The Everest coaching programs

One mountain, three stages. Start where your firm is today.

Building an IT services firm that competes with the global consultancies is a climb, and nobody goes straight to the summit. Each stage runs on the same method, the Nine Keys and the 90 Day Sprint, with more one to one time as the firm and the stakes grow.

Basecamp, up to 10 staff Ascent, 10 to 40 staff Summit, 40 to 200 staff

How every stage works.

The method does not change between stages. What changes is how much of Ian's time is on your firm specifically, and how deep the work goes into your leadership team.

01. Diagnose

The Nine Keys scorecard

You start with a score across all nine Keys and 88 levers, so the first quarter targets the Key that is actually holding margin or value back, not the one that feels loudest.

02. Plan

The 90 Day Sprint

Four sprints a year, February to November. Each is a six week implementation cycle with two weeks off, working one or two levers at a time, with a quarterly implementation session to lock in the plan.

03. Execute

Weekly rhythm

A weekly session keeps the work moving. Group sessions bring the cohort's experience to your problem. One to one sessions, in Ascent and Summit, go straight to your numbers and your people.

04. Measure

The EBIT Dial

Rate, cost, utilisation, headcount and overheads, tracked per engagement each month. Progress is measured in EBIT and in how much less the firm depends on you, not in session attendance.

Every stage comes with the plan, the platform, the peers and the deals.

Coaching changes the decisions. These four make sure the decisions turn into a firm that runs without you. They are included at every stage of Everest.

Plan

Your business plan, built and kept live

In the first sprint you leave with a one page company strategy and a four sprint roadmap: the Key you are working, the levers, the numbers you are moving and who owns each one. It is reviewed every quarter, not filed.

  • One page company strategy. Where the firm is going, the niche, the offer and the numbers that prove it.
  • Nine Keys score. Your baseline across all 88 levers, so the plan starts from the weakest Key.
  • Four sprint roadmap. One or two levers per 90 Day Sprint, with an owner and a measure for each.
  • EBIT Dial targets. Rate, utilisation, cost and overhead targets per quarter, tracked in ConsultancyOS.
  • Role Reset map. The decisions you keep, the ones you hand over, and by when.

Operate

ConsultancyOS, the operating platform

Everest members run their firm on ConsultancyOS, built with the Nine Keys inside it. The five pieces every member uses:

  • Company dashboard and CEO cockpit. Utilisation, WIP, forecast, cashflow and margin per project. The EBIT Dial, live, instead of a spreadsheet you update when you remember.
  • Profit First. Allocation runs, targets against actuals and quarterly profit distributions, so profit is a decision rather than what is left over.
  • Playbooks. Your delivery captured as versioned playbooks that new projects are spun up from. This is Growing IP in practice.
  • Planning rhythm. The 52 week planning calendar, OKRs and the retro board that keep each 90 Day Sprint on track.
  • Core AI. Ask Operate answers questions about your firm from its own data, and Margin Intelligence flags margin leakage per project every day.

Peers

The Everest Tribe community

A curated peer group of IT services and SI founders, every one of them a quarter or a year ahead of you on something. Live sessions, a members community, in person get togethers, and the honest comparison of numbers you cannot get from a general mastermind.

Deals

Deal Relay: referrals and commissions

A shared deal pipeline across the Everest firms. Pass work you cannot do to a member who can and earn a commission. Pick up work from members who need your capability. Resell members' products and services, and have yours resold, with introductions, reciprocity and commissions tracked in one place.

Stage 1

Everest Basecamp

For IT services firms with up to 10 staff

Establish the foundation before you scale it. Basecamp is where a founder builds a lead generation system that works without them, a sales process that closes enterprise work, and the Nine Keys basics every larger firm takes for granted.

It is group coaching only, by design. At this stage the fastest progress comes from a weekly rhythm, a proven set of accelerators and a room full of founders solving the same problems one quarter ahead of you.

$150 per month

Founder pricing, sold in tiers and locked for life at the tier you join. Tier 2 is open now; the next tier opens at $180. Basecamp closes at 100 firms.

Join Everest Basecamp Not sure it is the right stage? Ask Ian

What is included

  • Weekly Basecamp group call, February to NovemberLive coaching on the week's lever, with Q&A sessions and group implementation sessions on separate days.
  • Quarterly implementation sessionsEach 90 Day Sprint opens with a working session to set the one or two levers for the cycle.
  • The accelerator libraryVideos, worksheets, templates, playbooks, eBooks and action plans for all nine Keys, so you are never building from a blank page.
  • Your business plan and ConsultancyOSA one page strategy and sprint roadmap, run on the ConsultancyOS platform: company dashboard, Profit First, playbooks, planning rhythm and Core AI.
  • Deal RelayReferrals, resale and commissions across the Everest firms, for your services and products and for other members'.
  • The Everest TribeA curated community of IT services founders, with live get togethers, referrals and collaborative lead generation.
  • Ecosystem discountsMember pricing on the IT marketing automation system and The IT VA services when you want work done for you.

