If you are a subscriber to my blog and reading this, you also might be one of these rare personality types they have just discovered.

Does this story resonate with you?

I was on stage in a hotel ballroom. Bright lights. Big crowd. I told a story about a client who tripled revenue from a trailer. People laughed. People were off the chairs. They danced. I wrapped. Applause.

After my talk, I headed straight to the restroom. Not because I needed it. Because I needed the quiet.

That’s the tell. If you are an extrovert on stage and an introvert off, you might be an otrovert.

You can tune into one mind like a Bluetooth signal. But you can’t connect with a crowd like Wifi.

For example, I dislike the standing part of receptions with superficial small talk. I am the guy with a glass of red wine in his hands somewhere on the edge of the crowd. I don’t know how to connect with the collective. But I am known for my Mr. Spock-like ability to mind-melt with individuals. That’s why I love the si...

Last Friday, I was shocked when I logged into ChatGPT. I saw a colorful background with the words: “Introducing GPT-5.”

First Problems with GPT-5

I don’t like software updates. They usually mean the app will change in ways I don’t expect. The bigger shock was that I couldn’t choose a GPT model anymore. OpenAI believes this isn't necessary. They say GPT-5 is “the smartest, fastest, and most useful model yet, with thinking built in.” So, you get the best answer every time.

Spoiler alter. That statement is false as of this writing. For one, you won't know if you are actually using GPT-5. OpenAI has removed the option for you to select an LLM model. So you might think you’re talking to GPT-5, but behind the curtain, it might swap to a different model mid-flow. This is called 'model switching'. It's when the AI system changes the underlying model you’re talking to during a session or between sessions. It does this without telling you. 

GPT-5 doesn’t always pick the “right” model for you...

Everyone’s shouting that AI will either “replace” us or “empower” us. That kind of thinking shows a lack of original thought. The issue isn’t whether AI is coming for boutique consultants, because it is. The real issue is that many boutique consultants see AI as just a tool. They don't view it as a partner in transformation.

Clients have realized that ChatGPT can handle 80% of the work that consultants used to charge $15K for. And when it comes to getting help fast and free, they would rather do it themselves. It's easier and faster to put a prompt into AI than to send you an email.

Microsoft’s recent Work Trend Index showed what most consultants are still denying.

Generative AI is taking on full work tasks across many industries and showing real success. That’s not a prediction. This is happening now. Your clients draft go-to-market plans with a single prompt. They generate SWOT analyses, persona decks, and training outlines in seconds.

Microsoft analyzed 200,000 U.S.-based Copilo...

Why Boutique Consultants Must Ditch the Clock, Embrace the Bot, and Charge for Results Like a Boss.

When AI automation squeezes hourly billing rates and commoditizes expertise, what's left for boutique consultants to earn? With the eroding perception of human value, is there still relevance to the knowledge of human consultants?

I've heard similar questions in 1997, when machine translation was poised to disrupt the industry I was working in, called localization. Spoiler alert: None of that happened. It did disrupt the industry, but it also drove its exponential growth.

Lessons from Machine Translation

At the time, I was the Managing Director of Berlitz in Germany, overseeing their translation services. The business had lost millions of dollars in the five consecutive years preceding my arrival. So, what was I supposed to do? Competing with technology and all?

I did what every sane leader would do: Grab the enemy by the balls. We placed a button on our website called "Berlitz It,"...

“I have the feeling that LinkedIn is one big network full of bots talking to each other,” a friend of mine shared with me yesterday.

"Can I trust anything in there?” she asked. Let’s talk about trust.

If you feel like that also, watch this episode of Coffee, Chaos, and Consulting.

And this one’s personal. Because the truth is, if you’re not closing as many #clients lately, it’s not your pricing.

It’s not your niche.

It’s not even your offer.

It’s a trust gap.

And it's widening fast.

Let’s explore why leads disappear, why no one clicks your great post, and what it means when prospects trust AI more than you. (Yep. That’s a thing now.)

But we’re not here to complain. We’re here to create a solid plan.

We want to earn trust quickly in a market full of fakes, flakes, and tired of automation.

Hint: AI won’t save you here. Fancy words won’t cut it.

If you’re a boutique consultant or a fractional executive wanting more high-trust, high-intent buyers... this training is for you.

