In this episode, John is joined by Duncan Ramsay, a Partner in the commercial team at ECI Partners, where he works closely with management teams to help scale and grow businesses across the portfolio. Before moving into private equity, Duncan spent time at PwC advising investors and businesses on commercial due diligence and growth strategy, giving him experience from both the consulting and investment side of professional services.

Having spent years evaluating, investing in and supporting consulting and professional services firms, Duncan brings a clear investor perspective on what really drives long-term value creation in the sector. The conversation explores what separates scalable firms from those that struggle to grow, why operational maturity matters far more than many founders realise and how AI is beginning to reshape both consulting delivery and the economics of professional services itself.

John and Duncan discuss:

• What investors actually look for in a professional services business, including the importance of revenue quality, repeatability and operational scalability
• Why forecasting, utilisation management and clean operational data become critical as firms grow and why leaving those foundations too late creates major challenges later on
• The difference between relationship-led businesses and transactional consulting models and why customer advocacy is such a powerful driver of resilience and value
• How AI is already changing professional services, from internal delivery workflows through to pricing models, productisation and the future structure of consulting firms
• Why firms that properly codify their methodologies, workflows and intellectual property are likely to have a major advantage as AI adoption accelerates
• What private equity involvement actually looks like in practice, including how investors support management teams through value creation planning, leadership evolution and scaling challenges
• Why specialist boutique firms are increasingly gaining ground in the diligence market and how AI is shifting the value of judgement versus analysis

If you lead a consulting or professional services firm and are thinking about growth, scalability, operational maturity or the future impact of AI on your business model, this conversation offers practical advice and perspectives from someone who sees these challenges across dozens of firms.

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Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth
Guest: Duncan Ramsay, Partner at ECI Partners

In this episode, John is joined by Jenny Burns, CEO of Magnetic, an innovation consultancy that helps organisations solve complex problems and create new products, services and experiences at pace. Jenny’s career spans more than 25 years across large corporates and smaller businesses, before an unplanned move into leading and growing her own firm.

Jenny describes herself as “the accidental CEO”, having never set out to run a business but instead following opportunities, taking risks and learning along the way. Her journey includes scaling Magnetic, navigating the sale of the business to a larger consultancy and, more recently, buying it back to restore its independence.

This conversation stands out for its honesty about what leadership actually feels like, particularly in moments of uncertainty and transition. Jenny shares a grounded perspective on building a business – not just as a commercial exercise but as something deeply human.

Jenny and John discuss:

• What it really feels like to step into the CEO role, including the emotional weight and shift in responsibility
• Why smaller businesses are not inherently simpler than large corporates and how leadership “shadow” shapes culture at any scale
• The reality of selling a business, including the intensity, isolation and unpredictability of the due diligence process
• Why Jenny chose to buy the business back and how independence enables a more agile, differentiated position in today’s market
• The ongoing tension between structure and agility and how to avoid over-engineering a growing consultancy
• How personal brand, leadership style and culture come together to shape both client relationships and long-term business value

If you lead a consulting or professional services firm and are navigating growth, change or leadership for the first time, this conversation offers a refreshingly candid view of what that journey actually involves.

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Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth
Guest: Jenny Burns, CEO of Magnetic

In this episode, John is joined by Andrew Laird, Chief Executive of Mutual Ventures, a specialist consultancy focused on public service reform and local transformation.

Andrew co-founded Mutual Ventures over 15 years ago with a clear but unconventional ambition: not to build a large consulting firm, but to create a vehicle for doing meaningful, impactful work in public services. Since then, the firm has grown steadily, building a strong reputation for combining central government policy insight with practical, on-the-ground delivery.

Now, as the business enters a more deliberate phase of growth, Andrew reflects on what has changed, what has stayed constant and what it really takes to scale a consultancy without losing the culture and values that made it successful in the first place.

A central theme throughout the conversation is the idea that growth should be a consequence of value, not the objective itself. Andrew shares a candid perspective on the consulting industry, highlighting where it adds real value and the areas where he thinks it falls short, particularly in public services.

Andrew and John discuss:

• Why Mutual Ventures was never built for growth in the traditional sense and what has prompted a more intentional shift towards scaling the business
• How culture, team structure and internal investment underpin sustainable growth, even in smaller consultancies
• What it takes to embed business development across a team and why consulting “sales” is fundamentally about relationships, not selling
• The role of thought leadership in building credibility, creating demand and differentiating in a crowded market
• Andrew’s perspective on the legitimate role of the consulting industry, including the importance of delivering real value and knowing when to step away

If you lead a consulting or professional services firm and are thinking about how to grow without compromising what makes your business distinctive, this discussion offers a thoughtful and practical perspective on what to prioritise and what to avoid.

If you enjoy conversations like this, follow the show so you do not miss future episodes.

Host: John Howard, Partner at Garwood Growth
Guest: Andrew Laird, Chief Executive of Mutual Ventures