How a brand consultancy pivoted to a subscription model for entrepreneurs

Executive overview

Running a boutique brand consultancy solo means every strategic decision lands on one person — and that person is also the bottleneck. Leigh-Anne Acquisto built Liquorish Ink over 11 years, but delayed hiring senior talent and remained project-dependent, leaving the business exposed when COVID stretched client payment cycles from 30 to 90+ days.

The cash conversion cycle analysis forced a rethink of the entire revenue model. The result: a DIY brand-building platform for SMEs on monthly subscription — a separate product that also de-risks the core consultancy.

Productising your existing expertise for a new, underserved market can simultaneously improve cash flow and clarify company purpose.

The founder's honest mistakes

• Scaled without a senior management team at the point the business could afford one
• Hired junior talent ("babies") instead of experienced people who could challenge her thinking
• Operated as sole decision-maker for 11 years — every idea agreed with, no external check
• Joined an accelerator too late; estimates four years earlier would have changed the trajectory
• Perfectionism cost significant time — "done is better than perfect" arrived as a lesson late

The agency cash problem

• Consultancies bill for ideas and time, but can't easily price or timeline creative output
• COVID pushed client payment terms from net-30 to 90+ days from statement date
• Project-based revenue (no retainers) requires a constantly replenished pipeline
• Corporate clients increasingly required multi-stakeholder sign-off, slowing decisions further
• The cash day surfaced that a subscription model could solve both the billing and pipeline problem

The subscription pivot: Liquorish Ink for entrepreneurs

• New sub-brand targets SMEs and entrepreneurs who cannot afford full consultancy fees
• Positioned as "IKEA brand building" — a DIY toolkit and enablement platform
• Monthly membership gives access to preloaded content, live webinars, learning lunches, and community
• An on-sell path moves members to full consulting when their business reaches that scale
• Existing corporate clients showed interest as a CSI/empowerment vehicle — unexpected upside
• Core consultancy unchanged; the platform repackages the same IP for a different market

Running two businesses simultaneously

• Primary consultancy (corporate, project-based) must keep funding operations while the platform launches
• Platform is content-heavy — production time and cost are the main resource constraints
• Calendar discipline becomes critical: different blocks of time assigned to different revenue streams
• Risk of team energy flowing entirely to the exciting new product at the expense of existing clients

Leadership and self-awareness

• Superpower: problem-solving — "we get shit done and stuff keeps moving"
• Shadow side: jumps to solutions before fully reading people or situations
• Key learning: pace solutions to where the client or team actually is, not where the solution points
• Cultural sensitivity matters — language and communication style need calibration per audience
• Gallup strengths framing: fixers need problems, and the world provides enough without manufacturing them

On purpose and long-term goals

• BHAG framing: impact-led, not financial — number of countries and organisations reached
• Belief that strong product plus clear purpose produces financial results; revenue follows mission
• Clarity on a long-term goal sharpens near-term choices, especially during uncertain periods
• Advice to younger self: ship earlier, refine after — perfectionism kills good ideas before launch