#32 Strategy vs. execution

Hey there,

In today’s episode, we’re diving into a debate that’s been heating up in consulting circles: strategy versus execution.

The conventional wisdom for years was that all the money lives in strategy. Agencies got tired of being treated like order takers, so they repositioned as “strategists” and stopped doing the work. Then AI showed up and everyone doubled down, assuming execution was now worthless because ChatGPT could crank out blogs.

Turns out, that thinking was backwards.

The real bounty in 2026 is on strategy PLUS high-quality execution that drives outcomes.

We’ve seen this pattern with our own clients: brilliant 40K positioning strategies that collect dust because nobody knows how to implement them. Epic briefs that never get turned into content because of internal chaos and misalignment.

We’re not saying don’t do strategy. Not at all. We’re saying do strategy, then “drag your clients to glory,” as Nick likes to say.

The consultants who do both are the ones building sustainable businesses and charging premium rates.

We also get into some tactical stuff like when to white-label versus refer out (spoiler: we almost never recommend it), how to decide what execution belongs in your offer versus what gets outsourced, and why your client audit might reveal that every “bad” client has the same root cause.

Plus, Katrina joins us this week, and she asks a question that sends us down a 20-minute rabbit hole about the difference between getting paid well and actually making a difference.

Cheers,
Nick and Erica

(00:00) Intro
(03:19) Setting the stage on strategy vs. execution
(05:06) How AI shifts execution expectations
(07:39) The real challenge is client implementation
(18:40) Freelance blogger example for content system
(24:59) White labeling risks, rewards, boundaries
(29:16) Execution inside offers, not just strategy
(32:11) The importance of core competencies
(35:49) Standardization limits scaling custom work
(39:45) Strategy plus specialists for better execution
(50:42) Client audit reveals execution gaps

Ready to standardize your offer and scale your consulting services to $50k+ months? Apply to work with us here: https://duoconsulting.co/