Consulting for professional services firms
Your people are the product. Time is the inventory.
Accounting, engineering, architecture, law, IT and agencies. Time leaks between the timesheet and the invoice.
Five places to look, and the first check for each.
Run these checks yourself. A Profit X-Ray puts a dollar figure on each.
Time recorded but never billed
Hours recorded vs. hours billed, by client and person.
Utilization nobody owns
Set a billable target per role; compare to last quarter.
Scope that grows without a change
List work delivered beyond five recent proposals.
Prices set by habit
When did each rate last change, versus salaries?
Slow billing and collections
Total unbilled work and A/R over 60 days.
Start free. Pay only for what the numbers support.
- Profit X-RayFinds where time and fees leak, client by client. Details
- Profit ArchitectureUtilization targets, pricing and scope control. Details
- The Blackex BoardAn outside view for growth decisions. Details
Fixed fees, never hourly. 3× Commitment: if a Profit X-Ray can't document three times its fee in annual opportunity, you don't pay the balance.
Common questions.
How can a professional services firm become more profitable?
Bill more of the time you already work: cut write-offs, control scope and reprice.
What utilization rate should our people have?
It depends on the role. We set targets from your own history and track them weekly.
Should we move from hourly billing to fixed fees?
Often, for well-defined work, once you know its real cost.
Do you work with accounting and law firms?
Yes, on the business side only. We don't give accounting, tax or legal advice.
Start here
See where your firm's time is leaking.
Free: a 30-minute call, a 20-question assessment and a 45-minute readout on where to look first.