Hi,
Generally, the experience differs for every consultant, of course. However, having worked for both a boutique and an MBB+ I believe the following (non-exhaustive) list provides a first overview to address your question:
- Travel
- Oftentimes, travel load is less in boutiques, which can vary, though. MBB+ usually require consultants to be on client site for 4 days per week
- Workload
- Oftentimes, workload is less in boutiques, which can also vary, of course. Average hours per week in the boutique I worked amounted to about 50-60 hours. At MBB+ workload is more around 70 hours per week and sometimes more, including weekend work
- Generally, the more specialized firms offer a better work-life balance than MBB+
- Promotion / Standing out
- In boutiques there is usually less competition and pressure to advance and less stress. Most small consulting firms / boutiques do not have the up or out practices of MBB+. In addition, this allows a better opportunity to stand out based on performance.
- Advancement may be quicker in boutiques because consultants have greater opportunity to get involved in tasks such as project management, proposal writing, and other business development activities
- Knowledge acquisition
- Boutiques potentially offer greater opportunity to develop a deeper knowledge of the specialty of the firm since they focus on a narrower set of problems
- Bureaucracy
- Less administrative work and fewer approvals required in boutiques
Hope this provides a first overview. Of course, the specifics differ by firm and by region. Also, when you decide for one or the other you should factor in your long-term objectives (e.g. when do you plan/do you plan an exit, desire to develop niche expertise vs. broad range of subjects etc.)
Best regards
Expert case by