Is Your Vision Ready for Execution? How to Know Before You Hire a Consultant
You have the vision. You see the need. Maybe it’s a nonprofit to uplift your community, a wellness collective to serve professionals of color, or a bold expansion of your current practice. You’re fired up with purpose—but is your organization ready to turn that vision into reality?
As a consultant who supports mental health leaders in launching and scaling impactful services, I’ve learned this: Not every vision is ready for execution.
Hiring a consultant too soon can drain time, energy, and money. Starting before you're ready can lead to half-built plans, frustrated teams, and missed opportunities. But when the timing is right? Strategy becomes momentum.
So, how do you know if you’re ready?
Here are the five categories I assess before saying "yes" to any engagement:
1. Leadership Capacity
You (or your decision-making team) need time and clarity to engage regularly. If you're buried in client work or struggling to delegate, strategic planning may become another to-do instead of a transformational process.
2. Team Trust & Alignment
Are your people on board? Do they trust your leadership enough to follow through on change? If there's tension or turnover, it's worth strengthening relationships first.
3. Financial Visibility
If you don’t know your numbers—or worse, you’re avoiding them—you’re building strategy on shaky ground. Clarity on budget, revenue, and compliance is non-negotiable.
4. A Grounded Business Model
You don’t need every detail figured out, but you should know what you want to offer, who it serves, and how it will be financially sustainable.
5. Execution Capacity
Do you have a team (even a tiny one) to help you implement? If you're doing it all yourself, the best strategic plan will likely gather dust.
What I Do Differently
Because I value your time as much as my own, I start every engagement with a Preliminary Readiness Assessment. This tool gives both of us clarity: Are you positioned to benefit from this work right now? If not, I’ll give you specific guidance on what to strengthen first.
This saves us both from the pain of unclear expectations, misaligned goals, and beautiful strategies that never get implemented.
Ready to Find Out Where You Stand?
Download my free Readiness Checklist to self-assess your leadership, team, finances, vision, and infrastructure. It takes less than 10 minutes and could save you thousands in misaligned consulting or failed implementation.
👉 https://www.thementalhealthexecutive.org/shop/p/consulting-readiness-checklist-for-visionary-practice-owners
And if your answers spark more questions? That’s where I come in.
Let’s build something bold—at the right time.
Carla D’Agostino-Vigil is the founder of The Mental Health Executive and Ignite Counseling Colorado. She supports visionary practice owners and community leaders in building high-impact, values-aligned systems that work.
