Consultants eat well; don’t get fat

Consultants eat well No question about it. Consultants are foodies. We treat good restaurants like wild game. Find them. Eat there. Of course we cannot, do not go to $$$$ restaurants on our client’s dime, but we do eat at $$ restaurants and expense it. Rarely do...

Autumn leaves, New York 

Worked like a dog this week. Got a $284 speeding ticket. Need some changes in the working team. However, life is still good. Check out these leaves from New York, where the client site is. Enjoy.        ...

Consulting week recap in 16 photos

Photos capture a lot Busy week shown in photos. Two projects and alternate travel today to the west coast. Good times. The collage app is called Photogrid.  Guns and Roses and Queen on Pandora while waiting for security. Super long lines, but bearable with music and a...

Travel folly: Oh #$^#, this is not my room

Today was a travel day – like most Mondays.  There were two odd things about today. Good thing – no one next to me on the plane There was no one sitting next to me on the plane today. I completely spread out, and put my stuff in the seat next to me. It...

Consultant 6am flight home: 3 photos

Traveling is exhausting How strange is it to commute by plane. We are whistled in by clients, ready road-warriors, bringing news from far away. Our time is “valuable”, marked by our bill rates and our inaccessible during travel times and Fridays. Travel...

Who reads this blog? 10 survey results

Thanks for reading this blog (written in 2015) I have enjoyed your company and comments. Hope you find this stuff – not so boring – and potentially helpful. Some survey results which hint at www.consultantsmind.com readers. As my wife flattered me and also...

Working at the Hotel

“It’s 1am and I am working on a proposal due this Friday from the hotel lobby. It has to go through multiple reviews, so I would be wise to get it 80% finished tonight. Oy Vey. Walking around the hotel – to wake myself up – this is what I see....

Consulting hack: Free movies on Delta Studio

I have flown Delta for 15 years, but just recently discovered Delta Studio. For those who don’t know, you can watch free movies and TV shows using GoGo Inflight Wi-fi. Phone: Download GoGo app.  Connect to wifi, open app. Click of Delta Studio. Laptop: Connect...

Relaxation: Cherry blossoms

Monday night in the hotel. Lots of work, but not in the mood. Instead, thinking about the cherry blossoms I saw with my wife this weekend. A much better thought. Related posts: Consulting travel The consulting life.  Good dinners...

Business travel in the winter

Yes, I am currently staffed on the East Coast in February.  #$^@#$ it’s #$%#$^ cold. A few words of wisdom for the newbie consultants traveling to into the cold:   Staying warm (affiliate links) Buy some 180s. They are ear warmers that don’t mess up...

Artists have to hustle. This happened to me

23 consultants were in a restaurant. . .  The leadership team of our consulting practice were enjoying wine and canapes. (Yes, consultants eat well).  My buddy and I were talking and when we looked out the window into the January Chicago night, someone was staring...

What can I buy on Fiverr.com?

Fiverr.com I discovered this website just a few months ago. The concept is simple, if not remarkable. It is a market where people offer services starting at $5. It varies from proof-reading your resume, writing a jingle, sketching something on paper, or even...

The consulting life. Good dinners

Act like Europeans Team dinners are by-far one of the best parts of consulting. It is a combination of smart people, good food, wine, and story-telling. As I told a friend, if there were no team dinners. . not sure if it would really be worth it. It is the rare...

Consulting: flexibility to take vacations

I have been on vacation for 2 weeks. Family visiting from overseas. During that time I wrote a handful of emails, and took a few conference calls, but largely, I was on a break. See some photos from the cruise. Ah, a sampling of retired life. Consulting gives you...

Good interview advice

Was recruiting on Friday. This was on the wall of the business school’s career management center. All good advice I believe. Related Posts: Case interviews: Time to start practicing Why culture trumps strategy...

Kacy, American Ninja Warrior

We all need motivation Here is mine for today. Kacy Catanzaro completes the American Ninja Warrior course. Just watch it here. 18 million views and counting; the 7 minutes of crushing athleticism will power you through this work week. Uh, no more words needed. Just...

ConsultantsMind.com 2nd Year

Wordpress reminded me today that it was my blogiversary. Two full years blogging. When I told my wife, she said we should celebrate. Thanks to Associatesmind for encouraging me to start this because it has been one of the most fun and meaningful things I have done...