N...

Why Boutique Consultants Must Lead with Focus, Courage, and Ethics in the Age of AI.

Let’s be blunt.

If you’re still leading with a deck, you’ve already lost the room. In a world where AI can generate ten slides in ten seconds, slides aren’t power. They’re a performance. And clients aren't buying high-level advice printed on glossy paper, summarized in fancy slides anymore. They’re buying conviction.

We’re not in the age of PowerPoint. We’re in the age of Proof Point.

If you’re a boutique consultant who still considers slides as deliverables, get ready. The tectonic plates have moved under your business.

The AI Shift: What Clients Are Really Buying Now

A recent OECD study laid that out in neon lights for you (I summarize the key findings in my latest podcast episode here). AI is everywhere, but not yet deep. Companies know they need it. They are experimenting. However, they lack the vision and stamina to use AI in their business strategy. Business cases are missing, and the ROI i...

Clients are nervous. Policies keep shifting. Consultants get fired. Let’s talk about that.

How are high-performing consultants adapting right now?

What if chaos isn’t the problem but the perfect opening for boutique consultants to rise? What if this isn’t just disruption, but your AI Advantage?

Perhaps you already feel it: Tariffs. Global tension. Clients freeze. Budgets shrink. Risk tolerance evaporates. 

And in the background? AI reshapes every business function while most consultants still pitch “process maps.”

Maybe you're still hoping things "go back to normal."

Consider that this isn't temporary. It’s a global reset.

It's more than a stock market correction. And it's totally possible that the DOW and NASDAQ have gone up by the time you read this. Every day, there’s something else. Tariffs on toilet paper can be a real thing now.

It’s a system reset - triggered by nationalism, accelerated by AI, and sealed by collapsing global trust.

I am not an economist. I am not politi...

(Scroll down to the list per type of consulting business.)

In this article, I'll help you choose the best CRM for your consulting business. I'll share top CRMs by niche and firm, considering ease of use, AI readiness, integrations, and cost.

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management system) is your catalyst for scaling. It organizes your leads and tracks your sales pipeline. It automates follow-up and streamlines onboarding. Plus, it helps you provide a top-notch client experience easily.

But here’s the kicker – most CRMs are not built with consultants in mind. Some are bloated with features you’ll never use. Others make you duct-tape 12 tools together just to send a contract or schedule a call. And then, some developers are so focused on bells and whistles that they neglect the basics.

So, which CRM is the best for boutique consultants? As always... it all depends. And that's not my way of weaseling out of making recommendations. I will.

In particular, I evaluated CRMs based on thr...

Let’s be real - at your level, effort and willpower isn’t the issue. Here’s what to fix: Stop the busy work. Start compounding. Here's how a kitchen design changed my business - and it will be yours, too.

My wife, Ann, and I planned to build a house in Ireland a few years ago. It was a lesson in what not to do to make progress.

Here is what happened.

The architect sent us the floor plan and we immediately found the kitchen.

I am a hobby chef. So, how cooking flows in the kitchen was important to me. I'm also German and like it practical.

The Irish, on the other hand, are family-focused.

Ann wanted a kitchen that felt like a warm gathering place. I wanted space to sauté without stepping over someone’s child.

Ann and I needed to reconcile these two different universes.

There was only one problem. 

We hadn’t even filed for a building permit yet.

Had we just spent 30 minutes on that, we’d have made real progress. But instead, we burned two hours on layout decisions that - let’s b...

For years, I told my clients: “If you’re staying a solopreneur, you don’t have a business. You’ve just built yourself a glorified job.”

And I meant it.

Long hours. Limited income. Zero scalability.

That used to be the harsh reality of going solo.

But the game has changed.

A new breed of solopreneur is rising. They don’t have employees. They don’t chase venture capital. They don’t waste time in pointless meetings. They use AI as their edge. It automates operations, marketing, and sales. Many traditional companies struggle to keep up. 

That's why we see many layoffs now, especially in tech. This sector relied too much on one-dimensional coders from low-cost countries. AI can think more abstractly than most offshore dev teams, despite its limits. It’s better at coding and also cheaper and faster. It also comes free of entitlement, workplace politics, and hidden caste systems that damage meritocracy, create toxic environments, and push talented people away.

This no-brainer for Tech ...