Am looking for general opinions please. I am a manager within the consulting practice of one of the large prof services firms in UK, and have been in large scale 'blue chip' consulting for 6 years now.My competency skill is very much in performance improvement (six sigma etc). I have been fed up with big firm politics recently and approached a niche firm. They have been very interested but now I have to put my money where my mouth is. My concern is moving to a very small company (only 8 people) with no physical base, but lots of opportunity to grow and potential management buy out in a few years.Has anyone any experiences to offer or general advice if this is a sensible move to make?Thanks for your time

Interesting question deserving of a response. Firstly, I guess it depends on your personal circumstances (age, mortgage, family etc) as such a move is risky. Secondly, how good is your relationship with current/ previous clients - would they come to YOU rather than current company for new work. What is niche consultancy offering? I would suggest such a move is not "salary based" but based on lifestyle, challenge and share options etc. as you will be required to do a lot more at a niche company. I made such a move about 6 years ago (now run my own small independent consultancy) for very much your reasons and haven't regretted it .... apart from regular bonus! I'm afraid only you can "join up the dots" as to whether this is good for you.

LAB - Did you find the move to a smaller consultancy was good preparation for running your own consultancy? I am considering a move to a much smaller consultancy (30 people) from one of the Big Four, but my long term plan is to go it alone in a few years time..... would really appreciate any advice you can give....

Short answer is definitely YES. In a small, niche consultancy you get the chance to get invovled with everything from sales/marketing through to invoicing/tax ..... oh yes and a bit of consulting as well. If you intend to go it alone later then you need to determine what you want to focus on (you are no longer a big do anything consultancy) and I suggest you build up a "nest egg" as it takes a couple of years to get going and one has to pay the bills. Hope this helps.

Many thanks LAB, advice very much appreciated.

Hi,Having worked for large consultancies both before and after a niche consultancy I would say go for it. If you are bothered by politics you always will be. I left the large consultancy less than a year after having left the niche consultancy and I have well and truly learned my lesson.I think personality and goals determine which type you prefer and soon or later that will become apparent. You just might find that the niche is the best move you made. Just do your due diligence first - that is still very important.