Intellectually challenging and interesting work - Consultant Greenwich Strategy Employee Review

Greenwich Strategy has been around for over 25 years under the same leadership. Clients have almost all been working with the firm for years, and they stick with the company due to the quality of results that they see. I was on many readouts with clients where they would say that we consistently delivered the highest quality work that they saw from any of their advisors. All the work at this point is private equity due diligence. This can be a pro and a con, but in short, it means that projects are generally quicker (2-5wks, depending) and you'll end up getting a ton of exposure to different questions. Industries I looked at in my time ranged from electrical infrastructure to foodservice distribution and everything in between. The best part about working this way is that you're always learning. The work involves a lot of quantitative analysis (good to come in with a bit of a background, but also definitely learnable), but equally important is the qualitative side. This involves a lot of speaking with experts in the industries you are researching and can be some of the most rewarding parts of the job. You'd be surprised how much of the 'answer' can come from one good conversation with someone who really knows. All in all, this is a great place to learn. Everyone here is developing in some way or another, and Chris and Beth are very good about making sure that you have the opportunity to develop. Since leaving, I have been working at a top-tier consulting firm (with a generous referral from Chris!), and colleagues routinely commented at first at how well-prepared I was compared to many in my cohort who had either come from other consulting firms or business school. If you are looking for a place to build a potent skillset in a short amount of time, you could do far worse.

Hours can be very long--not unusual for consulting or PE work, but it can definitely feel like a grind on some projects. With that said, there is a good and very close-knit culture within the office, so you're always surrounded with good people at night (and for all intents and purposes, you're never working on the weekend). The work can also be very demanding at times. There is a good understanding that people come in with different skills, and a lot of time is invested in making sure that you have the resources to grow, but make no mistakes that expectations are high. There can and will be some very stressful situations, and mistakes end up costing the entire team. I never saw us deliver an answer we didn't have confidence in, but at times that could come with some pretty tense nights. At least everyone is in it together! Also I've seen other people mention this, but doesn't hurt to add--you're going to be in Providence. We list the jobs as Boston area, but if you don't live in Providence, you're not going to get any sleep. Providence isn't a con in and of itself (it's a great city, and I wish I were still there), but you should come in knowing that.

Very intelligent people working on very important topics, for very smart, successful clients. Firm leadership chooses to keep small size in order to make sure we only work on high impact projects. We can afford to be selective. Little to no travel—that’s another advantage of staying small. Intimate, caring culture. Family like. It’s not unusual for someone to bring their dog to work. (Firm policy requests employees don’t talk publicly about size, but over the years we’ve had to count the dog form time to time to get the headcount to double digits.) No face time. If we’re not working on a project/if there’s not a good reason to be in the office, we’re not, and the president is the first one to say we should take days off between projects. Truly flat organization. The most junior analyst can and does have as much impact as most senior team member. Everyone goes to every client meeting (it’s not like the partner shows the team’s work to the client). Analysts get into great B Schools, because they can write about serious responsibilities. If you’re analytically minded, good at excel modeling and research, and a team player, this is an uncommonly good consulting firm to work at. An all-around awesome consulting firm.

Can be intense—especially if multiple high intensity/high profile projects happen at once. But that’s consulting. Small size not right for everyone. Not possible to get lost in the shuffle/keep a low profile if you’re not up to the task. The recruiting process tries to sort out whether the fit is right, but it’s no perfect. That said, to my knowledge no one has ever been fired; that would be hugely counter-cultural.