The IGNITE Podcast with Josh Stone

Your clients only ever wanting to deal with you is quietly capping your growth.

In this episode I break down why the thing that feels like your greatest strength - being the person every client trusts - is actually the reason you can never step back

And the exact step-by-step plan to move a client relationship onto your team without them ever feeling dropped.

I spent 10 years as a director and shareholder of a $3M engineering consultancy that we grew to a $30M engineering, town planning, surveying and architecture consultancy - so I've had to do this transition myself, more than once.

I also share the story of Nathan, a Boardroom member who took an entire week off with zero contact with his team - and came back to find several key deliverables shipped, and every one of his clients still happy.

Inside this episode we cover:

- Why clients only wanting you is a growth ceiling, not a compliment
- Why you can't rip the band-aid off a client relationship
- The exact sequence to transition a client onto your team properly
- Why a real handover takes six to twelve months, not six days
- What Nathan did to take a week off without his clients even noticing

If you're the only person your clients will deal with, this episode will show you exactly how to change that - without ever dropping the ball.

👉 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 engineering and built environment consultancy owners are guessing what to do next - and it's costing them years of growth.

In this episode I break down exactly how I'd build an engineering, town planning, surveying or architecture consultancy if I was starting again from scratch - the three stages from $0 to $2M, $2M to $5M, and $5M to $10M+.

I spent 10 years as a director and shareholder of a $3M engineering consultancy that we grew to a $30M engineering, town planning, surveying and architecture consultancy - so this episode is the exact playbook, not theory.

I also share the story of Armin, Haydn, John and James, four directors I've been working with for the last three years, who've taken their consultancy from around $3.5M to their first ever $1M month - and they're well on their way to $12M.

Inside this episode we cover:

- Why your first hire probably shouldn't be technical
- Why picking a niche on day one beats staying a generalist
- The exact structure that gets you from $2M to $5M without more hustle
- Why leadership and a board matter more than headcount past $5M
- How Armin, Haydn, John and James went from $3.5M to $12M in three years

If you're building an engineering or built environment consultancy and you don't have a clear path to your next revenue level, this episode will give you one.

👉 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

Founder-led business development works early — but if it stays that way, it quietly caps your revenue and keeps your consultancy dependent on you.

In this episode, I break down why founder-led BD eventually creates fragility in your pipeline, how it traps you in the wrong work, and what ownership should look like as your business grows.

I explain why sustainable growth comes from building capability beyond the founder, how to distribute BD responsibility across your team, and what structure is required at each stage of business.

I also share a real client example showing how introducing simple BD support created consistency, removed mental load, and turned business development into a proper function — not something reliant on memory and energy.

👉 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

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