Too fragmented to answer. It gets into regional, function, and sector-specific 1-50 person boutique consulting shops

A lot SMBs post on platforms like Catalant and Bluwave etc, from there you can get good independent or small firms specific to your need. I have personally picked up a few projects from one of those platforms. But the market is certainly very fragmented.

yeah I don't think a lot of SMBs hire consultants

Interesting question, one I've wondered about too. I reckon "Scaling Up" (Verne Harnish), certainly his book is worthwhile, not sure of the quality of the consultant network though. Also, as a CEPA, I follow EPI and Chris Snider's process Value Acceleration Methodology. More for business owners but can also be used for investors too.

This is a pretty interesting model: https://edenmccallum.com/

I think a serious unbundling is in the works. There is a lot of fluff in the traditional consulting models. To the extent that SMBs will want it, they are likely to hire a single expert.

As a former consultant, I agree with the other responses, SMBs are probably better off hiring an individual expert on the specific problem. Boutique consultant rates can be anywhere from $200-$400/hr. I've seen one-person, niche expert consultants charge from $150-$250/hr. Not an easy expense for SMBs. If it was a larger, middle market business, I'd recommend looking at the boutiques rather than a large firm like Accenture, Deloitte, others, and especially not McKinsey/Bain/BCG.

I've used Catalant on a couple of occasions with success: https://gocatalant.com/

It's a marketplace to hire SME talent to help with specific issues. A Fiverr for independent Consultants.

https://www.toptal.com is another consulting talent marketplace. I agree it's way easier to hire an individual for a specific initiative than to work with a firm. Consulting market is like a barbell, lots of very small, 1-2 person shops, and some big brands at the top. Not much in the middle because it's not very profitable or sustainable.

My firm FGMK caters to small and medium size businesses, we have specific teams that can cater to several different specialties. If you have any questions or want more information feel free to reach out my email is [redacted]

Kreshmore.com

MNP in Canada has consulting arm that focuses on the lower middle market (not exactly SMB).