Ep. 9 | The Truth About Corporate Consulting & Why It Often Fails

In this episode, Ryan examines America’s dependence on corporate consulting and the structural issues that often cause it to fail. He explains why he founded 8-Ball Consulting as a results-driven alternative built on real-world experience, accountability, and genuine relationships for small businesses.

Ep. 9 | The Truth About Corporate Consulting & Why It Often Fails

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🧩 Key Takeaways

• America has become dependent on corporate consulting.

• Many consultants lack real-world experience.

• Consultants often do not own the outcomes of their advice

• The costs of consulting are often underestimated.

• Leaders hire consultants to avoid accountability.

• Consultants justify pre-existing decisions rather than create new ones.

• 8-Ball Consulting was founded to counteract traditional consulting failures.

• Practical experience is crucial for effective consulting.

• Building relationships is key to successful consulting.

• 8-Ball Consulting prioritizes results over theoretical advice.

💬 Transcript

Hello everyone, welcome back to another Get Out From Behind the 8-Ball Podcast. I wanted to get to you live from Virginia Beach, Virginia, my hometown. Beautiful 66 degree weather out here.

So today, I want to talk about something that's been on my mind for a long time. Why America and really much of the modern world became so dependent on corporate consulting. And why that model so often fails the people it's supposed to help. This isn't a rant, it's an explanation. And it's also the clearest way I know how to explain why 8-Ball Consulting exists. Part one, the consulting problem no one likes to say out loud.

Over the last few decades, governments, businesses have increasingly outsourced thinking, decision making, and execution to large management consulting firms. Names like McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group have become almost synonymous with smart business. But here's the uncomfortable truth. There are three structural reasons why consulting so often goes wrong, and none of them are accidents.

Problem #1: Most consultants have never actually done the work.

Many consultants are brilliant analysts. They're smart. They're articulate They're great with data and frameworks But they've never actually operated inside the environments they advise They haven't run a business where payroll was due own the consequences of bad execution Been accountable when something didn't work instead they interview people doing the work analyze

second hand information, create reports about execution not from execution, and there's a massive difference. I didn't learn marketing from slides. I learned it by watching what happens when the phone doesn't ring, by seeing what reviews do to real businesses, by building websites that either convert or don't. Experience changes how you think and most consulting advice is built without it.

Problem number two is consultants don't own the results. This part matters. Large consulting firms take on projects whether or not they're truly prepared to deliver the results in that specific situation. Why? Because they don't accept direct liability for outcomes.

If a recommendation fails, no one refunds the money, no one loses their job, no one is held accountable. The worst case scenario is reputational damage. That creates a system where saying yes is always rewarded, saying no is financially irrational. Consultants are paid to research, analyze, and recommend not to win. And that's not evil. It's just how incentives are structured. But incentives shape behavior. If advice doesn't carry the consequences, it becomes theoretical.

Problem number three is the cost is almost always higher than anyone admits. We've seen this at massive scale. The British government spent roughly 1.3 billion on Brexit consulting. The French government has faced scandals over excessive consulting contracts. And the USHealthcare.gov involved dozens of consulting firms hiring other consultants and still failed.

but big corporations face the same issue.

Some companies spend 10 % or more of their operating budgets on consultants, often to be told how to do jobs they already pay people to do. And the real cost isn't even the invoices, it's the long-term damage. Loss of internal capability, over-dependence on outside advice, layoffs justified by efficiency models. If something breaks later, they just hire more consultants. It becomes a loop.

Why leaders keep hiring consultants anyway? So why does this continue? Three reasons. First, career protection. There's an old saying, nobody ever got fired for hiring McKinsey. Consultants provide cover. If a decision fails, leaders can say they did their due diligence.

Second is skill shielding. Sometimes consultants are hired because leaders don't fully understand their own roles and need someone else to tell them what to do without exposing that gap. Third is the blame transfer. If it works, executives get credit. If it fails, consultants take the fall. Consultants don't usually change decisions. They justify decisions already made. So where does 8-Ball Consulting fit?

This is the part that matters to me. I built 8-Ball Consulting specifically in opposition to this model. I'm not a theorist. I've spent 8 years doing marketing.

SEO, Google Business Profiles, reviews, websites, online reputation, local visibility, and competitive markets. I care deeply about the results because my reputation is the result. I work with small businesses where if something doesn't work, it's obvious. There's no hiding behind reports. Relationships actually matter. And I built this business without the big agency price tag because I watched too many owners get burned by bloated retainers and empty promises. I treat your business like it's my own own because I

I've been on the other side of that check.

If you're tired of overpriced advice, consultants who disappear after the check, marketing that sounds smart but doesn't move the needle, that's exactly where 8-Ball Consulting exists. If you want practical experience to help grounded in reality, accountability, and care, I'd love to work with you. You can reach out through the links in the show notes or just connect with me directly. 757-560-4883. And always don't stay stuck reacting. Get out from behind the 8-Ball.

I'm here for the long game and goodbye from sunny Virginia Beach. I'll be back in Denver this week look forward to an awesome 2026. I'm very optimistic about next year. Hope everyone has a great day. Love.