Consulting Uncensored

Neal McNamara
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Management

The good, the bad and the ugly of the world of consulting. Consulting Uncensored is where we have straight talk on key topics impacting the consulting industry. Hosted by industry veteran Neal McNamara, who is never short on unfiltered opinions on most things but in particular matters of strategy, leadership, talent and culture.  With decades of experience building and leading high-performing consulting teams, Neal sits down with other industry participants, investors, executives and consumers of consulting services to talk openly about realities of the industry - especially realities that many don't openly discuss or analyze.   Whether you’re a veteran in the industry, early in your career or someone considering a career in consulting, Consulting Uncensored offers an unfiltered look at the industry, what it takes to succeed and ways to grow and build great practices and/or businesses with some fun and entertaining dialogue along the way.  No consulting speak. Real talk. No filters.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    The Long Game: Building Relationships and Credibility in Consulting with Grant Marcks

    What separates great business development from everyone else? In this episode, Neal sits down with Grant Marcks, Partner at The Riverside Company, to explore why winning work in private equity and consulting depends on patience, credibility, and long-term relationship-building. Grant explains how thoughtful “no” responses can create future goodwill, why silence damages trust, and how strong references compound across tight professional ecosystems. The conversation also dives into what private equity investors actually want in consulting firms, including specialization, recurring revenue, retention, growth, and infrastructure that can support scale. What You’ll Learn: Why great business development starts with long-term relationship thinking.How thoughtful “no” responses can strengthen future deal flow.Why reputation compounds across bankers, founders, consultants, and service providers.How “sourcing” and “closing” require different skills in consulting.Why private equity loves specialized, recurring, growing professional services firms.When buy-and-build works better than building new services organically. Ideas Worth Sharing: “Don't let yourself get caught up in the day-to-day transactional part of this job. Think about every interaction you have as an investment for the future, whether it be three years, five years, 10 years down the line.” - Grant Marcks“Leave good references in your wake... it can't just be the five that you put on a reference card. It has to be the fact that I can sub rosa call really anyone that you've worked with before.” - Grant Marcks“You're only as good as your last deal, and you're only as good as whatever that business owner is going to tell the market.” - Grant Marcks Resources: Grant Marcks: The Riverside Company | LinkedInNeal McNamara: Website | LinkedInEmail: nmcnamara@virtaspartners.com Connect with Neal: If you lead a consulting, finance, or professional services team and want to stay close to how investors and private equity are really thinking about growth and value creation, connect with Neal on LinkedIn to keep the conversation going and share your perspective. To learn more about how Virtas Partners helps clients navigate major financial transitions from acquisitions and carve‑outs to IPOs, restructurings, and other complex changes, visit the Virtas Partners website.

    47 min

  2. Jun 3

    The Buy-and-Build Playbook: How StoicLane Is Rolling Up Professional Services and Keeping It Forever

    Most investors are laser-focused on the exit. StoicLane Co-founder and President Matt Foran is playing a completely different game: acquiring fragmented, founder-led businesses in finance, insurance, and real estate, and turning them into best-in-class organizations they intend to own indefinitely. In this episode, Neal sits down with Matt to explain the philosophy behind StoicLane's permanent capital model, from $300M+ deployed across 87 acquisitions to their accounting firm roll-up, Archer Lewis, and an AI strategy built on 100% leadership adoption. Listen in as Matt shares what it really takes to build a professional services portfolio, why they scrapped their sales team, and how they move leaders across platforms in ways most PE firms would never consider. What You’ll Learn: Why StoicLane chose buy-and-build and what their tech background made possible.What separates a permanent capital vehicle from a traditional PE fund.How StoicLane built 87 acquisitions across 5 platforms targeting $550M in revenue.Why Archer Lewis disbanded its sales team and what that reveals about demand.How AI is augmenting professional services teams.Why industry experience isn't always the prerequisite for leading a portfolio company.Why the seller-doer "unicorn" is the hardest hire in professional services. Ideas Worth Sharing: "We should go out and simply get the client base, and then apply our technological skills in a way that optimizes these organizations." - Matt Foran“Ultimately, our responsibility is to operate these in a way in which we would own them forever.” - Matt Foran"In other areas of the world where there are these statements of AI creating significant disruption, significant concern, we're excited about it." - Matt Foran Resources: Matt Foran: Website | LinkedInArcher LewisNeal McNamara: Website | LinkedInEmail: nmcnamara@virtaspartners.com Connect with Neal: If you lead a consulting, finance, or professional services team and want to stay close to how investors and private equity are really thinking about growth and value creation, connect with Neal on LinkedIn to keep the conversation going and share your perspective. To learn more about how Virtas Partners helps clients navigate major financial transitions from acquisitions and carve‑outs to IPOs, restructurings, and other complex changes, visit the Virtas Partners website.

