CASE STUDY: How One Consulting Firm Unlocked $2.55M in Revenue (Without Burning Out the Owner)

Feb 13

Written By Jen Eckhardt

The real ROI of pairing team engagement with performance clarity

For owners of fast-growing consulting firms, growth often feels like a trap.

Yes, revenue is up.
But so is stress.
More clients. More complexity. More pressure on you.

And here’s the kicker: the more you grow, the more the business seems to need you.

But what if the real key to scaling wasn’t doing more yourself—
It was unlocking more from your team?

That’s exactly what one firm discovered when they stopped choosing between culture and performance—and committed to both.

The Challenge: Growth Was Outpacing the Team’s Capacity

The business had momentum, but behind the scenes, cracks were forming:

Communication breakdowns across projects
Inconsistent expectations and performance delivery
Mixed morale—some team members disengaged, others unclear on their future
The owner still over-involved, holding things together through force of will

The risk? Plateaued performance. Burned-out leadership. And a fragile business model.

The Strategy: Blend Engagement with Performance Rigor

Through our partnership, we guided the leadership team to stop treating culture and execution as separate tracks—and start building them together.

Here’s what that looked like:

✅ Engagement Intelligence
Regular pulse checks and open feedback channels gave leadership a window into team sentiment and surfaced hidden friction.

✅ Performance Transparency
Clear metrics. Shared dashboards. Direct line of sight between effort and outcomes.

✅ Development Pathways
Defined growth tracks that showed team members a future they could own.

✅ Goal Alignment
Every project. Every role. Tied to revenue and operational milestones that mattered.

The result? A team that didn’t just feel better—they performed better.

The Outcomes: Stronger Culture, Bigger Wins

77% of the team reported being fully engaged
Belonging, Accountability, and Development scored in the Strong range
Billable days jumped 42.6% (from 7,989 to 11,393)
Revenue rose from $6M to $8.5M—adding $2.55M in 12 months
Goal achievement skyrocketed from 66.5% to 94.9%

Most importantly:
The owner stepped back—without sacrificing results.

Why This Worked

Because they didn’t settle for one lever.
They committed to both.

Engagement fuels belief. Performance delivers results.
Put them together—and you build a business that runs without you.

That’s the real growth engine.

Your Next Move: Don’t Push Harder. Diagnose Smarter.

If you’re stuck managing chaos or holding a team together through sheer effort—step back.

Ask yourself:

Are my people engaged and empowered?
Do they know what success looks like—and how to achieve it?
Am I driving growth... or just holding it together?

You don’t need to guess.

✅ Download the Team Performance Checkup

Uncover what’s really slowing you down—and how to build a team that drives growth without burning you out.

👉 Download the Team Performance Checkup →

Because real growth isn’t just about revenue.
It’s about reclaiming your role—and your time.

Jen Eckhardt

Hi, I’m Jen. Most service-based founders are trapped in a business that can’t run without them. Using the Founder Freedom Engine™, we help you step out of day-to-day operations in 90 days without building the systems yourself.

I’ve been a business owner AND ops consultant for more than 16 years. I partner with business owners to find the hidden traps keeping them stuck in the day-to-day and costing them millions of dollars.