Welcome to the $100k Playbook with Mike Koziol

In this episode, I break down what consulting actually is, what it is not, and why so many consultants burn out, overdeliver, or feel responsible for client results that were never theirs to own.

We talk about:

• Why clients don’t pay you for execution — they pay you for judgment

• The difference between buying a solution and buying access to a solution

• Why even great programs never get 100% client results

• How productized consulting changes expectations (and boundaries)

• The real deliverable of consulting — and why slides, reports, and tools are secondary

If you’ve ever questioned your value because a client didn’t execute…
If scope creep keeps creeping in…
Or if you want clearer boundaries and cleaner delivery as a consultant…

This episode will reset how you see your role.

What this episode covers

1. Why understanding your role matters

• Clear role = clear boundaries

• No clarity = scope creep, guilt, and overdelivery

• Especially critical in productized consulting models

2. The biggest misconception: “If clients don’t get results, it’s my fault”

• Even proven programs won’t work for everyone

• Results require client execution, not just consultant guidance

• You can’t want results more than the client does

3. The personal trainer analogy

• Consultants give direction, structure, and feedback

• Clients still have to do the reps

• You can’t do push-ups for them

4. Buying a solution vs. buying access to a solution

• Consulting isn’t like buying new shoes

• Purchasing = access to expertise, judgment, and decisions

• The work starts after the purchase

5. What clients actually pay for

• Judgment, pattern recognition, and decision-making

• Diagnosis before solutions

• Thinking, not task execution

6. Why consulting must be problem-led

• Jumping to solutions without diagnosis = bad consulting

• Like a doctor prescribing without asking questions

• Real value comes from understanding the root problem

7. The real deliverable of consulting

• Clarity

• Priorities

• Decisions

• Next steps

Slides, reports, frameworks, and tools are just vehicles — not the product.

8. Why consultants over-focus on polish

• Beautiful decks don’t fix bad thinking

• Branding is secondary to clarity and outcomes

• Substance first, aesthetics second

9. Why consulting is always contextual

• Good advice depends on:

  • Market

  • Risk tolerance

  • Team

  • Goals

  • Life situation

• If advice applies to everyone, it’s not consulting

10. Managing expectations early

• Clients must understand their responsibility to execute

• Consultants must know where their responsibility ends

• Clear expectations protect both sides

• Solo consultants

• Productized service providers

• Advisors tired of scope creep

• Consultants questioning their value because clients didn’t act

You are responsible for clarity and judgment.
Your client is responsible for execution.

Once you understand that, consulting gets lighter, cleaner, and far more sustainable.

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Connect with the host of the $100k Playbook Mike Koziol on Linkedin: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/michalkoziol/⁠

Download the 2025 Consulting report: ⁠https://mikekoziol.com/the-100k-consultant-report/⁠

Download to $100k Offer Playbook: ⁠https://mikekoziol.com/the-100k-offer-playbook/⁠

Schedule a free marketing brainstorming session: ⁠https://mikekoziol.com/connect/⁠

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Tags: consulting, consultant, productization, scaling, service business, marketing agency, freelancing, fractional CxO, profitability