Offer Choice: Industry Team vs. Industry Boutique
Hi all,
I'm in the middle of a career move and could do with some advice. I'm currently a Senior Consultant at a reputable consulting boutique (Mars & Co/Marakon/Kaiser Associates/Altman Solon) considering a lateral move. I have offers from a large professional services firm (Big4/Accenture) in the team that works in my industry of preference and have been working in for a while. The other offer is from a no-name boutique which only works in that same industry. I have tried to summarise pros and cons based on personal preference and have come up with the following:
Large Firm Pros:
- More brand name than the boutique (not a big factor for me and it's not like I'm dealing with MBB)
- Ability to move internationally in the firm (but no guarantee - plan is to move abroad in the next 18-24 months with my SO)
- Flexible working (2-3 days in the office per week)
Large Firm Cons:
- Reduced compensation (5-10% bonus vs 20% boutique is offering and 12% less base salary)
- Slower career progression vs. boutique (potential to be manager in under 12 months at the boutique vs. 18-24 months at the large firm)
Boutique Pros:
- Higher compensation (see above)
- Very strong continuation to the work I a currently doing
- Felt a nice vibe with the people there. Same with the large firm but less so
- More responsibility and client interaction
Boutique Cons:
- Really a no name shop
- Size - whole firm is <50 people with 2 office globally (US + EU)
An additional note about the boutique is that I would be remote in a different city since I did not want to relocate. The firm was fine with that and the agreement is I come into the city where they have their office once a month for 2-3 days (on their dime of course). This would essentially enable me to work wherever I want and just travel into the city as needed. I had some concerns over whether this would build morale less than more frequent in-office presence but about 1/3 of the people at the firm adopt this working model.
As far as career plans go, I want to stay in consulting for the next 2-3 years. I could consider VC or PE in the next 3-5 but am not married to the idea and will happily stay in consulting unless the absolute perfect VC/PE opportunity comes up. 7-10 years from now I would like to be in a management role at a corporate in my industry of interest and I don't think either firm has an advantage over the other in getting me there.
Based on all this I am leaning towards the boutique but happy to take advice on this.
Bump
I would get real clear about your future goals (if possible). Saying VC/PE if the "opportunity comes up" is fairly passive. When I hear that, I think you want to stay in consulting (which is fine). And how does that position you for the 7-10 yr plan (compare each - not one consulting gig vs the other but consulting vs. VC/PE as a launching pad to your 7-10 yr goal).
Not a consultant but I would think better opportunity to go deeper in the consulting world with the boutique (unless you find the service line limiting for long term planning). Easier to transition to different industry, VC/PE from the big shop. Everyone understands Accenture/Big 4. It's a proxy. When you get to manager or higher level, they know you're a pro. Many won't understand a boutique other than the firms within the specific industry (and still not as well). So unless you have an incredible rep/network within the industry, you put yourself at a disadvantage when looking to move (I feel).
I agree that I will most likely stay in consulting so the brand name for VC/PE exits is not of major importance. And within consulting, my idea would be to stay within this industry and not necessarily move to an MBB or T2 more generalist role in the future unless I get actively recruited for it. I think the plan is to stay in consulting in this industry until I'm ready to move to a corporate role. I do understand how "Manager at Big4/Accenture" comes across, but I am a firm believer that corporate roles look more for responsibility and experience than brand name. Have seen many people from no-name boutiques with 5-7 years experience get solid middle or upper middle management roles at F500s, which is the path I'm targeting. I also feel that if I can prove to have moved up the ranks faster that gives a better impression of competency - something more feasible at the boutique than the larger consultancy
Sounds well thought out and reasonable. You will likely move up faster at the boutique which means more client impact which means deeper relationships which means more influential network. That's the key to moving to corporate roles, as over time, those will come to you vs. you having to chase them (also know lots of folks who were hired by a client). In your scenario, deeper is better. And if you ever tire of the industry, I imagine you can transition with the serious consulting skills you'll obtain (even though many will say it's harder - I'm a believer in actual talent).
Best of luck!
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