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 person reviewing a printed business proposal at a desk with an open laptop — representing the organized engagement data layer that drives proposal quality in boutique advisory firms
Managed Intelligence

How Stanton Ridge Raised Its Proposal Win Rate from 31% to 44%

A boutique strategy firm cut proposal time from 16 hours to 5 and raised win rate from 31% to 44%. The variable wasn't the AI tool — it was what they fed it.

4 min read
A professional advisor reviewing organized data and documents at a clean desk with a laptop open to charts
Managed Intelligence

The Consulting Firm AI Margin Gap Has Nothing to Do With Tools

The 2026 SPI benchmark shows a 17.9% vs. 6.0% EBITDA gap. The difference isn't which AI tools consulting firms use — it's what's organized underneath them.

5 min read
An open notebook with handwritten notes on a wooden desk, representing the organized knowledge layer in a boutique advisory practice
Managed Intelligence

The 30-Client Plateau Is a Knowledge Problem, Not a Headcount Problem

When boutique advisory practices hit the capacity ceiling, most reach for headcount. What we see consistently: it's a knowledge problem, not a bandwidth one.

4 min read
A professional in business attire working on a laptop in a corporate workspace, representing strategic advisory and executive decision-making
Managed Intelligence

The Fractional COO's Role Just Changed. Here's the Gap It Left.

AI drove a 46% fractional COO demand surge by restructuring the role itself. Here's what the unbundling left behind – and why it matters for boutique advisors.

5 min read
A professional woman seated at a desk reviewing paper documents in a quiet office setting, focused and methodical
Managed Intelligence

What Boutique Advisors Actually Need From a Research Partner

Boutique advisors don't need more research help – they need a synthesis layer. Here's what that looks like, and how to tell the difference.

6 min read
A business professional reviewing charts and performance metrics on a laptop in a modern workspace, representing live data reporting and analytics
Managed Intelligence

Your Clients Compare Your Deliverables to Their Salesforce

64% of mid-market executives expect real-time consulting visibility, up from 31% in 2023. Here's why the static deliverable is now a structural problem.

4 min read
A hand holding a digital stylus pointing at printed financial charts and graphs spread across a desk, with a laptop and tablet visible in the background
Managed Intelligence

Enterprise Document AI Isn't Built for Boutique Advisory Practices

Hebbia runs $3K–$10K per seat per year. Blueflame is now part of Datasite. Neither has a boutique tier — and the gap is structural, not cosmetic.

5 min read
A professional advisor reviewing research documents at a desk in an office setting, representing the managed intelligence model for boutique advisory firms
Managed Intelligence

The $50K Alternative to McKinsey: Managed Intelligence for Advisors

DiligenceSquared delivers M&A research for $50K vs. $500K–$1M from McKinsey. Bridgetown raised $19M on the same thesis. The model this validates matters.

4 min read
A laptop displaying data monitoring dashboards and analytics charts on screen in a dimly lit office setting
Managed Intelligence

Why Your CRM's AI Doesn't Know When a Client Is at Risk

Generic CRM AI flags at-risk consulting clients correctly just 41% of the time. Here's why that gap exists and what the firms hitting 79% built instead.

4 min read