If you’ve ever seen Below Deck, you know it’s a long-running reality show that follows the crew of a super-yacht as they cater to the whims of discerning guests who have chartered the vessel for the week.

The most dramatic part of the show isn’t a man-overboard situation or pulling off a tight docking against heavy headwinds, but instead…watching the lone chef juggle individualized egg orders for eight hungover guests first thing in the morning.

Mind you, these chefs are often Michelin-experienced culinary experts with long resumes, but season after season, there’s a meltdown in the galley about getting eight custom egg orders to the table.

Two eggs over easy, a veggie omelette, two over hard, one scrambled with toast…

At the end of the day, everyone’s just ordering eggs, but my goodness, does it set off an extreme amount of anxiety in the galley.

One chef even walked off the job from the stress.

In time, a chef will realize they can preempt the chaos by asking the steward not to take custom egg orders for breakfast but rather offer two ‘chef’s specials.’

“Today we have French toast, or a lobster benedict.”

By doing so, the chef can eliminate variability and achieve some scale.

Ultimately, the guests are just as satisfied with a lovely breakfast, perhaps even more so than if they had each ordered custom eggs.

Generalist, ‘spaghetti-throwing’ consultants often unwittingly create similar chaos, trying to cater to the customized needs of any client that comes their way.

Offering productized services -- standardized, repeatable, fixed-price, fixed-length services with set objectives and processes -- is the consulting equivalent to the chef’s breakfast special and can be the first step out of the generalist trap and into ‘Tradesperson’ territory.

Examples of productized consulting services could include:

• A one-hour advising session
• A 4-week systems diagnostic
• A 10-week company culture audit
• An annual expense reduction survey

These may not seem like exciting, varied work but we’ve seen what can happen in your galley without a bit of control.

Offering a productized service built around what you know and do well can afford you scale, a sturdy marketing ledge, and based on your approach, it could also be your differentiator.

What have you done repeatedly that you might be able to package into a standard service?

Oh, and next time you’re super-yachting in the Med, remember to do the chef a favor and order the special. 🍳 🛥️

💡

-Wes