For two years, I was the Sports Editor at James Madison University. Our football program was what was called Division I-AA. Basically, a step down from the big boys you see playing in front of 100,000 people on Saturday afternoons. Our stadium held 18,000 people.
Fewer fans means less fanfare, of course. But it also meant fewer scholarships, fewer standout stars and fewer big-name coaches. In fact, any coach that succeeds at the Division I-AA level is scooped up by the national powerhouse colleges.
That's not to say the Division I-AA games weren't entertaining and competitive; they absolutely were. And every once in a while, headline writers and sportscasters are able to dust off their David and Goliath metaphors when an upstart upsets a powerhouse as James Madison did when it beat Virginia Tech 21-16 in 2010. I can only think how fun covering that game must've been for whoever the Sports Editor was at the time.
In some ways, it's similar to the Seven Small Jewels. Let's face it—much of the news in this profession is driven by a few dozen enterprise firms. There isn't really a way around that. But a few times a year—Seven Small Jewels and Best Small Firms to Work For—I get to drill down into the inner workings of the smaller firms. And it's a blast! They are, without doubt, the little engines that can in consulting.
Year in and year out, the Seven Small Jewels defy the odds and crank out eye-popping returns. Collectively, our 2014 winners grew revenue by an astounding 45 percent last year. They also grew their number of billable consultants by 30 percent. And, they're forecasting another 35 percent growth this year.
Small Jewels boast revenue and growth that would make enterprise firms envious, but they also possess employee satisfaction in spades. At these firms, culture is king, recruiting is by referral and retention rates are through the roof.
And, every once in a while, James Madison shows up and makes things even more interesting.
Joseph Kornik
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
jkornik@consultingmag.com
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