Small technology-based professional consultancy services in the United Kingdom

Despite the growing evidence of the use by larger manufacturing organisations for specialist professional service companies that can provide a specific technological input, there has been little research that has examined this phenomenon. This article focuses, therefore, on the processes by which such technical consultancies and their initial client relationships are formed. It is based on a series of in-depth, qualitative interviews with the owners/principals of 12 such organisations in the North-East of England. It reveals that most consultants had worked in a technical position in a large organisation before starting their own business, and that consultants may be classified as 'opportunist', 'lifestyle' or 'accidental'. Initial relationships with clients were found to vary considerably, as were strategies for development.