Winning hearts and minds
For several years, the consulting market in Poland has been dominated by three or four big names in the global industry. A nascent business culture here meant a meager market for smaller, middle-market advisory firms.
But according to B.N. Bahadur, chairman and CEO of BBK consulting, that's beginning to change. His company, a Michigan-based consulting firm with about 120 employees in North America and 12 in Europe, has just recently entered the Polish and Czech markets, and sees opportunity in a market culture here that is just beginning to heat up.
"Companies here are developing a capitalistic approach, and independent businesses are flourishing," he says. "At the same time they need the discipline of business consulting, helping generally the strategy planning, building good financial models; helping them to grow."
However, convincing those companies that they need that discipline is proving a hard nut to crack. In the US, BBK counts such global players as GM and American Express among the clients it advises. Here, Bahadur has found that companies are suspicious of help from the outside.
"Polish people are skeptical and they are not exposed to outside professional help. They are still in the process of understanding how an outside firm like ours can add value, and we are trying to educate them as to what we can bring to the table."
But according to B.N. Bahadur, chairman and CEO of BBK consulting, that's beginning to change. His company, a Michigan-based consulting firm with about 120 employees in North America and 12 in Europe, has just recently entered the Polish and Czech markets, and sees opportunity in a market culture here that is just beginning to heat up.
"Companies here are developing a capitalistic approach, and independent businesses are flourishing," he says. "At the same time they need the discipline of business consulting, helping generally the strategy planning, building good financial models; helping them to grow."
However, convincing those companies that they need that discipline is proving a hard nut to crack. In the US, BBK counts such global players as GM and American Express among the clients it advises. Here, Bahadur has found that companies are suspicious of help from the outside.
"Polish people are skeptical and they are not exposed to outside professional help. They are still in the process of understanding how an outside firm like ours can add value, and we are trying to educate them as to what we can bring to the table."
