Growth to exit: lessons from John Howard, former CEO of Channel 3

What does it take to grow a boutique consulting firm and guide it through a successful acquisition? In a recent CMap Consulting Insights webinar, Ben Edwards, VP of Consulting at CMap, sat down with John Howard, former CEO of Channel 3, to unpack just that. John now uses his skills and expertise to help other firms grow and improve operations at Garwood Growth.

Channel 3 is a high-performing boutique consulting firm that achieved a successful exit. John was brought in specifically to lead its growth and prepare it for sale, and offered invaluable lessons for other firm leaders aiming to follow a similar path.

· Watch the webinar

· Listen to the podcast

· Keep on reading for the highlights

Here are the key takeaways from their conversation: preparing for growth, navigating internal changes and achieving a smooth, high-value transaction.

A CEO brought in to scale and exit

John wasn’t a founder of Channel 3 - he was a strategic appointment made with a clear mission: scale the business and set it up for a successful transaction.

This external leadership role gave him a unique perspective. Unlike founders who are deeply embedded in the DNA of their firm, John brought an objective and outcome-driven mindset to the challenge.

His first step? Understand what kind of business he had inherited and what it needed to become.

Diagnosing the starting point

“When I joined, it was clear that Channel 3 had something special, strong client relationships, a capable team, and a solid market reputation. But it was also clear that we were operating more like a lifestyle business than a scalable, sellable asset.”

That diagnosis shaped his early priorities. The business had to shift from being reliant on individual consultants and ad-hoc delivery to something that could scale without constant senior oversight. The firm needed a clear growth roadmap.

Building the machine

The heart of John’s approach was turning Channel 3 into a “machine” with a repeatable process capable of growth and profit.

He outlined several focus areas:

1. Clarifying the proposition

One of the first shifts was narrowing Channel 3’s service offering. “We had to be crystal clear on what we did, who we did it for, and how we delivered it,” John said. That meant focusing on what the firm did best and letting go of distracting, one-off projects.

2. Systematizing delivery

John emphasized the importance of building a delivery model that didn’t depend on hero consultants. Easy-to-follow templates and processes allowed Channel 3 to deliver consistent outcomes and onboard new staff more easily, a critical factor in building buyer confidence.

3. Professionalizing operations

From resource planning to margin tracking, operational rigor became a daily discipline. “If it wasn’t measurable, it wasn’t manageable,” John recalled. Moving away from spreadsheets and manual reporting created a foundation for more confident decision-making and forecasting.

Leading cultural change

One of the toughest (and most under-discussed) parts of preparing a firm for exit is leading internal cultural change.

Consultants who thrived in a loose, entrepreneurial culture often found it challenging when the business introduced more structure and accountability. John tackled this head-on, focusing on communication, leadership development, and alignment.

“When you go from founder-led to scale-up to exit-ready, people dynamics change. We had to explain the ‘why’ behind every change, and show people how they could grow within the new model.”

Prepping for exit: what buyers want

The session then turned to what makes a firm attractive to buyers. “A buyer isn’t buying what you are today,” John said. “They’re buying the future potential, the engine you’ve built and how reliably it can keep delivering.”

He broke down three things buyers look for:

1. Predictable revenue: Retainer or recurring models show reliability.
2. Strong margins: High profitability indicates pricing discipline and operational efficiency.
3. Leadership resilience: A firm that can run without its founders, or even its CEO, is far more valuable.

Channel 3’s exit was no accident. It was engineered through years of careful planning and investment. Watch John’s advice on attracting the best buyers to your consulting firm below.