As Umesh Golecha, Managing Partner at Consulting & Beyond, celebrates his 25th anniversary in consulting practice this year, he takes a reflective pause to look back at a remarkable journey and ahead at future impact. While Mr. Golecha’s personal journey in management consulting spans a quarter-century, Consulting & Beyond itself was founded in October 2020, following his association with another firm.
A name synonymous with management consulting for MSMEs and family-managed businesses in India, Umesh has dedicated the last two and a half decades to empowering entrepreneurs, modernizing operations, and nurturing succession planning.
“What started with a single client and a belief in long-term relationships has now touched over 500 businesses across sectors,” shares Umesh. “And yet, it still feels like Day One—there is so much more to contribute.”
The Early Vision and Evolution
Mr. Golecha embarked on his consulting journey in 2000, aiming to bring structured, insight-driven consulting to India’s fragmented mid-market business segment. At a time when large-scale consulting was reserved for corporates, Umesh chose a road less traveled—offering CXO-level thinking to growing, family-driven businesses that lacked formal strategic support. This philosophy became the foundation of his practice.
His approach was simple but disruptive: surprise clients with deliverables, challenge the team to keep learning, and always choose what’s right over what’s easy. This ethos guided his work, leading to the establishment of Consulting & Beyond in 2020, where this client-centric philosophy continues to thrive.
From Frameworks to Impact
Over the years, Umesh has introduced practical frameworks like the “Four Wheels of Business,” “VROQ- a procurement strategy framework”, retail profitability checklists, business health diagnostics, and customized family business transition models. For each of the last two years he has been addressing around 100 + entrepreneurs in his monthly workshops with topics on how to delegate- tools and techniques, health check up for business- operational readiness for growth, Cash & Profit, budgeting and BMC, reaffirming his belief that clarity, discipline, process, and data can drive sustainable growth.
“When one participant told me he turned around his losses just by applying the bottom-up profitability model we discussed in our session—it reminded me why I do what I do,” Umesh says.
A Deep Commitment to MSMEs & Family Enterprises
Umesh’s strategic expertise is complemented by his empathy for the entrepreneur. Having worked with first-generation founders, second-gen successors, and transitioning family setups, he understands the emotional and operational complexities unique to family-owned enterprises.
Whether defining roles, planning succession, managing team conflicts, or ensuring ROI from retail expansion, Umesh and his team at Consulting & Beyond have stood by businesses not just as consultants, but as partners in transformation.
Social Impact: Empowering Entrepreneurs Annually
Beyond his professional practice, Umesh is deeply committed to social give-back. He addresses at least 1000 entrepreneurs each year through various programs, empowering them to scale, manage operations effectively, ensure well-managed cash flows, and gain clarity on profits. The recent budgeting and BMC program engaging 100 entrepreneurs over two days, is one example of these ongoing initiatives.
The Road Ahead: New Horizons and Initiatives
As Consulting & Beyond looks to its next phase, several key priorities reflect Umesh Golecha’s vision for broader impact:
- International Expansion: Entering international markets with India-origin brands through global consulting partnerships.
- Data-led Consulting: Strengthening focus on ERP optimization, inventory intelligence, and financial planning.
- Sustainability Solutions: Spearheading green practices for manufacturing and retail businesses.
- Weekly Newsletter: Launching ‘Beyond Business’ to share thought leadership and case studies.
- Programs for New Graduates: Curating specific programs, especially for accounting graduates, to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry expectations, preparing them for job readiness.
- “THE ENTREPRENEURS CLARITY CLUB”: Creating a dedicated club for entrepreneurs to seek immediate clarifications on day-to-day business operations, enabling faster scaling.
- Programs for Second-Gen Entrepreneurs: Developing specialized programs for second-generation entrepreneurs in business schools, offering practical exposure to real-world challenges, process relevance, and efficiency measurement.
“The next 25 years will be about scale—with heart. We want to go global, but stay rooted. We want to use AI and analytics, but not at the cost of human wisdom. We want to empower MSMEs to become multinationals,” Umesh asserts.
A Life of Purpose and Practice
As Umesh celebrates his 47th birthday alongside this milestone, he remains grounded in gratitude—for his guru, family, clients, and colleagues.
“The best part of this journey is not the accolades—it’s hearing how our work changed someone’s way of doing business. That, to me, is real success.”
About Consulting & Beyond: Founded in October 2020 by Umesh Golecha, Consulting & Beyond is a boutique management consulting firm based in Chennai. It specializes in strategy, succession, retail transformation, financial structuring, and operational efficiency for MSMEs and family-managed businesses.
