Why getting ahead makes running your consultancy easier (and how to do it!)
Stephen Bavister
I help consultancy owners secure 4+ ready-to-buy sales calls monthly and systemise growth in 90 days—no wasted time!
A few weeks ago, I missed sending my weekly newsletter.
I was out of the office for a couple of days and tried to catch up over the weekend - but I only managed to clear a few regular tasks.
Why? Because I wasn’t ahead on my regular activities.
That experience reminded me just how much easier consultancy life is when you’re ahead of the curve instead of constantly chasing it.
The power of getting ahead
Some people are naturally good at staying ahead, but for most of us (myself included), it’s a habit we must build intentionally.
If you want to make running your consultancy less stressful and more predictable, getting ahead on your regular activities is one of the best ways to do it.
These regular activities could include:
?? Marketing ?? Sales ?? Finances ?? Customer relationships ?? Planning
When you’re ahead, you unlock two big advantages:
? More capacity to deal with the unexpected.
? More time for strategic thinking and analysis.
How to start getting ahead
Here’s a simple method you can use to get ahead on your regular activities:
1?? List your regular activities
Identify everything you and your team do consistently - weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
2?? Decide what you can get ahead on
Some activities can be batched in advance (like content creation), while others (like live sales calls) need to happen in real time.
3?? Score each activity
For those you can get ahead on, score them by:
Use a simple scale for scoring each critera:
Add up the scores to prioritise the activities that matter most.
4?? Set a target to get ahead
Once you’ve prioritised, set a realistic goal - whether that’s getting a month ahead or even a full quarter ahead.
5?? Work the plan
Start with the highest-priority activity and build a buffer week by week until you hit your target.
Example: Getting ahead on marketing
My regular marketing activities include:
?? LinkedIn posting
?? Weekly email newsletter & blog post
?? Advertising management
?? In-person networking
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?? Website updates & SEO
?? LinkedIn profile review and update
Here’s how I apply the framework:
? LinkedIn posts & newsletters can be created ahead of time.
? Networking can be planned a quarter ahead by selecting events now.
? Advertising management depends on real-time results, so I can’t get ahead - but I can block regular time for it.
? Website reviews, SEO, and profile updates also need regular attention rather than being front-loaded.
My goal?
? Get one month ahead on LinkedIn posts and newsletters first.
? Then extend to a full quarter ahead.
This gives me time to review performance, tweak my approach, and stay proactive instead of reactive.
The bottom line
If you always feel like you’re chasing tasks instead of driving your consultancy forward, getting ahead changes everything.
It reduces stress, improves quality, and gives you space for the strategic work that actually grows your business.
Want to free up time to get ahead?
If you want to simplify lead generation so you have more time for high-value work, my Ready-To-Buy Playbook gives you the exact steps to:
? Generate consistent, high-quality sales calls.
? Build confidence in your lead generation strategy.
? Focus on activities that deliver real results.
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Here’s what you’ll get:
? Fresh strategies designed to help you work smarter, not harder.
? Practical insights you can immediately apply to your business.
? Exclusive tools to help you grow your consultancy faster.
?? Sign up here
Over to you
What’s one regular activity you’d love to get ahead on - and how much easier would life be if you did?
Drop a comment - I’d love to hear your thoughts!
P.s. I’m putting this into practice. As I schedule this newsletter, I’m 3 weeks ahead. Next week, I’ll get 4 weeks ahead. Then I’ll start getting ahead on my posts to meet my goal of 4 weeks ahead on both ??