Beginning its third year of business, RAS & Associates has grown from a five-person, $1 million start-up in 2008 to being on track to employ 35 consultants and generate $8 million by the end of 2010. And much of its success can be tied to founder Rob Swanson's commitment to preparation and patience.
Swanson has an incredibly thorough hiring process—he's willing to invest years in building client relationships, and commit massive amounts of his consultants' time and energy on pro-bono assignments in the name of culture and reputation building.
"There's no reason why our firm should be successful in this economy. We're an unknown commodity. Aggregate market demand has shrunk. There's hyper-competition. But I think what sets us apart is that our people are more empowered and hungry to be differentiated," Swanson says. "When a client hires us, it's because he's taken time to get to know us and is willing to see if what we're saying is true."
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