xv
Welcome from the Authors
Welcome to Odyssey: The Business of Consulting
Let me give you a brief background on how this book came about. The
Odyssey concept was created in 2005 by Dave Bonnstetter, founder and
CEO of Success Insights International; my husband John Butler, chairman
of Century Management (who, sadly, passed away suddenly in 2010); and
myself, managing director of Century Management.
Our vision, at the time, was to build a premier global consulting orga-
nization, one that would empower consultants and those who aspired to
be consultants to adopt the value-driven approach to consulting and go on
to build successful and highly profitable consulting businesses. Odyssey
Consulting Institute was established, and in the years that followed, it
became the leading global organization for enabling strategic business
advantage and transformation for consultants.
Dr. Shayne Tracy from Mississauga, Canada, participated in the Odyssey
process in 2010. His ethos, values, skills, and mission statement were a natu-
ral fit with everything we do at Odyssey. It was my pleasure and privilege to
have Shayne join as advisor to and director of Odyssey Consulting Institute.
Shayne’s collaboration has strengthened our expertise, position, and drive.
Hundreds of consultants have now experienced the Odyssey process,
both in peer group forums and in webinar formats, and many of these
people have achieved amazing results personally and in their businesses as
a result. Do not take my word for it, read what they have to say in the fol-
lowing pages.
Our purpose and vision, together with the masterful results that so many
Odyssey consultants have achieved, continue to energize the Odyssey con-
cept and program.
xvi ◾ Welcome from the Authors
Worldwide, professional practice and consulting firms are part of a $120
billion industry, with an estimated growth rate of 16% per annum.
You only need a fraction of 1% of this market opportunity to build a suc-
cessful professional services firm and to be wealthy as a partner or senior
consultant.
Whatever role you fill or hat you wear in this professional world, you will
need to take three steps to become a successful Odyssey Consultant:
◾ First, make a decision to join the top 10% of your profession—in terms
of expertise, financial independence, and how you build relationships
and serve your clients.
◾ Second, learn how to become the best you can possibly be by applying
best practice and leading edge techniques and methodologies to your
interventions.
◾ Third, make a commitment to integrate proven best practices into your
business. Odyssey: The Business of Consulting offers you a process and
system which can assist you in fulfilling that step.
I wish you success and happiness in the fulfilment of your purpose in life.
Imelda K. Butler
Odyssey: The Business of Consulting
Is a Process Not an Event
Hundreds of people from all over the world have experienced Odyssey in
one form or another over the last ten years. We have found that each per-
son’s experience with Odyssey is unique to them. But no matter what your
personal journey, no matter where you start from, everyone gains value from
the process. I would like to acknowledge the Odyssey graduates who com-
mitted to changing the way they run their consulting businesses. I applaud
their success.
Your experience with this book will most likely start with a significant
paradigm shift. As you embark on your Odyssey journey, you will begin to
view your consulting “self” and how you are running your professional ser-
vices business differently.
It takes time to internalize the methodologies and adopt them as your
own. Nothing happens overnight. It takes dedication to continue the process
Welcome from the Authors ◾ xvii
of implementing the Odyssey approach over many months and years. My
challenge to you is to take what you read and put it into action. You are not
alone on this journey; many others like you have experienced their own
Odyssey before you. A better future for you and your business lies in store.
Dr. Shayne Tracy
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