Top-strategy boutique to MBB or Exit ?

Dear A,

I'm sure that you can conquer and open for you new horizon in your career.

As other experts said, the only difference are with scope of work and project.

So go on.

Best,

André

Hi there,

Not sure why you should be disappointed with the strategy job at MBB:

• Projects are top-notch
• All the areas you mentioned are covered by them with big clients

It is true though that MBB don’t do only strategy projects nowadays.

Exit opportunities are also one important variable to consider. For most people, consulting is a journey that lasts 2-3 years before an exit. Even if the strategy projects you find there are not as good as your current ones (which I don’t think is the case), the new brand in your resume will help to open several more doors.

Best,

Francesco

Hi,

Great question. In reality the work itself is not very different. You will be doing similar type of projects overall. But here is what is different

1. Scale of projects - you will typically be working on larger clients with a greater overall impact

2. Scope of work - A LOT of projects in MBB have more than just blue sky strategy. Many use advanced analytics, designers, implementation coaches etc.

3. Branding/Presitge - for better or worse, there is more prestige associated with doing strategy at MBB - practically this means better exit opportunities in strategy/p[s roles.

At the end of the day it depends of your longer term plan. If you see yourself having a career in strategy it may be a good move. You will be challenged in different ways. If a career in strategy is not your longer term goal there are better alternatives open to you

Best,

Udayan

Hi Anonymous,

Quite some of my coachees also moved from a boutique strategy consulting firm to MBB.

Key take-away: the nature of work isn't that much different, but the studies done are mostly of a larger scale with top-notch firms on C-level, with quite more powerful knowledge inside the consulting firm.

So not sure if it's reasonable to expect that big of a change - but I'd still say you can progress and learn further within MBB!

Hope that helps - if so, please be so kind and give it a thumbs-up with the green upvote below!

Robert

MBB projects have a higher profile and scale so although work is similar - you will most definitely learn more. Beyond strategy frameworks - people skills are another asset that MBB will give you

Finally - this will also enhance your exit opps and there is almost nothing to lose from the move so I would recommend

Hi there,

While I agree with the other coaches that MBB are, on paper, the best places to progress and advance your career, they are not necessarily the best places for you as an individual to learn.

So, while I absolutely would state that MBB is an excellent choice if you're looking to progress / learn and get exposure to incredeible projects, I would also caveat the following....

At boutiques you really are a "family". So, you'll generally get better mentorship, feel more supported/engaged, and feel like you're making more of a difference. Boutiques also can't afford to just rely on their name, so need to really make sure their work is top-notch. If you currently have a great supportive boss you're learning from, enjoy the work, etc. then just take a breath and think things through. You may end up at MBB and have an amazing career, but you also may get "unlucky" with a bad boss or two, getting lost in the system, etc.