    48 min

  3. May 22

    New Challenges to the Big 4 and the Questionable Responses

    The consulting industry is entering a more volatile phase as the Big Four (Deloitte, PwC, EY, and KPMG) face a new kind of competition: former partners building well-funded firms designed to compete directly with them. As industry giants respond with aggressive legal action, they are forced to balance protecting their market share with broader risks around culture, talent, and long-term positioning.  In this episode, Neal explores whether these hardball tactics could backfire, impacting how firms are perceived internally and by the private equity players they rely on as major clients. Listen in to hear about the shift in power that’s reshaping the industry from the inside.  To read the full show notes and explore more resources on consulting, private equity, and growth, visit the Virtas Partners website: http://virtaspartners.com

    7 min

  4. May 22

    Leading from the Front: How to Build and Lead Boutique Consulting Firms

    Most consulting leaders say “people are our greatest asset,” then design firms where the best people burn out, stall out, or quietly leave. In this episode, Neal sits down with Jason Gandy, CEO of Performance Improvement Partners, a technology advisory and private equity–focused consulting firm, to examine what it actually looks like to lead from the front in a modern consulting business where careers, culture, and revenue all collide.  Listen in as they discuss the real implications of running a player coach model, refusing to “promote on potential,” and treating delivery as more than just fulfillment work. You’ll hear how leadership style, business development strategy, and compensation design connect in consulting and private equity portfolio company work, as well as why those links quietly determine who stays, who leaves, and how fast your consulting firm can grow.  To read the full show notes and explore more resources on consulting, private equity, and growth, visit the Virtas Partners website: http://virtaspartners.com

    52 min

  5. May 22

    The Current State of the Consulting Market: What Are Private Equity Investors Saying about Deals, Fund Raising and AI?

    In this episode of Consulting Uncensored, Virtas Partners founder and CEO Neal McNamara provides an update from two recent private equity conferences on what investors are saying about the consulting industry with regards to deals, value creation, and the disruption being caused by AI. Neal shares what’s real, what’s noise, and what consulting and Office of the CFO leaders need to pay attention to next. To read the full show notes and explore more resources on consulting, private equity, and growth, visit the Virtas Partners website: http://virtaspartners.com

    7 min

  6. Apr 27

    Consulting Uncensored - Intro Trailer

    What really happens inside the world of consulting? Consulting Uncensored is a space for unfiltered conversations about the realities most people don’t talk about. Host Neal McNamara draws on decades of experience across the industry, from technical delivery and leading global teams to building and scaling a consulting firm from the ground up. This podcast will dive into leadership, strategy, culture, career growth, and industry trends—without the usual consulting speak. Expect raw insights and candid conversations with industry insiders about what it actually takes to build, lead, and succeed in this business.

    2 min
  • 6 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The good, the bad and the ugly of the world of consulting. Consulting Uncensored is where we have straight talk on key topics impacting the consulting industry. Hosted by industry veteran Neal McNamara, who is never short on unfiltered opinions on most things but in particular matters of strategy, leadership, talent and culture.  With decades of experience building and leading high-performing consulting teams, Neal sits down with other industry participants, investors, executives and consumers of consulting services to talk openly about realities of the industry - especially realities that many don't openly discuss or analyze.   Whether you’re a veteran in the industry, early in your career or someone considering a career in consulting, Consulting Uncensored offers an unfiltered look at the industry, what it takes to succeed and ways to grow and build great practices and/or businesses with some fun and entertaining dialogue along the way.  No consulting speak. Real talk. No filters.

Information

  • Creator
    Neal McNamara
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Consulting Uncensored