From The Herald, by Albert Naismith
Even management gurus can
have their road to Damascus. When the blinding flash
happened to Gerald Michaluk, the inspiration came from
the dead science of good old-fashioned economics. Now
this instant convert to the idea of making serious money
through lone endeavour has just been rewarded by seeing
his company enter the coveted Top 100 list of similar
companies up and down the UK.
It was as a lecturer in
marketing at Strathclyde University that Michaluk was
asked by the DTI to assess marketing consultants’
performance for certification. He spotted the
differential between a lecturer’s salary and what a
marketing consultant might expect. "It’s not
enough." cried an inward voice. "Get some of
the action." So it came to pass that Marketing
Management Services was born, in a large villa in
Glasgow’s south side.
Gerald Michaluk did not
fall off his proverbial horse that day in 1988 when he
realised the benefits of branching out, but he nearly did
so in July on learning that Management Consultancy
Magazine had named it among the top 100 consulting firms
in the UK.
It meant his youthful
business was in company with the giants of the arena,
such as Coopers & Lybrand, KPMG Management
Consulting, and Deloitte & Touche. Although he
scraped in by the skin of his teeth, Michaluk recognises
this latest achievement as the icing on a cake which
already has a rich mixture.
MMS clients have included
the GDA, Tandem Computers, Hewlett Packard, Linn Volvo,
Moat House Group, various colleges, consultancy and
training organisations, the Royal Mail, some LECs,
British Rail, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Power,
British Gas, and medical groups. The company has also
just announced a franchising initiative. It is aimed at
consultants leaving major firms to branch out on their
own but who have become accustomed to the back-up and
research support of such companies.
Going Solo, which offers a
call-centre operation via video phone and laptops, opens
important doors to information retrieval and
administration support. Michaluk says the scheme takes
care of the "chorey" bits and there is a big
bonus when it comes to researching via the Internet.
Marketing Management
Services is on the point of expanding on its services in
this area with an important announcement about a new
facility for Scottish companies involving research
software previously limited to US specialist Internet
research companies.
Marketing Management
Services has also newly concluded a deal with Strathclyde
University to run a 10-week certificated course in
management consultancy. This could start as early as
October this year, though the following January does seem
more likely. Already, Michaluk is a guest lecturer in the
subject at a number of educational establishments,
including Strathclyde University.
His thoughtful approach to
marketing and management at least partly explains the
success of Marketing Management Services, now based in
two large villas in Glasgow’s south side and at a
software research centre in Clydebank Business Park. He
offers an all-in service, encapsulating consultancy,
strategy, national and international marketing, and
publications. His success stories are many, with one
company’s turnover increasing from £20m to £70m in
18 months and a smaller company, The Sweeper Centre of
West Kilbride, enjoying a 100% turnover increase in 10
months. Marketing Management Services has also recently
received Investor in People status and has staff who are
trained in delivering IIP to client companies. As a
company going places, MMS believes that time is money and
it is not unusual for its consultants to pilot their own
light helicopters to remoter parts of Scotland to ensure
quick and personal access to clients. As its turnover
grows, Michaluk takes pride not only in making it into
Management Consultancy’s top 100 but also in having
been named No.38 in strategy consultancy.
"We are adopting a
higher profile each year," he says. "We are
building on our success and challenging the top names."
In some ways he has already reached Damascus and is
on the lookout for further conversion.
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