Stay at Big 4 or jump to boutique?

Hi Everyone - need some advice. Currently I'm at one of the Big 4 doing M&A consulting (think KPMG M&A, PwC DDV, EY OTS), primarily doing post-merger integration type work. Recently received an offer from a boutique firm (~35 people) and I'm not sure if I should take it or not. The work seems more interesting, with the boutique company focused on Growth Strategy work (CDD, market expansion, benchmarking, etc) for MM PE firms and F500 companies versus the implementation work I'm currently doing. Additionally, I'd no longer be on the road 4 days/week, with the boutique firm typically traveling only at the beginning and end of the project.

Bottom line, would it be worth it to give up the brand name for the more interesting work? Another thing to consider is that I graduated from business school in May and have only been working in my current role since late-summer, so I'm not sure how bad it would look jumping ship this soon.

I appreciate all the advice!

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BelgianBaboon

CO

4y

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Don’t think about how it looks. It’s the big4. People come and go, that’s just business as usual for them. In the end, you’re responsible for your career.

I’ve been in a similar situation as you. What helped me to decide is asking different questions:

Where do you see yourself in 3-5-10 years?
What’s important for you in a job? Do you mind the traveling? Do you enjoy the competition in a big firm?
Why would you go to this other firm? Can you get the same thing at your current firm? I.e. if you want to do a different type of project, maybe you can get an internal transfer
If you’d make the jump, what would you have to give up? (E.g. having a clearly defined career path at a big company vs the (probably) flat structure of a boutique)

The first question is the most important one. It decides what is going to be important in your decision and what the best way forward is for you.

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Authored by: Certified Consulting Professional - ConsultantCertified Consulting Pro

PPT_Juice

CO

4y

I work on the PE/M&A team for a boutique firm that specializes in the middle market. No Big 4 experience, but over half my company comes from Deloitte/BAH/Accenture/PwC and they note several key differences, though some are certainly firm-dependent.

The quality of co-worker is materially higher at our firm than the previously mentioned consulting shops. This is likely because there are no/few 22 year-old employees and everyone at the company has shown a demonstrated interest in consulting as a career path, rather than a resume badge. Not everyone is an "A" player, but there are very few, if any, "C's".
At the junior level, access to senior management, overall firm strategy, project/sales strategy, and general exposure to clients is simply higher. This can be both good and bad. Personally, I've been enabled to build relationships with PE clients (e.g. weilding sales calls from Partners/MD's 2-years post-undergrad on my own), and have certainly failed more often than I would've with a tighter org structure/more oversight (e.g. weidling sales calls from Partners/MD's on my own...lol).
Pay is more often merit based and will progress or stall with performance. There are no defined tiers based on age (though these obviously exist to a point). Generally, it seems like high-end boutique shops pay more than Big 4 at pre-partner levels.
Weekly timesheets, needing every receipt for travel expenses, pesky shit like this doesn't exist. Apparently these are brutal and time consuming at the Big 4, can't personally speak from experience.
At a small firm, there is generally a more entreprenurial spirit. This is a consequence of the fact that at a company of ~35 people, losing one project means a wipeout of the bonus pool.
Less travel or the ability to have your opinion heard. Personally, I started on our Strategy team and asked to move to the PE/M&A side. Was on the team in 6 weeks.

Hope this helps. Best of luck in the decision.