Beyond the margin squeeze.
​Profit by design

Your firm is busy. Your teams are stretched.
Your pipeline looks healthy – but margins don't.
Every project demands more and delivers less.

This squeeze isn't temporary.
Rising client expectations, restless talent and outdated service models erode profitability across the sector.
The firms that thrive in 2026 will be those that redesign for profit: clarifying where value really lies, making deliberate choices, and organising for today's volatile reality.

Let's discuss

A 2-Week Provocation Sprint

An opportunity to step back from delivery and see your firm differently.
In just 2 weeks, we'll surface sharper opportunities for profit and competitive edge – ideas your competitors won’t see coming.

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What it is
A 2-week engagement where two senior strategists work alongside you to identify three high-impact opportunities to strengthen your firm’s position and profit.

How it works 

• Compare your firm's reality to its ambitions.
• Scan beyond the obvious: across industries, customer aspirations and culture shifts.
• Return with three provocations on where your next premium profit could lie. 
• Stress-test them together in a 2-3 hour sparring session.
• Deliver a concise Provocation File ​– a 10-12 page brief you can take straight into 2026 planning. 

 
What you get:

• Sharper profit plays. Three tailored provocations that show where your firm can  capture premium margin in 2026. 
• Decisions, not talk: A focused strategy session to turn ideas into clear choices  and next steps.
• A planning asset you can use immediately. A concise Provocation File  to anchor 2026 discussions with partners, boards, and teams.
  
• A competitive edge. Outside-in perspectives that reveal opportunities competitors will struggle to spot.

Optional:  The sprint can also run as an in-person intensive in inspiring locations across Europe and North America.

Your Architects

Jen Rice helps leaders of professional service firms achieve profitable growth in a fast-changing market. Jen's expertise lies in customer-centric transformation and organic growth strategy for B2B, more recently as CX Principal and B2B Sector Lead at Forrester; clients include Principal Financial, CenterPoint, Cisco, and others. She's now turning her expertise to the sector she's worked in for 30 years: professional services. 
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Read more about Jen here.

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Alain Thys is an Experience & Transformation Architect helping premium businesses drive profit by delivering the value and experiences their clients and teams really want. Having run one of Europe's most successful customer-centricity firms, he has been lead advisor on the client experience programme for Grant Thornton International, and instigated an internationally acclaimed client fitness programme at Deloitte. 

Read more about Alain here.

Ready to design for profit?

Then schedule a virtual coffee today to jointly explore how we can help you capture premium margin in 2026+ 

let's discuss