I am seeing more business consultants than ever. While I am sure there are good ones out there, I have never encountered one that actually delivered on what they promised. It is interesting to note that the majority share the same origin story: they were running a company, turning over £5,000,000 a year, they exited, and now, for just £1,000 a month, they will help you do the exact same thing.
I am a natural skeptic. If someone makes a claim like that, I sure as shit want to see the evidence. I am not talking about a fast car, a watch, or business awards. Those are obtainable at a surprisingly low price, especially if you are willing to borrow money, buy fakes, or pay for a vanity trophy. I want to see the filings. I check Companies House.
Granted, anyone who actually knows what they are doing will use holding structures to protect their assets, and small UK company filings don’t show a profit and loss statement or turnover. A lean balance sheet with zero cash might just mean a smart founder extracted all the dividends at year-end. But the public filings still reveal the obvious lies. If someone claims they scaled a massive operation but their filing history never shows more than two employees, they are lying.
But the biggest tell isn’t the balance sheet; it is basic logic. If you made so much money and possess this elite tier of business acumen, why are you selling generalised training? Even if they claim they just want to “give back” or keep busy, surely with their specific skillset, it would make vastly more sense to do something highly profitable and intellectually engaging, like fractional executive work or building another real venture. Selling a £1,000-a-month mastermind is a volume game for people who need cash, not a hobby for the wealthy. If you want my money, show me the filings and the logic, not the watch.