You travel too much when you . . .

Management consulting = travel No way around it. If you don’t like business travel, you will hate consulting. Here are some things I have experienced. Know your airline frequent flyer number, but not your mom’s phone number Take too much pride in the type...

Two kinds of people. . .

Two kinds of people Had a strange week. Lots of ups and downs. Rough client interviews, laborious data cleaning, too much travel, and so-so sushi.  With the ebb / flow of consulting life, I was struck by the fact that there are 2 kinds of people . . . . . People you...

A big idea: Jeff Bezos buys the Washington Post

Jeff Bezos is clearly not your typical guy Valedictorian of his high school class, summa cum laude in electrical engineering from Princeton, ex-hedge fund manager. Starts online bookstore, but then grows it into the largest online retailer. Takes Amazon.com public in...

Make Other People Successful

Seems simple enough Consultants are in the business of making other people successful.  Yes, consultants make a good salary, and yes, they do have some power on projects. Fundamentally though, it is not about them. It is about the clients. Good consulting habits. This...

Consulting work hours: 110 hour week?

It was a rough week. Started last Saturday with multiple conference calls, and one week later, at 1am the following Sunday (8 days later), still going strong. Sometimes, not glamorous I slept 4 hours a night for the last 8 days. I told my consulting partner that it...

July 4th. Great country, lots to do

Proud to be an American The US is a truly blessed country, and it is no surprise that the waiting list for green card averages six years (depends on the country of origin). Supply and demand. People want to live here. People want to be American. “If you are born...

Why consultants love maps

Consultants are cartographers Maps contain a lot of information in a small amount of space. It shows trends, and is usually a very memorable, visual way to see information. Here are 3 maps of the USA that I saw mashed up. . Companies by state This is by Steve...

Blogging Anniversary: 1 Year Later

Started writing this blog a year ago  At the time I had no idea where it would lead, but after 40,000+ words I still enjoy the work. As consultants, we are paid by to think rigorously and creatively through problems – and yet, it’s a shame there is not a...

How Americans Spend Time

Superbowl Sunday. For many in the US, there are only 2 parts of the day. Getting ready for the Superbowl, then watching it. Interestingly, most people don’t care who wins, and a large number of people are just watching for the ads. (66% female and 47% males say...

What would a consulting advertisement look like?

anagement consulting video Just watched my first video advertisement for consulting. It was entitled The Science of Management Consulting; it was cool, visually appealing, and a bit inspiring actually. Done by Accenture and on their website. Says some good things All...

How popular are half marathons?

I ran the Philadelphia Rock and Roll half marathon last month. Felt great to finish, but it was pretty painful at mile 11 and 12. There were a lot of people there, and it made me wonder how popular are half marathons? So here is what I found out at www.runningusa.org:...

Consultants love jargon, why?

too much jargon Yes, let’s all admit it. We probably use jargon more than we should. It’s so ubiquitous that it’s like a second language that you might metaphorically list at the bottom of your resume. Hey, wow, look at me. Yes, it can be useful...

Crowd-funding, a new way to bootstrap

Raising capital online, grassroots style This blog post is ostensibly about how crowd-funding websites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter are democratizing innovation by creating ways of individuals to support new products, ideas, bands and charities. Raising capital...

Yes, you should know what Reddit is. . .

Consultants need to keep up with technology to stay relevant.  Once you start to fear technology, you are getting old. So, this is how I finally started using Reddit. Reddit is a funny place. For those who don’t know, it is simply a set of forums where you can...

Reddit is the front page of the internet

Had a rough Monday. It is 10pm and I still have 2-3 hours of work to do. That said, I ran across these three stories and it really picked up my day. 100 guitar riffs. sheesh. 3 Million Mile Volvo: Read the NPR story about Irv Gordon who has driven his beloved car for...

Free Tools: PDFEscape and FaxZero

Recently came across a list called 101 Most Useful Websites curated by Amit Argarwal, a columnist with the Wall Street Journal India. Useful, free and refreshing websites. 1) FaxZero.com: This a free PC-to-Fax machine service  No registration and it takes only 60...

Data: The meaning of US state names

Happy Birthday! The United States is celebrating its 236th birthday today. I saw an article from Mental Floss Magazine by Matt Soniak called How All 50 States Got Their Names.  It was well-timed for July 4th, but a bit long at 5,000 words. After reading through the...