An IP development workshop for boutique consultancies helps firms turn their expertise into scalable, valuable assets. By building strong intellectual property—from services to processes—you can create recurring revenue, increase business value, and attract buyers. Focusing on the right IP based on your firm’s strengths ensures long-term growth and profitability.
IP is the primary asset of a consulting firm looking to sell. It is also the key to sustainable, scalable leveraged, profits. This PowerPoint provides the structure of a workshop which I run with clients to maximise the value of their IP.
Proprietary methods and tools include services and products for clients, plus operations, business development processes, and technologies firms gradually commodify.
When it comes to buyers’ preferences, revenue-generating IP ranks first, but not by as much as many expect. For obvious reasons, buyers look for recurring revenue IP rather than revenue dependent upon constant sales efforts. Over 60% of buyers say recurring revenue is extremely important, with 67% of private equity, 45% of strategic buyers, 75% in the US, and 42% in Europe. In other words, if you do not have any recurring revenue, perhaps focus your attention on European strategic buyers!
Your type of firm (e.g. Brains, Grey Hair or Procedure) will influence the focus of your IP. Brains firms will tend towards strong marketing IP, especially in the form of thought leadership. As problems are unique and solutions creative, there are often low levels of service IP. This said, there are strong opportunities in operational IP that many firms neglect until too late.
At the other end of the spectrum, procedure or IT-led firms will (or should!) often have strong levels of IP throughout the firm: well-defined products, operational processes and sales IP. Of course, space for creativity and innovation is still important and still the basis for long-term competitive advantage, but this tends to be generated at the more senior levels as juniors are often maxed out with utilisation.
I would urge these firms to think about slightly lowering utilisation levels in exchange for greater involvement of juniors in IP development. Types of IP should also reflect the firm’s UVP, whether that is making clients quicker, cheaper, higher quality, or bigger, it should help define your IP priorities.
