Some areas feel easy to fake-innovation-as-consulting due to high throughout or concierge: recruiting, ads, etc. You do a normal job, maybe handhold, and market

Some areas feel easy to fake-innovation-as-consulting due to high throughout or concierge: recruiting, ads, etc. You do a normal job, maybe handhold, and market with something fresh. Can get some level of sales proportional to marketing and services effort. But ultimately nothing truly differentiating or sticky vs the next AI/niche/whatever startup, and investors move on as the startup fails to keep growing past $1M/$10m/whatever. The consultancy/services gets bought at consultancy/services-level terms for consultancy/services-level value. It took me awhile to notice the pattern of businesses that can get to some revenue quickly, but hit a ceiling soon after. Sample sign: a few top principals are drive most of the early deal value, and revenue scales at bad multiples after them.