Four years on, as our Consulting business goes from strength to strength, Carl and I reflect on our “journey”… (we really hate that term – any other suggestions gratefully received!). We have gone from two to many many more than that; and whilst we experience the typical infrastructure and practical challenges that fast growth brings, it’s been fantastic being able to expand our engagements, continue to add value to our clients, grow the number of clients we have and grow the number of people that join the Simplify family. Over the years, we have learnt…

• Not everyone likes football (and not everyone supports Spurs, much to Carl’s annoyance)
• People actually want to work with Carl and I…this is probably the biggest surprise. We have incredibly high expectations, we are impatient, sometimes we are impossible…but we also reward our people. We are flexible, empowering and sometimes, quite unprofessional but in the best possible way.
• We have “mouths to feed” and we take this responsibility so seriously. It’s a pressure we want and we have a determination and passion not to let anyone down, ever.
• Our values and behaviours remain the same, no matter how big we grow. We want to work with people who share these…that will never change. It’s one of the things that we feel sets us apart from the rest. Consultancy is a “people” business. People make a choice on how to behave and we choose people for their values and behaviours, as well as their ability to do a fantastic job.
• We will limit our own growth. If we don’t delegate and trust and empower our people, we will only get so far. And that’s what we are doing.
• Nothing gets in the way of our ambition and growth…professionally or personally. Carl and I are able to tackle anything together, head on…with determination, hard work, creativity and most importantly, with a big smile on our faces…especially as we continue to take the piss out of each other.

We look forward to what the next few years brings. Watch this space for a few announcements about our results, strategy and growth plans (more official and perhaps professional than this insight!).