The Great Consulting Disruption

We just completed an epic 8-week journey mapping the Client Value Journey from stranger to superfan. 

But while we've been building your systematic approach to client acquisition, the consulting industry has been quietly undergoing its biggest transformation in 50 years.

And the cool thing is, everything we just learned positions you perfectly for what's coming next.

Harvard Business Review just published research that validates everything I've been teaching about AI-native consulting. The conclusion? The traditional consulting "pyramid" is collapsing, and a new "obelisk" model is taking its place.

But here's what HBR didn't mention: Solo consultants like you are better positioned than McKinsey, BCG, or Bain to dominate this new landscape.

While they struggle with legacy infrastructure and cultural resistance, you can pivot immediately.

The question isn't whether this disruption is coming...it's whether you'll position yourself to lead it or get left behind.

By the end of this issue, you'll understand exactly how to position yourself as an AI-amplified consultant and claim market leadership before the big firms figure out how to change.

Here's what I have for you in this issue:

🛠️ The Great Consulting Disruption: Why solo consultants are about to eat big firms' lunch (and how to position yourself at the front of the pack)

🤖 The "AI-Native Positioning" Prompt: Claim your unique market position before competitors wake up to the opportunity

The $300 Million Validation

Three weeks ago, Unity Advisory launched with $300 million in backing and a radical premise: eliminate the traditional consulting pyramid entirely. 

No armies of junior analysts. No hierarchical middle management. Just senior experts working with AI tools to deliver "high-speed, high-quality strategy support."

Unity isn't alone. AI-native boutiques are popping up everywhere:

• Monevate combines pricing expertise with AI-enabled modeling tools
• SIB uses AI agents to scan contracts for cost savings
• Disruptive Edge kicks off engagements with AI-powered research reports

Meanwhile, McKinsey reports that 72% of their workforce now uses their AI assistant Lilli, reducing research time by 30%.

The writing is on the wall: The consulting industry is splitting into two camps.

The Pyramid vs. The Obelisk

The Old Pyramid Model:

• Wide base of junior consultants doing research and analysis
• Narrow top of senior partners managing relationships
• Economics based on leverage and billable hours
• Months-long engagements with large teams

The New Obelisk Model:

• Tall, narrow structure with three key roles:
  1. AI Facilitators (early-career, AI-fluent)
  2. Engagement Architects (experienced project leaders)
  3. Client Leaders (relationship-focused seniors)
• Economics based on insight quality and speed
• Weeks-long engagements with small, senior teams

Here's what Harvard Business Review discovered: AI is automating the very tasks that justified thousands of billable junior hours. When AI can do the research, modeling, and analysis faster and better than humans, the pyramid collapses.

Why Big Firms Will Struggle (And You Won't)

Clayton Christensen's "Innovator's Dilemma" explains why incumbents rarely disrupt themselves. McKinsey, BCG, and Bain face massive obstacles:

❌  Cultural Resistance: Decades of pyramid-based promotion and compensation
❌  Economic Inertia: The old model is still highly profitable
❌  Scale Challenges: Retraining thousands of consultants
❌  Client Expectations: Existing relationships built on team size

But you? You're already positioned perfectly for the obelisk model.

The Solo Consultant Advantage

Think about it: You're already operating as a one-person obelisk.

✅  AI Facilitation: You can adopt new tools immediately
✅  Engagement Architecture: You lead every project personally
✅  Client Leadership: Direct relationship, no layers
✅  Speed: No committee decisions or bureaucracy
✅  Cost Structure: No pyramid overhead to support

While Unity Advisory raised $300 million to build what you already have, you can pivot to AI-native consulting tomorrow.

The Positioning Opportunity of a Decade

In "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind," Al Ries teaches that it's better to be first in the mind than first in the marketplace.

Right now, there's a massive positioning opportunity:

The big firms are stuck with "pyramid model" positioning.
You can claim "AI-native expert" positioning

Here's how the positioning battle looks:

McKinsey: "We're the strategy consulting leader" (but built on outdated pyramid model)

You: "I'm the AI-amplified [specialty] expert who delivers McKinsey-quality insights without the McKinsey overhead"

The Three-Part Positioning Strategy

💡  Part 1: Position Against the Leader
Instead of competing on their terms, reframe the game:
"While traditional firms deploy teams of junior analysts to research your industry for months, I use AI to synthesize market intelligence in days—then focus my 20 years of experience on the strategy that matters."

💡  Part 2: Own a New Category
Don't be "another business consultant." Be the first "AI-Native [Your Specialty] Consultant" in your market.

💡  Part 3: Prove the Difference
Create before/after comparisons:

• Traditional approach: 90 days, 6-person team, $200K
• Your approach: 30 days, you + AI tools, $75K, better insights

Your Four-Week AI-Native Positioning Plan

🗓️  Week 1: Audit Your Current Position

• What category do prospects put you in now?
• How do you compare to big firm competitors?
• Where are you generic vs. unique?

🗓️  Week 2: Choose Your AI-Native Specialty

• What specific expertise can you combine with AI tools?
• Which AI capabilities amplify your unique experience?
• How can you deliver traditional outcomes faster/better/cheaper?

🗓️  Week 3: Craft Your Positioning Statement

• "I'm the AI-amplified [specialty] consultant who helps [ideal client] achieve [specific outcome] without [traditional pain point]"
• Test with trusted clients and refine

🗓️  Week 4: Implement Across All Touchpoints

• Update LinkedIn profile and company descriptions
• Revise your elevator pitch and sales conversations
• Align content strategy with new positioning
• Design case studies that prove the difference

The Window Is Closing

Here's the urgent reality: This positioning window won't stay open long.

Within 12 months, every consultant will claim to be "AI-powered." The differentiation will disappear.

But right now, you can be first in the mind. You can own the "AI-native expert" position before your competitors understand what's happening.

The consultants who move fast on positioning will lead the new market.

The ones who wait will compete on price in the old one.

What This Means for Your Client Value Journey

Remember our 8-week journey? Every stage becomes more powerful with AI-native positioning:

• Aware: Stand out as the "AI-amplified expert" vs. generic consultants
• Engage: Create curiosity about your modern approach vs. outdated models
• Subscribe: Offer AI-enhanced insights others can't provide
• Convert: Position as the smart alternative to expensive pyramids
• Excite: Deliver faster results than traditional approaches
• Ascend: Expand with AI-powered capabilities
• Advocate: Clients brag about working with the "future of consulting"
• Promote: Generate referrals as the go-to modern expert

The positioning amplifies every stage of your value delivery.

The Moment of Truth

The consulting industry is at an inflection point.

Traditional firms are defending the old model while AI-native alternatives are claiming the future.

You have a choice:

Option 1: Keep positioning yourself like everyone else and compete on price as AI commoditizes basic consulting

Option 2: Position yourself as an AI-native expert and lead the transformation

The difference isn't just philosophical—it's financial.

AI-native consultants are commanding premium fees because they deliver better outcomes faster. Traditional consultants are competing on price because their value proposition is under attack.

Your positioning decision determines which side of that equation you're on.

Next Week: How to systematically implement your new AI-native positioning across all client touchpoints.

Want to dive deeper? Check out these related articles:

👉  Client Value Journey: Stage 8 – Promote
👉  Client Value Journey: Stage 1 – Aware

You might also find these interesting:

🔎  The 10X Brainpower Lever: How Top Consultants Multiply Output Without Working More
🔎  The Human Edge: Why AI's Trust Problem Is Your Biggest Opportunity

P.S.: When you're ready, here are more ways I can help you...