Buyer's guide
How to choose a business consultant in London
Choose the consultant who will name the people doing the work, has run a business themselves, builds what they recommend, and puts the price, scope and exit terms in writing before anything starts. The best test is the first conversation: a good consultant tells you which of your ideas are not worth doing.
Below are the seven checks we would make ourselves, with what a good answer sounds like and the warning signs.
Seven checks before you hire
1. Find out who will actually do the work
Ask for the names of the people on your project, not the partner who runs the pitch. In a small firm that is usually the founder. In a large one it is often a junior team you have not met.
Good answer
Named people, and you can speak to them before you sign.
Warning sign
"Our team" with no names, or a senior person who disappears after the first meeting.
2. Check they have run something themselves
A consultant who has hired, rota'd, chased invoices and missed a payroll knows which fixes survive contact with a real week. Ask what businesses they have run or worked inside, and for how long.
Good answer
Specific businesses you can look up, and what went wrong in them.
Warning sign
Only frameworks and client logos, with no operating experience behind them.
3. Ask whether they build what they recommend
Most of the value is lost between the report and the result. If the consultant hands you a plan and leaves, someone else has to interpret it, cost it and build it. Ask who does that, and who is responsible if it does not work.
Good answer
The same people recommend it, build it and stay accountable for it.
Warning sign
A final deliverable that is a slide deck.
4. Get the price and the scope in writing first
You should know what you are paying before any work starts, whether that is a fixed price for a defined piece of work or a monthly fee with a clear number of hours. Open-ended day rates are where budgets drift.
Good answer
A fixed price or a capped monthly fee, agreed before work begins.
Warning sign
"We'll know more once we're in" with a day rate and no cap.
5. Read the exit terms
Ask how long you are committed for, how much notice you need to give, and what happens to your data, accounts and code when you leave. A good consultant makes leaving easy because they expect you to stay for the results.
Good answer
Short notice periods, and everything built in your own accounts.
Warning sign
Long minimum terms, or systems that only run on the consultant's own licences.
6. Check who you are contracting with
Look the business up on Companies House or ask for the legal name on the contract and invoices. Several London firms share similar names, and you want to know exactly who is responsible.
Good answer
A clear legal name that matches the invoices.
Warning sign
A trading name you cannot tie to a person or a company.
7. Listen for when they say no
In the first conversation, a good consultant will tell you which of your ideas are not worth doing. If everything you suggest is a great idea and a project, you are being sold to.
Good answer
Some of your ideas are talked down, with reasons.
Warning sign
Every problem becomes a bigger engagement.
How Bloodstone answers them
Bloodstone Projects is a business consultancy at 33 Cavendish Square, London W1, for owner-managed businesses. The work is done by the founder, Lewis Banks, who runs businesses in hospitality marketing, property and publishing, and we build what we recommend: systems, CRMs, custom software, websites and automation.
We start with a free 30-minute call. A review of how the business runs is a fixed price, agreed before it starts. Ongoing help is on monthly plans from £349, month to month with 30 days notice. Everything is built in your own accounts, and contracts and invoices are in the name of Lewis Banks trading as Bloodstone Projects.
We are not the right choice for a large corporate restructure, a regulated audit, or strategy work with no build behind it. For those, a larger management consultancy will serve you better.
Common questions
How do I choose a business consultant in London?
Check who will actually do the work, whether they have run a business themselves, whether they build what they recommend, and that the price, scope and exit terms are in writing before you start. Start with a short free call and judge whether they tell you which ideas are not worth doing.
What should I ask a business consultant before hiring them?
Who will do the work, what businesses they have run or worked inside, whether they build what they recommend, how the work is priced and capped, how much notice you need to leave, and whose name is on the contract and invoices.
Should a business consultant charge a fixed price or a day rate?
For a defined piece of work, a fixed price agreed before work starts protects you from drift. For ongoing help, a monthly fee with a set number of hours does the same job. Open-ended day rates with no cap are the hardest to budget.
What is the difference between a business consultant and a management consultancy?
Large management consultancies mostly advise on strategy and organisation, usually for big companies. A business consultant working with owner-managed firms tends to be smaller, more hands-on and focused on how the business runs day to day: processes, systems, software and staff time.
How does Bloodstone Projects work?
Bloodstone Projects is a business consultancy at 33 Cavendish Square, London W1. It starts with a free 30-minute call, then a review at a fixed price agreed before work begins, then builds what the review recommends. Ongoing help is on monthly plans from £349, month to month with 30 days notice. Contracts are with Lewis Banks trading as Bloodstone Projects.
Put us through the same checks
Book a free 30-minute call and ask us all seven. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.
Book a free 30-min call