What founders typically leave Basecamp with

  • A functioning lead generation system that runs beyond the founder.
  • A rate card reviewed for margin, and the confidence to hold it.
  • A clear score across the Nine Keys and a plan for the next four sprints.

Stage 2

Everest Ascent

For IT services and SI firms with 10 to 40 staff

This is where most SI founders find us. The firm works, the clients are good, and the founder is still the bottleneck. Ascent is the shift from operator to owner: margin discipline, a leadership bench and a firm that is worth more because it depends less on you.

Ascent combines the group rhythm with periodic one to one sessions with Ian, so the method is applied to your actual numbers, your actual people and the specific programs you are competing for against the global consultancies.

Pricing on the call

Ascent is sized to the firm. A 45 minute strategy call confirms fit and the investment before anything is signed.

Talk to Ian about Ascent Take the scorecard first

What is included

  • Everything in BasecampThe weekly group rhythm, quarterly implementation sessions, the accelerator library, your business plan on ConsultancyOS, Deal Relay and the Everest Tribe.
  • Periodic one to one sessions with IanPrivate working sessions on your EBIT Dial, your pipeline and the decisions only the founder can make.
  • The Role Reset FrameworkA structured handover of decisions from founder to senior team, so the escalations stop coming back to your desk.
  • Growing IP and positioning workProductising delivery, packaging your IP into offers and building the case studies that win against bigger names.
  • A peer cohort at the same stageFounders of 10 to 40 person firms around the world, facing the same programs, the same competitors and the same hiring market.

What founders typically leave Ascent with

  • EBIT per consultant moving, with a dial you read every month.
  • A senior team making the calls the founder used to make.
  • One or two productised offers that sell without a bespoke proposal.

Stage 3

Everest Summit

For IT services and SI firms with 40 to 200 staff and an established leadership team

Summit is for firms aiming at market leadership, a leadership team that wins work on its own, and, if the founder wants it, an exit on their terms. The Nine Keys are applied at enterprise scale and the whole executive team is in the room.

It is the most intensive stage, with weekly one to one coaching alongside structured leadership implementation and quarterly commercial reviews. Six founders have exited from this kind of work, for a combined $230M.

Pricing on the call

Summit is by application. The first step is a strategy call with Ian to review the firm and the leadership team.

Apply for Summit

The rhythm

  • WeeklyGroup call plus a one to one coaching session with Ian.
  • FortnightlyLeadership implementation session with the executive team.
  • MonthlyCheck in and progress recalibration against the sprint plan.
  • QuarterlyFour hour business review covering revenue, margin, market and strategy.
  • AnnuallyPlanning day plus an in person dinner with the Summit peer group.

Also included

  • Leadership development for the executive teamNot just the founder. The people who have to run the firm when you step back.
  • ConsultancyOS for the leadership teamExecutive cockpits, portfolios and scheduled reports across the leadership group, with the Client Cockpit and white label client portal.
  • IT Mastermind Talks featuresThought leadership exposure for the firm and its leaders.
  • A senior peer referral networkAn exclusive group of enterprise level IT services founders who refer, partner and compare notes.

What founders typically leave Summit with

  • An independent leadership team winning and delivering work without the founder.
  • Market leadership in a chosen niche, and the positioning to hold it.
  • A clear path toward a high value exit, if that is the goal.

Which stage is yours?

If you are between stages, the strategy call settles it in one call. Firms move up a stage as they grow; nobody is locked in.

Swipe sideways on a phone to see every stage.

 BasecampAscentSummit
Firm sizeUp to 10 staff10 to 40 staff40 to 200 staff
Who is in the roomThe founderThe founder and emerging leadersThe founder and the executive team
Weekly group callYes, February to NovemberYesYes
One to one with IanNoPeriodicWeekly
Leadership implementationNoRole Reset FrameworkFortnightly sessions with the executive team
Quarterly reviewImplementation sessionImplementation sessionFour hour business review
Business plan and ConsultancyOSYesYesYes, plus executive cockpits
Deal Relay referrals and commissionsYesYesYes
CommunityThe Everest TribeThe Everest Tribe and a stage cohortSenior peer referral network and annual dinner
Investment$150 per month, locked for life, closes at 100 firmsOn the callOn the call, by application

The Everest programs are not for you if

  • You run a managed services provider. We do not coach MSPs. The levers for recurring support contracts are different, and you deserve a coach who specialises in them.
  • You are not prepared to change how you work. Every sprint ends with something implemented in your firm, and that will be uncomfortable at times.
  • You want the work done for you. Coaching builds the founder and the firm. If you need marketing or resourcing done, The IT VA and ITVA Talent exist for exactly that.
  • You are looking for a cheerleader. You will get a direct view of your numbers and your role in them, with a plan to fix both.

