How we work
A boutique alternative to big-4 strategy work.
Two named partners, 4–12 week engagements, workshop-heavy, no analyst pyramid. Built for NZ boards, CEOs and senior leadership teams.
Who actually shows up
The Exponential Agency
Named partners — Rod Snodgrass and Duane Fernandes. The people in the pitch are the people in the room.
Typical big-4
A pyramid: partner sells, manager runs, analysts do most of the work.
Engagement length
The Exponential Agency
Typically 4–10 weeks, with explicit decision moments at week 2 and week 8.
Typical big-4
12–36 month strategy + design + mobilise cycle.
Format
The Exponential Agency
Workshop-heavy, paper-light. Real decisions, not deck reviews.
Typical big-4
200-slide deliverable plus a thick steering committee cadence.
Who owns the work
The Exponential Agency
Your internal cross-functional team owns the build. We coach. Capability stays in the building.
Typical big-4
The consulting team owns the IP and the answers. Knowledge transfer is a closing slide.
Where we have substantive depth
The Exponential Agency
NZ specifics: the energy transition, AI adoption in corporates, and business model disruption.
Typical big-4
Global playbooks. Often a single industry vertical.
Cost model
The Exponential Agency
Senior day rate, no leverage. 5x smaller absolute spend than a typical big-4 engagement.
Typical big-4
Blended team rate across a pyramid. The leverage is the business model.
Conflicts
The Exponential Agency
No audit relationship. No platform reseller fees. Our agenda is your decision quality and strategic momentum.
Typical big-4
Often audit, tax, technology vendor, and advisory relationships across the same client.
Who this isn’t for
We’re not the right fit for everyone.
- × Startups looking for typical big-4 deliverables.
- × Organisations that want a 200-slide deck produced by a junior team.
- × Buyers who want a commodity transformation playbook.
If you need a 200-slide deck and a 30-person engagement team, the big-4 firms in NZ will do that better than we will. We do the opposite.
See if we’re a fit.
Email duane@theexponential.agency with a one-paragraph description of where you’re stuck.
See case studies