Do You Really Need a Consultant? (Maybe, Maybe Not.)

How to know when to hire an expert... and when to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.

Let’s be honest: most people have feelings about consultants, and not all of them are warm. Some folks think consultants are strategy wizards. Others believe we’re overpriced Powerpoint designers. The truth? Somewhere in the middle: sometimes hiring a consultant is absolutely the smartest move you can make. Other times it’s the organizational equivalent of buying a kayak: well-intentioned but ultimately a waste of money. 

Here’s a quick guide on determining when a consultant is the right call and when it’s best to tackle the project in-house.

Reasons You Should Hire a Consultant

1. You Need Real, Deep Expertise.

Consultants spend years honing specialized skill sets, whether that be in marketing, operations, HR, fundraising, and beyond. When your team faces a challenge they’ve never tackled before, you can gamble on learning as you go, or bring in someone who already knows the best ways of executing the task at hand, including the ten things you haven’t even thought to worry about yet.

2. You Need Someone Temporary.

Sometimes you need a surgeon, not a full-time doctor. A consultant steps in, handles a tightly scoped project, and exits. No onboarding a new employee. No benefits package. No trying to figure out what they’ll do once the project ends. If you’ve got a discreet piece of work that matters, but not enough to justify a hire, consulting is tailor-made for that.

3. You Need Neutrality.

Internal teams build their own rhythms and ways of doing things which is great, but can also make certain conversations harder to have. Consultants bring in a fresh, neutral perspective that helps surface opportunities and make tough topics easier to talk about. With those outside eyes, teams often spot new possibilities and get the boost they need to move meaningful change forward even faster.

4. You Need Structure.

If your team keeps having the same conversation every three weeks with no progress, that’s a process issue. Consultants bring frameworks, roadmaps, and “here is the next step, please stop wandering” energy. We keep the work moving. We build alignment. We herd the cats. It’s kind of our thing.

5. You Don’t Have the Capacity.

When your team is already operating at full speed, taking on a major project can stretch people thin and dilute the quality of the work. Bringing in a consultant gives your team the breathing room to stay focused on what they do best, while ensuring the new project moves forward smoothly, thoughtfully, and on time.

When You Should Actually Try It Yourself

1. You’re Basically Looking for a Flexible Employee.

If what you really want is someone to join recurring meetings, execute tasks across different areas, or pitch in wherever you’re light, that’s not consulting. That’s staff augmentation. Hire a part-time employee or contractor. Consultants are project-based and outcome-based.

2. You Don’t Know What You Want Yet.

If your problem sounds like: “Something is wrong but we’re not sure what,” or “We think we need a consultant to help us figure out whether we need a consultant,” …it’s probably too early. You don’t need polished clarity, but you do need a starting point, a goal, or at least a sense of direction. Otherwise, you’re paying someone to guess which is not a good use of your time and budget. 

3. You Already Have In-House Expertise.

Sometimes the best consultant is the person sitting three desks away. If your organization already has someone who understands the issue deeply and has the capacity to take it on, skip the outside help. Consultants aren’t magic, we’re just specialists. If that specialty exists internally, trust it.

👉Still not sure about whether or not you need a consultant? Reach out! We love chatting.

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