Client wins

What members did with the method, in their own words. Named, attributed, and all running IT services or SI firms.

Ian has coached our executive team for the past 18 months and has helped us transition from our roles as technical leads within the business to acting as business owners to focus on growth. This has helped us to exceed our growth and profitability targets.
Athol HillDirector and Cofounder, Chrome Consulting
Ian's guidance enabled us to strategically reposition and successfully launch a new business offering. Ian truly invested in our growth, and proved instrumental in navigating our expansion.
Ian DunnFounder, BTP Australia
With his guidance, we have revamped our sales process, improved client retention, and expanded our managed retainer program for consistent, predictable revenue. His insights on positioning and value driven sales messaging have been crucial in closing bigger deals, faster, and at improved margins.
Robert BudicTrusted advisor on identity, security and risk for businesses running SAP

All client wins: eight founders on camera, seventeen written recommendations and 49 firms

Questions founders ask before joining

We do not have time to work on the business. How do we have time to join?
That is the reason to join, not the reason to wait. The 90 Day Sprint runs in six week cycles with two weeks off, and the weekly session is the one fixed hour. Everything else is work you were already going to do, done in the right order with someone checking it got done.
How often do we meet with a coach?
Basecamp runs a weekly group call from February to November plus quarterly implementation sessions. Ascent adds periodic one to one sessions with Ian. Summit includes a weekly one to one, a fortnightly leadership implementation session, a monthly check in and a four hour quarterly business review.
Can my team access the program as well?
Summit is built for the leadership team, not just the founder, and includes leadership development for the executive group. In Ascent, Ian works with the founder and the senior people the founder is bringing through. Basecamp is for the founder.
We need leaders, not doers. Does the program help with that?
Yes. Growing Leaders is one of the Nine Keys, and the Role Reset Framework is the tool for it. It maps which decisions you keep, which you hand over, and how to make the handover stick. In Summit the leadership team is coached directly.
Do you have templates, frameworks and accelerators?
Every stage includes the accelerator library: videos, worksheets, templates, playbooks, eBooks and action plans across all nine Keys and 88 levers. You adapt them to your firm rather than starting from a blank page.
Do we get to know and meet peers?
Yes. The Everest Tribe is a curated community of IT services founders with live get togethers, referrals and collaborative lead generation. Summit adds an annual in person planning day and dinner. In person events are optional.
What if the scheduled calls do not suit my time zone?
Founders join from around the world. Sessions are scheduled so every time zone has a workable slot, and every session is recorded for the cohort.
How is this different from the mastermind groups I am already in?
Every member runs an IT professional services or SI firm, so nobody has to explain utilisation or why the global consultancies keep winning the bigger programs. The sessions run on a fixed method, the Nine Keys and the 90 Day Sprint, with a coach who has built and sold a firm like yours, rather than open discussion.
What do we get from ConsultancyOS, and do we have to use it?
Every Everest member gets ConsultancyOS, the operating platform built with the Nine Keys inside it. The five pieces we work with in the program are the company dashboard and CEO cockpit (utilisation, WIP, forecast and margin per project), Profit First, playbooks for your delivery IP, the 52 week planning rhythm, and the Core AI that answers questions about your firm from its own data. You can keep your existing PSA or accounting tools; ConsultancyOS syncs with Xero and Microsoft 365.
How does Deal Relay work?
Deal Relay is the shared deal pipeline across the Everest firms. When a client asks you for something outside your capability, you pass it to a member who has it and earn a commission. When a member needs yours, the work comes to you. Members also resell each other's products and services. Introductions, reciprocity and commissions are tracked in ConsultancyOS, so nothing relies on a handshake.
Do I have to attend in person events?
No. In person events are optional. The weekly rhythm is online and recorded. Summit includes an annual in person planning day and dinner, and Ian also travels to meet clients through the year.
What times do the sessions run for founders in the US and Europe?
Sessions run on Australian Eastern time, with slots chosen so US and European founders have a workable live option: US founders typically join in their late afternoon, European founders in their morning. Every session is recorded, and the one to one sessions in Ascent and Summit are booked in your time zone.
Can someone do some of the work for us?
Yes, through the ecosystem. The IT VA runs marketing and pipeline for IT services firms, and ITVA Talent supplies vetted staff with HR, payroll and compliance handled. Members receive discounts on both.

Not sure which stage? Forty five minutes settles it.

Bring your rough revenue, margin and headcount. Ian will map where your firm sits on the Loading Growth Wheel, name the one lever to pull first, and tell you plainly which stage fits, or whether none does yet.

Book a strategy call Or take the six minute scorecard first