The IGNITE Podcast with Josh Stone

AI isn't going away. And the consultancies that don't adopt it are going to get left behind.

In this episode I break down how to use AI to grow your consultancy - to win more work, move faster, and get more competitive - without replacing the team you've worked so hard to build.

I also share the story of Russell, a Boardroom member who's using agentic AI tools to get around a 10x time saving on certain tasks, built a live project dashboard that refreshes every 30 minutes on the office TV, and has pushed his fee proposal conversion rate to nearly 58%.

Inside this episode we cover:

- Why the consultancies that don't adopt AI will slowly start losing work
- Why AI is an accelerant and not a replacement for your team
- Why you need to get clear on your values before you bolt AI onto everything
- The three levels of AI you can start bringing into your business today
- What Russell did to get a 10x time saving and a 58% proposal conversion rate

If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and you're not sure where to start with AI - or you've been quietly hoping it blows over - this episode will change how you think about it.

👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://go.coachignite.com/start

Signing the M&A deal is the easy part. What happens after is where most mergers fall apart.

In this episode I break down exactly why most mergers and acquisitions fail - not on the numbers, but on the culture - and how to bring two businesses together the right way so that one plus one actually equals three.

I spent 10 years as a director and shareholder of a $3M engineering consultancy that we grew to a $30M firm - and a big part of that journey was doing multiple mergers and acquisitions along the way. So I've seen firsthand what to do right and what gets people into trouble.

I also share the story of Mark and Peter, two Boardroom members in Perth who are doing this brilliantly - building a 50/50 joint venture with a Queensland firm before committing to a full merger, starting with alignment before structure, and giving the whole thing the runway it actually deserves.

Inside this episode we cover:

- Why mergers that look brilliant on the spreadsheet fall apart in the corridors
- Why bolting two businesses together isn't the same as bringing them together
- Why trust doesn't transfer on settlement day and what to do about it
- The exact integration playbook we used going from $3M to $30M
- What Mark and Peter are doing differently and why it's working

If you're thinking about a merger or acquisition - or you've just done one and things feel harder than you expected - this episode will give you the framework to get it right.

👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://go.coachignite.com/start

If you are getting to the end of every week feeling like you have done nothing except put out fires — like the big stuff in your business has not moved an inch — this episode is for you.

In this episode I break down why reactive weeks do not happen by accident, why being constantly available is keeping you stuck, and how to design and lock in a weekly rhythm that actually moves the needle on what matters.

I also share the story of Drew, one of our Boardroom members, who committed to blocking Mondays for strategy — not Monday morning, the full day — and how that one decision changed the entire shape of his week and helped his business grow faster.

Inside this episode we cover:
- Why reactive weeks are a design problem, not a time problem
- How being available for everything is keeping you the bottleneck
- How to identify your big rocks and get them into your calendar first
- Why consistency beats motivation every single time
- What Drew did differently to stop running the business day to day and start leading it

If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and feel like your week is happening to you rather than being run by you, this episode will give you a clear framework to fix it.

👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://go.coachignite.com/start

Most consultancy owners think sending out a stack of fee proposals is their best shot at winning work. But if you're just hitting send and hoping for the best, you're leaving an enormous amount of work on the table.

In this episode I break down how to get in the room with your clients, pitch with confidence, and dramatically increase your conversion rate.

I also share the story of Simon, a Boardroom member who built his pipeline through LinkedIn, landed a lead with Australia's largest sugar cane company, and started winning A-grade clients - all because he stopped hiding behind proposals and started getting in front of people.

Inside this episode we cover:

- Why the proposal doesn't do the selling, the relationship does
- Scripts you can use right now to get in front of a client before the proposal goes out
- How to walk into a client meeting prepared so you stand out immediately
- What to do after the meeting to make yourself impossible to forget
- What Simon did to go from reactive BD to landing his biggest client yet

If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and feel like your conversion rate should be higher - this episode will show you exactly where the opportunity is.

👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://go.coachignite.com/start

Most consultancy owners are desperately wanting to grow their team. The work's there - they just need more people. But they keep hiring the wrong ones, waiting too long, or hoping the right person magically shows up.

In this episode I break down exactly how to attract and hire high performers into your consultancy - the ones who actually move the needle - without burning time, wasting money, or settling for whoever walks through the door.

I also share the story of Jordan, a Boardroom member who hired strategically, built his team to seven people, and achieved 500% revenue growth in a single year - record month after record month.

Inside this episode we cover:

- Why your brand and reputation are your recruitment engine before a single ad is placed
- The exact step-by-step process for hiring high performers every single time
- Why hiring from desperation always costs you more than the hire itself
- How to set a hiring trigger so you're never scrambling at the last minute
- What Jordan did differently that led to 5x growth in twelve months

If you run an engineering or built environment consultancy and feel like you keep hiring the wrong people or waiting too long to hire at all - this episode will give you a clear process to fix that.

👉 Check out our $10M+ Consultancy Roadmap Training. It’s a step-by-step guide to help you move from wherever you are now — whether that’s $1M, $3M, $5M or $10M and beyond — and build a business you can genuinely be proud of - https://go.coachignite.com/start