Jody Greenstone Miller, a top independent professional, founded Business Talent Group (BTG) in 2007. This company connected global companies with project-based work at lower costs and with greater precision than traditional consulting. Miller and Amelia Warren Tyagi, cofounders of BTG, believed that the way people work and how companies use their talent was changing.
Professionals in high-end business Business Talent Group were becoming tired of the common belief that one needed to work 60-80 hours per week to be successful in their career. Due to the globalization of business, firms had to compete across many industries and geographies. Products and services were Business Agent launching small business-big game at an ever faster rate than ever before. Companies needed human capital that had specific skills and knowledge as well as workers capable of handling time-sensitive projects. Technology improvements, such as the widespread use of smartphones, cloud computing, e-mail and video conferencing allowed people to work efficiently from anywhere on the planet.
These trends led to BTG’s mission to “unite the top companies and independent professionals worldwide to improve business performance and people’s lives.” Although BTG faced some resistance at first from companies, the BTG model quickly gained traction. The value proposition of using high-end independent business talent was increasingly recognized by companies, and the market for independent professionals grew quickly.
This growth brought with it a lot of competition. “Business Talent Group” examines the challenges faced by BTG as it established the U.S. market for independent business talent. This was almost a decade of hard work. In 2017, however, the company was under attack by a number of start-ups that had deep financial resources. Tyagi and Miller knew that BTG needed to evolve to maintain its market leadership.
Learning Objective Business Talent Group
This case addresses the following learning objectives: Testing and scaling a business idea; hiring the right people for growth; business agent raising funds; prioritizing new markets and customers; balancing social mission with business needs; competing with upstarts in an industry that is rapidly growing.
