Did you ever want to be involved with something new and different?   To make a difference, not just to clients, but to your organization?  Are you tired of doing all the work, but not getting much of the gains?  When I re-envisioned Hawksroost, I wanted to make it a consulting organization that was not only dedicated to building partnerships with our clients but to be a place that was fair to all of its associates, a place in which people could call home.

So, how what does Hawksroost believe in?

Hawksroost Consulting was built from the ground up to be different.  I wasn’t looking to build just another consulting shop.  I wanted to build something special.  To understand this, let me explain what I believe in:

• I believe that by truly caring for our customer’s long-term success, we will build a truly loyal customer base.  The only reason a customer should continue with us is that we did a fantastic job for them.

• I believe in making a fair profit, and nothing more.  Let us share the wealth…..
  
• By keeping costs low, while still making our desired profit margin, we stay competitive.
• All talent deserves to be rewarded fairly.  All people involved share in the profits.
• We should make the world a little better than it was when we started.  Part of our profits will go back to the global community.
• Innovation is the future, part of our profits will be re-invested into innovative research and development.

• I believe that the days of businesses being constrained by geographic boundaries are over, with the right tools, businesses can exist everywhere.

• I believe in selling through others.  Instead of creating the market by ourselves, let us partner with others who can bring the business to us.

• I believe in granting opportunities to the next generation.  By educating and training our children (and not only in technology), but we also improve the world.
  

Sustainable Model

One of the problems with consulting (as I found in the 80-90s) is that it is only sustainable on the backs of the employees.  Consulting, especially project-based, is very dependent on the economy, and when the economy falters, employees become expendable and are easily laid off.  This happens in normal corporations too, BUT the impact is limited because companies need to keep the lights on…

The following is more of a long-term vision.  I am concentrating on both Hawksroost and VTCIO, who are the foundation, but I am planning to add two other entities to add more sustainability.

Hawksroost Consulting is one of four entities joined together.  Technical Consulting (Hawksroost), Virtual CIO Services (VTCIO.COM), Gig Economy (MySideGigs.com -Technology Gigs), and Innovations (which will do software development), all work together to deliver services to our clients and build a sustainable business model.

This is important to understand since the parts feed the whole, though Hawksroost and VTCIO are the foundation.  Hawksroost Consulting and VTCIO.Com will feed clients between one and other, based on the client’s needs.  Many clients will come to us looking for Virtual or Fractional CIO services, but they will then need additional consulting services (Hawksroost).  Similarly, a Hawksroost client may need a Virtual CIO.

MySideGigs.Com will be a marketplace of technical gig workers.  My hope is that we will use this talent to expand Hawksroost offerings by finding the best of the best and partnering together.

Finally, Innovations will work on supporting both VTCIO and Hawksroost, by developing products that can be used for our clients.  In addition, however, Innovations will also develop products we will resell, creating a steady, but growing,  revenue stream.  

The goal will be that all four entities will work together, focusing on their specific areas, but supporting each other and building a more sustainable model for all of our stakeholders, our clients, communities, and employees. 

Who do we want on our team?

There are basically three employee types:

• Business Lead – A business lead is a person responsible for one or more client relationships.  This is more than sales, the goal is to be truly strategic partners, so we want to capture and retain the customer long-term.  The expectation is this person will bring the business in, and work to not just keep the client happy with the current project, but seeing how we can work better together.
• Technical Lead – For each project, there will be a Technical Lead.  This person, in the end, is responsible for delighting the client.  This person will probably be an active contributor, in addition, to lead the project team, but it really depends on the size of the project and the needs of the client.
• Contributing Engineer – These are all the people who do the work needed to delight the client.

Understand that, just because someone is a Contributing Engineer, doesn’t mean they also are not a Business Lead.  Rewards are based on participation and the individual title matters less than what is actually delivered.

Rewards

The following is a discussion of how people working with Hawksroost Consulting and VTCIO are paid.  All of it is an example, and none of it should be considered a promise of rewards or how it would work out in your specific case.  The main points are simple.  Everyone who participates gets not only an hourly fee, but a project participation bonus, and an annual sharing of profits.  Bringing in and maintaining clients is HIGHLY rewarded.

No matter what your title is in Hawksroost, your pay is broken into three buckets:

• Rate Per Hour – This is the negotiated rate per hour.  For each hour we can bill out, you receive your Rate Per Hour.  For the most part, you can set your Rate Per Hour, but if your rate is higher than your expertise warrants, then you will not be able to get many hours.
• Project Participation – After the project is closed, and the client pays his/her bill, you receive a bonus based on your participation in the project.  Participation is based no just on the hours actually spent on the project,  but the criticality of the involvement in the project, and on bringing the project or client onboard.
  • If you are a Contributing Engineer who isn’t a team lead, nor helped bring the client in, your Participation would be the hours spent on the project.
  • If you are a Technical Lead, in addition to the hours spent on the project, there would be bonus participation based on the hours the team has worked on the project.
  • Let us say you are a Business Lead, and you brought in a new client.  For every hour that the client pays for hours with Hawksroost, you will get an agreed-to bonus (the bonus will start high, but will drop down over time).  
  • Just because I use job titles in the above descriptions, it is the work that matters.  A Contributing Engineer who brings in a new client, and works to keep them on board, will get the same bonus as the Business Lead.  If a Business Lead needs the help of a Technical Lead to land the client, both will share a portion of the Project Participation Bonus.
• Annual Bonus – Everyone who participates, shares in the profits.  Participation is measured based on the sum of the Annual Project Participation Bonus, plus other Participation bonuses not tied to specific clients or projects.

Here is an example of how it works.  This is only an EXAMPLE, and 

• You have an agreed-to rate of $90/hour, and you work 1000 hours over the year on one project.  This would be $90K and participation of 1000 hours.
  
  
• In addition, you are a Team Lead of this 10,000-hour project which was delivered in the year.  At a 10% rate, this adds your participation to 1000 additional hours (2000 total).
  
• You brought the client in and have acted as a business relationship manager at a 20% agreed-to rate, adding an additional 2000 participation hours (4000 total).

So, assuming Hawksroost had 10 clients just like the one you brought in, all with one project of 10,000 hours, and everyone makes the same hourly rate of $90/hour.

• You would get the $90K wage for 1000 hours.
• Plus a Project Participation bonus:  $90K (as Team Lead) and $180K (as a Business Lead), total addition of  $270K.
• Annually, depending on expenses. any holdbacks and reinvestment, this could be another $90K

Total:   $450K

Now, as I said before, this is an example, simplified, and based on a series of assumptions that will depend on each client, so no, even as a Business Lead you can’t expect to make $450K in the first year, but what I can say is that you will honesty say is that you will make money based on how much you participate and grow the entire business. We all succeed together. 

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