Strategy Simplified

Send us Fan Mail Kunal ran the numbers. Modern pizza wins on absolute profit and payback period. Then he flagged it: you're projecting nearly 200 pizzas a day for a restaurant that hasn't opened yet. That's the instinct that separates good from great. This is a full McKinsey case in the restaurant industry, led by Mark Di Giorgio (ex-McKinsey Toronto). Kunal works through a New York...

Send us Fan Mail Jenny Rae joined Bain in 2005. At McKinsey that year, consultants were home 3 nights a week – Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. That was considered acceptable. Today, consulting looks different. But maybe not in the ways you'd assume. In this episode of Consulting Unpacked , Jenny Rae breaks down the 4 real shifts she's tracked over 20 years inside and alongside the indust...

Send us Fan Mail Most people think consulting trains you in industries or analytics. That's not the real advantage. In this episode of Consulting Unpacked , Jenny Rae breaks down the skill consultants master at the world's top firms – complex project management – and the 10 principles that separate average operators from the people who consistently deliver under pressure. You'll lea...

Send us Fan Mail Digital assessments are now the first filter at the top consulting firms – McKinsey, Bain, BCG, and more – and they're nothing you've seen before.  Coach Kabreya (ex-PwC, ex-Bridgespan, ex-McKinsey) breaks down exactly what each firm's test measures, where candidates go wrong, and how to prepare effectively. What McKinsey Solve, Bain Gorilla, and BCG CCA are actuall...

Send us Fan Mail Yang Yu spent 8 years in healthcare and life sciences before pursuing an evening MBA at Chicago Booth with his sights set on consulting.  His first recruiting attempt ended without the offer he wanted. His second? 3 top-tier offers, including McKinsey, Bain, and PwC Strategy&. In this episode, Yang breaks down exactly what changed – and how he stayed grounded when the pressure...

Send us Fan Mail Not sure what to expect on the Bain Gorilla Test? You're not alone. Most candidates go in underprepared – and it costs them. In this bonus episode, Katie Neff walks through 4 example questions covering problem solving, time management, personality, and communication.  She breaks down the logic behind each answer, including a sneaky gotcha that often trips people up. Resources...

Send us Fan Mail In this Recruiting Reality Check , Katie Neff and Japheth Mast break down "Procrastinator Annie" – an impressive sophomore at a target school who bought 24 coaching sessions, built a full prep plan… and then didn't start . In this episode, you'll learn: Why waiting until you "feel ready" is the most common trap high achievers fall into What to do when...

Send us Fan Mail Financial services is entering a new era – shaped by M&A activity, AI adoption, regulatory pressure, and the rise of digital assets. In this fireside chat, leaders from PwC and L.E.K. Consulting break down the real strategic questions facing banks, asset managers, and investors today. You’ll hear how firms are thinking about growth, where AI is actually delivering value, and w...

Send us Fan Mail If you want great mentors in consulting, don’t ask for mentorship. In this episode of Consulting Unpacked , Jenny Rae breaks down the simple, repeatable approach she used at Bain to build powerful mentor relationships – and keep them for decades. You’ll learn: Why asking someone to be your “mentor” is the wrong move The low-pressure strategy that actually builds real relationships...

Send us Fan Mail What does a real McKinsey interviewer-led case actually look like? In this episode, you’ll step into a live McKinsey-style case interview focused on a luxury hotel expansion in Dubai targeting high-net-worth “whale” customers. Led by former McKinsey consultant Aditya Ghosh, this walkthrough breaks down how top candidates approach interviewer-led cases – from asking the right clari...

Send us Fan Mail This was the project that made me seriously question consulting. In this episode of Consulting Unpacked , Jenny Rae shares the Bain project she liked the least — not because the work was bad, but because it sparked a realization that changed everything. You’ll learn: Why consulting can feel removed from real decision-making The moment Jenny Rae realized she wanted to be on the “ow...

Send us Fan Mail Jacob Broadbent didn’t come from the typical consulting pipeline. He came from engineering – and still landed a PwC offer. In this episode, Jacob breaks down the exact moves that helped him make the pivot: how he positioned his technical background as a strength, got more comfortable networking, and built the case prep skills that actually moved the needle. In this episode: How Ja...

