Zero to $60 Million

"Zero to $60 Million" was written to challenge professional services practice directors to think out of the box when faced with the challenge of builiding their businesses. The case studies presented reinforce the practical application of the unconventional approaches to building a consulting practice, and provide insights into the steps taken to produce results that were in most cases totally unexpected and unpredictable. The lessons learned can serve as a bench mark in assessing current practices against a formula that has produced extraordinary results.

"Zero to $60 Million" was written to challenge professional services practice directors to think out of the box when faced with the challenge of builiding their businesses. The case studies presented reinforce the practical application of the unconventional approaches to building a consulting practice, and provide insights into the steps taken to produce results that were in most cases totally unexpected and unpredictable. The lessons learned can serve as a bench mark in assessing current practices against a formula that has produced extraordinary results. The case studies reveal the secret behind how the senior management team of a professional services organization was able to overcome its own fears to grow their practice by more than 500% in less than 3 years. Details are presented of how one of the world's most successful consulting firms laid the groudwork for it phenomenal growth by refusing to accept the resignation of the partner responsible for a major disaster. The readers will learn how a highly successful firm fell victim to a devastating lawsuit because it developed a culture that ingnored one of the most critical components of a professional services organization. Finally, the book provides insights into how a practice leader was able to exceed revenue goals by a factor of 10 by breaking away from accepted practices and pursuing a maverick approach to business development.

Keith Johnston has spent his career in leadership positions and in developing leaders. Focused on improving organizations by developing people, he brings over 30 years of experience to the task of helping people and organizations on four continents achieve the results they desire. Leading the development of a professional services organization for a mid-sized software company in Houston, Texas, Keith and his team were able to grow this global business from 60 people and $12 million in revenue to 360 people and $55 million in approximately three years. This organization provided services to clients from their offices in 11 countries. The growth of the business was accomplished despite resistance from the rest of the organization, and the fact that they were introducing a new and controversial business model into their market. Prior to taking on the challenge of building a professional services organization with the software company, Keith lead efforts with Arthur Andersen (Accenture), Ernst & Young and CSC Consulting. As a partner with both Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young, Keith worked with clients in the US, Canada, the UK, Russia, Sweden, and The Netherlands. Keith combines his hands on experience with the best practices in people development to help his clients effectively lead themselves and their organizations to improve their results. Keith received his Masters Degree in Business Administration from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and his BA in Economics from Austin College in Sherman, Texas.