chris admitted to me that at the time

he resisted the idea at first Because he did feel like business development

was his burden to carry But the question helped him realize that growth isn't just

about systems. It's about culture,

too It's about empowering every single person in the organization to play

a role in business development at their own level

This mindset shift is what led Chris to develop the ladder framework.

He was very clear with me that this is not about turning everyone on your team into

pushy salespeople. Instead, it is about cultivating a culture

of connection where everyone actively nurtures relationships

and strengthens the firm's reputation.

Chris walked me through the foundational rungs of this framework and

the first one is incredibly simple but powerful.

He calls it open for business.

He pointed out that many consultants suffer from an identity crisis.

When someone asks, Hey, how's business?

We instinctively reply busy or stressed.

wear busyness as a badge of honor.

But Chris explained that subconsciously you're planting a message that says,

I don't have time for new clients.

Now imagine if your entire firm from senior consultants

to administrative staff shifted their identity and confidently shared

a consistent message. Business is fantastic and we're always excited

to help new clients solve. You insert the specific problem here.

That's a different vibe altogether.

It's a subtle shift that creates this magnetic pull.

And from there, you step up to the second rung of the ladder framework,

which is quality client service.

As Chris's mentor used to say,

good work leads to more work. Your whole team anticipates challenges

and delivers excellence. They are actively

participating in business development.

that naturally earns you the right to step up to the third rung,

ask for referrals. If you've done good work,

your team should feel empowered to ask because trust transfers immediately.

Now, as Chris and I wrapped up our conversation around this topic,

he shared the ultimate secret to making the ladder framework stick

and that's time blocking. He referenced Paul Graham's concept

of the maker's schedule versus the manager's schedule.

Business development requires deep,

focused, uninterrupted maker time.

Chris warned me that if you don't fiercely guard your time blocks

for relationship building, they will inevitably get drowned out by

the daily noise of running a business.

I remember this like moment in time where I fully understood this because

in running two businesses,

It is so very easy, I found,

to get bogged down in working in the business that you never get a chance

to work on the business.

When Chris implemented this culture at Plato Consulting,

the results were transformative,

shifting that mindset into everyone plays a part in business development

and the maker schedule versus the manager schedule.

They doubled their business in 18 months,

stopped the frantic juggling act and ultimately positioned the firm

for an acquisition by KPMG.

Growth isn't just about what you do,

it's about who you become as an organization.

Until next time, stop spinning plates and start building your system.

Now get back to your day.