Send us Fan Mail Internship recruiting for consulting is 3 months earlier than ever. March 29 is the first deadline (McKinsey, Bain, Oliver Wyman). In this episode, former Bain consultant Maile Dyer breaks down the exact preparation strategy – from networking and resume positioning to digital assessments and case prep. Instead of guessing what to do next, learn how to sequence your preparation so...

Send us Fan Mail In your first year in consulting, it’s easy to chase the projects that sound the most impressive. But the work that actually accelerates your career often looks very different. In this episode of Consulting Unpacked , Jenny Rae shares the single best decision she made during her first year at Bain – why it felt counterintuitive at the time, and how it helped her develop faster tha...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Recruiting Reality Check , Katie Neff and Japheth Mast break down the real story of “Sophomore Stan” – a strong candidate at a target school who has done everything right with networking… but hasn’t started case prep yet. With internship recruiting timelines moving up months earlier than expected ( McKinsey: March 29 ), Stan suddenly has just weeks to prepare fr...

Send us Fan Mail AI is accelerating drug development. Precision medicine is going mainstream. Rare disease innovation is reshaping pipelines. So what’s really happening inside life sciences consulting right now? In this panel, leaders from Guidehouse, Clarkston Consulting, ClearView Healthcare Partners, and Roland Berger join Management Consulted for a direct, no-fluff look at where the industry i...

Send us Fan Mail If you're a non-MBA advanced degree (PhD, MD, JD, PharmD, etc.), this is your roadmap into consulting. Bridge Programs are one of the fastest – and most misunderstood – paths into firms like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, L.E.K., ClearView, Oliver Wyman, and more. With 2026 deadlines upon us, timing matters. In this episode, we break down exactly how advanced degree candidates can win....

Send us Fan Mail The 2026 Top Consulting Firms Ranking is officially live. After months of research, surveys, and industry analysis, we’ve narrowed the global consulting landscape down to the top 40 firms based on prestige , market positioning , growth prospects , candidate outcomes , and standing within the broader consulting market landscape . See the full 2026 ranking . In this episode, we brea...

Send us Fan Mail I went to the beach (literally) during my first month at Bain. Technically, I was allowed to. Strategically, it quietly hurt my early trajectory. In this episode of Consulting Unpacked , Jenny Rae breaks down the biggest mistake she made in her first month – and what she wishes she had done instead. You'll learn: Why “unstaffed” is a career opportunity – not time off How earl...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Market Outsiders , Jenny Rae and Namaan unpack one of retail’s most unexpected survivors: Build-A-Bear. Build-A-Bear is a mall-based stuffed animal retailer in an AI-driven world – and yet it’s a profitable public company with rising stock performance. We cover: What the company really sells – and how customization drives pricing power What the financials reveal...

Send us Fan Mail Watch the top undergraduate and master’s teams in the 2026 Case Competition World Cup Finals go head-to-head in a live, high-pressure strategy showdown. 5 finalist teams take on The Waymo Challenge , presented by Grant Thornton Stax : build a 3–5 year growth strategy to scale Waymo’s autonomous ride-hailing business – without sacrificing safety, strong unit economics, or public tr...

Send us Fan Mail Work–life balance is one of the most common concerns candidates have about consulting. It’s also one of the fastest ways to quietly take yourself out of the running. In this episode of Consulting Unpacked , Jenny Rae explains why asking about work–life balance in an interview sends the wrong signal – and what firms are actually optimizing for instead. Inside this episode: What fir...

Send us Fan Mail Once Upon a Farm went public, and the stock jumped. But this isn’t the standard path for a consumer brand. In this episode of Market Outsiders , Jenny Rae and Namaan examine why a single-brand baby food company chose an IPO instead of selling to a large CPG player - and what role Jennifer Garner’s involvement really plays in that decision. We break down the business fundamentals b...

Send us Fan Mail In this Strategy Simplified episode, you’ll hear a McKinsey case interview example built around a real-world investment decision. The client is a public university considering whether to add an inter-collegiate football program.  Led by former McKinsey Senior Associate Jali Packer, this case challenges a candidate to assess costs, revenues, and strategic tradeoffs for a football p...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Recruiting Reality Check , Katie Neff and Japheth Mast break down the real story of “PhD Phil” – a brilliant advanced degree candidate targeting consulting bridge programs who’s fallen into a common trap: confusing reading with readiness . In this episode, you’ll learn: Why reading case books creates false confidence The 3 pieces of the case prep puzzle (theory,...