How to do well in consulting

by Irina Nazarova

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 HOW TO DO WELL IN CONSULTING IRINA NAZAROVA CEO @ Evil Martians

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 IRINA NAZAROVA CEO @ Evil Martians HOW NOT TO SUCK IN CONSULTING

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 IRINA NAZAROVA CEO @ Evil Martians HOW NOT TO SUCK IN CONSULTING

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 Product development consulting for developer-first startups Our products Founded in 2006. Team of 50. O ffi ces in US, Portugal, Japan. Team in 14 countries. Bootstrapped. Pro fi table. No layo ff s. Customers include Teleport, Playbook, Stackblitz, Recraft.ai, Tines, Fountain, HTTPie 7

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 9 How I perceive time

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 10 How I perceive time

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 11 How I perceive time

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 12 Strategy Bring leads Sell projects Support clients Support team AnyCable Our plan ➡

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 13 Goal: do great! Strategy

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 14 What’s our role in this community, industry, the world? Goal: do great! Strategy

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 15 What’s our role in this community, industry, the world? What is our passion? Goal: do great! Strategy

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 16 Annual goal: pro fi t per teammate What’s our role in this community, industry, the world? What is our passion? Strategy

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 17 Annual goal: pro fi t per teammate What’s our role in this community, industry, the world? What is our passion? Specialization, tagline Product development consulting for developer- fi rst startups Strategy

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 18 Annual goal: pro fi t per teammate What’s our role in this community, industry, the world? What is our passion? Specialization, tagline Unfair advantage Experience building developer- fi rst products Strategy Product development consulting for developer- fi rst startups

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 19 Annual goal: pro fi t per teammate What’s our role in this community, industry, the world? What is our passion? Specialization, tagline Unfair advantage Experimentation framework Experience building developer- fi rst products Strategy Product development consulting for developer- fi rst startups

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 20 Experimentation framework Track e ff ort and result (primary: leads, secondary: engagement) Craft small experiment for each, prioritize, execute Generate hypotheses: what will bring leads Double down on ideas that work. Cut ideas that don’t.

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 21 Example: two experiments ✅ 🛑

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 22 Bring Leads Monthly goal: X quali fi ed leads

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 Target audience 23 Monthly goal: X quali fi ed leads Bring Leads

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 Target audience 24 Monthly goal: X quali fi ed leads Bring Leads

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 Target audience 25 Monthly goal: X quali fi ed leads Content Organizing events Speaking at events Open source Bring Leads

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 26 Customer Lead Lead Lead Customer recommendations bring leads: – to a super node (VC), ideal ✅ – private, limited reach – public, easy to miss Meeting in person helps Bring Leads

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 27 Content: for reach and for target audience (TA) Organizing events for TA Speaking at events with TA Open source: for community and TA Monthly goal: X quali fi ed leads Getting intros and connections with TA: existing client -> someone -> new lead Bring Leads

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 28 1 Exploration 2 Proposal 3 Kick o f Monthly goal: 30% success Sell Projects

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 29 2 Proposal ✨ Hint at possible solutions 3 Kick o f ☑ Sign NDA, get access to code, mockups, docs Monthly goal: 30% success Sell Projects 🩺 Understand the goal/pains 1 Exploration

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 30 2 Proposal 💊 Propose a solution 🩺 Repeat the goal/pains ✂ Propose small initial scope 🪙 Give cost estimate for the initial scope 3 Kick o f Monthly goal: 30% success Sell Projects 🩺 Understand the goal/pains ☑ Sign NDA, get access to code, mockups, docs 1 Exploration ✨ Hint at possible solutions

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 31 2 Proposal 3 Kick o f … 🩺 Repeat the goal/pains Monthly goal: 30% success Sell Projects ✨ Hint at possible solutions ☑ Sign NDA, get access to code, mockups, docs 💊 Propose a solution 🩺 Repeat the goal/pains ✂ Propose small initial scope 🪙 Give cost estimate for the initial scope 🩺 Understand the goal/pains 1 Exploration

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 Lead 32 Being a good listener is more important than being a good speaker

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 33 Sell Projects

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 34 Support Clients

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 Goal: turn new clients into long- term 35 Support Clients

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 Annual goal: X new projects turn into long- term, with Y total revenue Always work to become a better partner for your customers: Support Clients 36

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 Annual goal: X new projects turn into long- term, with Y total revenue Always work to become a better partner for your customers: 🩺 Know their pains (better than themselves) 💊 Know how your work generates value in their organization 38 Support Clients

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 Annual goal: X new projects turn into long- term, with Y total revenue Always work to become a better partner for your customers: 🧺 Bring them new opportunities (VCs, partnerships, clients, hires, experts) 🩺 Know their pains (better than themselves) 💊 Know how your work generates value in their organization 🦮 Guide your team to adapt projects to maximize value creation 🗣 Guide your team to prevent miscommunication 41 Support Clients

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 43 Team wins 🏆 when each player: Support Team

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 44 Team wins 🏆 when each player: Knows where the goal is! Knows how to improve their skill Knows that it’s worth it! Support Team

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 45 Team wins 🏆 when each player: Global goal: less time spent putting out fi res Knows where the goal is! Knows how to improve their skill Knows that it’s worth it! Support Team

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 46 Support Team

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 47 Transparent 👀 fi nancial results: rates, revenue, expenses, cash position Support Team

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 48 Transparent 👀 fi nancial results: rates, revenue, expenses, cash position Rules: company result ➡ bonuses for team Support Team

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 49 Transparent 👀 fi nancial results: rates, revenue, expenses, cash position Rules: company result ➡ bonuses for team Individual result is measured and communicated 🗣: review process Support Team

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 50 Transparent 👀 fi nancial results: rates, revenue, expenses, cash position Rules: company result ➡ bonuses for team Individual result is measured and communicated 🗣: review process Grades 🪜 help structure review process Support Team

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 51 Transparent 👀 fi nancial results: rates, revenue, expenses, cash position Rules: company result ➡ bonuses for team Individual result is measured and communicated 🗣: review process Grades 🪜 help structure review process P.S. Layo ff s destroy hard-earned ownership and alignment Support Team

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 52 10% MoM ARR growth, retention >90% We get clues which tools and products for engineers to build. AnyCable

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 Audience 53 10% MoM ARR growth, retention >90% We get clues which tools and products for engineers to build. AnyCable is a realtime server for reliable two-way communication. Build Sell AnyCable

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 54 🎧 More about products as a by-product of consulting in Maintainable podcast with Robby Russel

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 55 Sunday? 55

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SIN CITY RUBY 2024 57 Thank you! anycable.io evilmartians.com twitter.com/inazarova [email protected]