As a consultant myself, I'm always interested in hearing discussions about the consulting industry. Recently, I stumbled upon a podcast by Frankie Flux called Bizniz Salon #1 - Consultants. As I listened, I took notes on the various points made about the problems with consultants. One of my main takeaways was that many consultants can come across as "cringe." This got me thinking about how my company, MiddleList Studio, approaches consulting differently. 

In this blog post, I'll share my podcast notes and how our approach at the MiddleList Studio sets us apart from traditional consultants.

Let me start with the problems that were discussed in the podcast:

• Consultants often come in and tell you what you already know about your organization.
• They can be exploitative, as they don't always have "skin in the game" with the organizations they work with.
• They can build dependency, meaning that once they sell you on an idea, you can't leave them because only they can execute it.
• They can overpromise and under-deliver.
• They can use their power to re-arrange job roles and step on the toes of others.
• They can upsell and pass on the work to others in the company, only for the ideas to turn out mediocre.

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As the founder of MiddleList Studio, a consulting company that takes a different approach, I found this podcast both insightful and concerning. Clearly, consultants have a bad reputation for a reason, but it's important to remember that not all consultants are the same. 

So, here's how we're different at MiddleLis Studio:

• We start our consultations by asking questions about your organization and your needs. What do you need from us as consultants, and what is your vision of success? We want to ensure we're helping you achieve your goals, rather than just telling you what you already know.
• We believe in full transparency and accountability. We don't just come in with a big idea and then flake out. We provide a project tracker so you can see exactly what we're working on and when you can expect it to be done. We also schedule weekly meetings with you to keep you updated on our progress.
• We don't overwhelm you with new ideas that may not be sustainable for your company to maintain in the future. Instead, we come in with a menu of action items that we know we can accomplish well.
• We have a beginning, middle, and end approach. We start by researching the foundation of your company, then work alongside you to coach you on how to create content on your own. Once you're able to produce, we move to the "launch phase." We don't want to keep you as clients for too long because that means we're not doing our job right.
• We're not afraid to ask for help. We believe in working alongside your company, rather than just telling you what to do. If we need more information or collateral to finish a project, we'll ask for it. We've also created a network outside of our company, so we can redirect you to other services that can help you with things that aren't our expertise.
• We believe in the power of the middle. Our goal in any organization is to coach and provide long-term skills for interns and part-time and full-time employees. We want to set you up for success for the rest of your careers rather than just swoop in and make a quick buck.

Finding a consulting company that aligns with your values and helps you achieve your goals is important. At MiddleList Studio, we take a different approach, and we're proud of our work for our clients. We believe in transparency, accountability, and the power of the middle.