From burnout to freedom: The simple way to productise your consultancy

It’s 10 p.m. Your inbox is overflowing. Tomorrow’s packed with meetings and the weekend? That’s to catch up on admin and proposals. When did work-life balance become a distant dream?

Sound familiar? For consultancy owners, the dream of freedom often turns into a trap. Your expertise keeps you in demand, but it also keeps you working all hours. When was the last time you had real downtime?

If this resonates, you’re not alone. Many consultancy owners are stuck in this cycle. The good news? There’s a way out, and it starts with productising your consultancy.

If you’re serious about building a scalable, sustainable consultancy, you’ve got to stop trading time for money.

Why you’re always struggling for time

“My clients are all different—productising won’t work for me.” Sound familiar? I thought the same thing.

I also believed pricing by the hour was easier than pricing for results—especially when those results take time to appear. So, I built complicated systems and processes to manage each client’s unique needs.

It left me overwhelmed. My inbox was always full—clients, my team, suppliers—all demanding my time. And any spare time I had? Spent chasing leads, writing proposals, or worrying about cash flow.

The result? I rarely saw my friends or family. I felt like I couldn’t even afford to take a break because every hour was another ￡100 lost.

Instead of creating freedom, I’d built myself a cage.

How productising changed everything

My breakthrough?

• I realised that 80% of my profits came from just 20% of my clients—and they were also the easiest and most enjoyable to work with.
• The services they valued most weren’t complex or time-consuming. They were the ones with crystal-clear outcomes—no ambiguity, just results.
• Selling and delivering the same thing to the same type of client made my life 100 times easier.

And here’s the kicker: the systems I initially implemented when starting my consultancy were right all along. But back then, I didn’t trust myself enough to stick with them. I let clients pull me off course. Looking back, I wish I’d really believed in myself.

How to productise your services

You don’t need to reinvent your consultancy overnight. Start today with these three steps:

1. Identify your ideal client:

• Who are they?
• Where are they now, and where do they want to be?

2. Define the outcome:

• What’s the biggest problem you solve?
• What’s that worth to your client?
• How much would they gladly pay for it?

3. Create your product:

• Name: Simple, clear, and compelling.
• Price: Based on the outcome, not your hours.
• Defined outcome: How does your product solve their problem?

With these elements in place, you’ve just productised a service and can start testing it. If it sells consistently, then—and only then—invest in building the systems to scale it.

What might hold you back?

1. Getting stuck in the details

You don’t need complex systems to start. Test the market first. Once you know it works, then refine.

2. Your expertise gets in the way

Every client feels unique, but often the solutions are not. Break your services into steps and focus on the repeatable outcomes.

3. Worrying about cash flow

You don’t need to risk your entire consultancy. Start with just one service you already offer and refine it into a product. With one small step, you’ll see results without risking your stability.

The long-term benefits

Imagine this: no more late nights, no more scrambling for leads, and no more trading time for money.

Productising your consultancy doesn’t just give you back your time—it gives you control. Whether you want to scale, sell, or simply enjoy your work again, this is the path to the freedom that drove you to start your consultancy.

Take back control of your consultancy.

My free Ready-To-Buy Playbook shows you how to build a scalable system that works for you—no more trading time for money.

?? Download your free copy here and start building the business you deserve.

Here’s to scaling your consultancy ??