Can a million-dollar business still be the wrong business? Well, Aaron Cruikshank learned firsthand that the answer can be ‘yes’.
After more than two decades as a consultant, he grew his firm to over a million dollars in revenue with a team of seventeen. Now, on paper, it looked like success. But behind the scenes, the business wasn't nearly as profitable as he would have liked. Well, today he's approaching seven figures again with the equivalent of roughly three people and a dramatically different business model.
In this episode, we unpack what Aaron learned about hiring, profitability, and specialization, and how he moved from selling research to selling high-value outcomes. And why AI is allowing consulting firms to rethink how much infrastructure they really need.
So if you're building towards seven figures, Aaron's experience offers an important question: What kind of business do you actually want once you get there?
Enjoy.
Welcome to the Consulting Success podcast. I'm your host Michael Zipursky, and in this podcast, we're going to dive deep into the world of elite consultants where you're going to learn the strategies, tactics and mindset to grow a highly profitable and successful consulting business.
Before we dive into today's episode. Are you ready to grow and take your consulting business to the next level? Many of the clients that we work with started as podcast listeners just like you, and a consistent theme they have shared with us is that they wished they had reached out sooner about our Clarity Coaching Program rather than waiting for that perfect time. If you're interested in learning more about how we help consultants just like you, we're offering a free, no pressure growth session call. On this call, we're going to dive deep into your goals, challenges and situation and outline a plan that is tailor made just for you. We will also help you identify where you may be making costly and time consuming mistakes to ensure you're benefiting from the proven methods and strategies to grow your consulting business.
So don't wait years to find clarity. If you're committed and serious about reaching a new level of success in your consulting business, go ahead and schedule your free growth session. Get in touch today. Just visit Consulting Success - Grow to book your free call today.
Aaron Cruikshank is a market intelligence strategist, speaker, and President of CTRS Market Intelligence. With over 20 years of research experience, he helps high-performing businesses cut through data overload and buzzwords to make confident, intel-backed strategic decisions without the guesswork. Since 2014, Aaron and his team have supported over 850 global clients—from startups to Fortune 500s—in uncovering hidden market opportunities. Also an educator and volunteer, Aaron is passionate about turning complex data into clear, actionable insights for long-term business success.
Connect with Aaron Cruikshank: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cruikshank/
Discover more about CTRS: ctrs.co