Field Notes

Practical writing for product leaders and boutique advisors – on deciding what to build, answering the hard questions, and running a sharper practice.

A professional writing on a document at a desk, pen in hand, with a blurred office background
Consulting Operations

The Knowledge Recreation Tax: How to Calculate Your Number

Knowledge recreation — rebuilding context you already built — is a cost most advisors never calculate. Here's the arithmetic to find your number.

5 min read
A person reviewing handwritten notes at a desk with an open laptop — a consulting work session in progress
Consulting Operations

Why Solo Advisors Max Out at 5–6 Concurrent Engagements

The solo advisor capacity ceiling sits at 5–6 engagements. Here's the working-memory physics behind that number — and the two unlocks that move it.

4 min read
A professional reviewing project documents and a spreadsheet at a desk – representing the live engagement documentation layer that catches scope creep before it becomes scope damage
Consulting Operations

Consulting Scope Creep Is a Documentation Problem

52% of consulting projects hit scope creep, at a 27% average overrun. The issue isn't your statement of work — your engagement intelligence isn't live.

4 min read
A professional in glasses reviewing structured documents at a clean, organized desk with a laptop open beside them
Consulting Operations

How One-Person Advisory Firms Hit 60% Operating Margins

The best solo advisory practitioners aren't working more than their peers. They've solved a structural problem the others haven't — and the margin gap shows it.

4 min read
A senior consultant reviewing a structured synthesis document at a clean desk, focused and unhurried
Consulting Operations

The 70% That Gets You to Your Best Work

There's a 70/30 split in most advisory engagements. The extraction layer is the 70%, and it doesn't require your 20 years. Here's what changes when it moves.

4 min read
Consulting Operations

Your Pipeline Is Healthy. Your Calendar Is Lying to You.

Boutique advisory practices hit a capacity ceiling when the pipeline outgrows the calendar. Here's why it's a role-definition problem, not a scheduling fix.

5 min read
Consulting Operations

Welcome to Field Notes

What this blog is for, who it's for, and what to expect — practical writing for product leaders and the boutique advisory firms that rely on them.

2 min read