Learn how McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants solve problems and present the answer
Think Like a Strategy Consultant is a self-paced, four-week course on MECE, the Pyramid Principle, issue trees, and slides that lead with the answer. You practice each one on a business case.
Taught by Paul Millerd, former McKinsey & BCG strategy consultant
30-day money-back guarantee · Lifetime access · Or 2 monthly payments of $398
1,500+students in 65 countries
80lessons, 13 free
4 weeks1–3 hours a week
3case assignments with example solutions
5AI skills for Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI tools
It's for anyone who turns messy information into a recommendation, at any stage of a career
It isn't case interview prep. It teaches the thinking and communication skills underneath consulting work.
Students and new grads
Get better at solving problems and explaining them inside a company.
Strategy, finance, and analytics roles
Work with data, shape your company's direction, and present to executives.
Managers and team leads
Explain complex ideas clearly to executives and stakeholders.
Executives
Set a strategy and communicate it to senior leaders and boards.
It's also for consultants, at a firm or freelance, who work with clients at all of these levels but never trained at a top firm.
Each week teaches one skill, then you practice it on a business case
Most students spend 1–3 hours a week. Every lesson is open from day one, and weekly emails help you keep pace.
Week 1: Think like a consultant
- Mindset: five shifts, starting with moving from the “what” to the “how”
- Process: how a consulting project runs, top-down and bottom-up
- Practice: a guided mini case on university budget cuts
Week 2: Turn information into insights
- MECE: break a problem into parts with no overlaps and no gaps
- Pyramid Principle: turn messy notes into one clear point with Label, Sort, Insight
- Case 1: sort a consulting firm's services, then find the three themes behind a company's morale problem
Free guides: MECE · Pyramid Principle
Week 3: Hypothesis-driven problem solving
- SCQA: define the problem before the analysis
- Issue trees: form hypotheses and test the highest-value paths first
- Case 2: build the issue tree for Facebook's shift to mobile
Free guides: SCQA · Issue trees
Week 4: Build persuasive presentations
- Storytelling: slides that deliver the “so what?”, tuned to the audience
- Persuasion: messages people remember, drawing on cognitive science
- Case 3: turn 18 rough slides into a pitch that wins
Free guide: Principles of flow
Also in the course: interviews with four former McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants, 100+ consulting slide templates, a guide to 14 PowerPoint hacks, and a printable checklist for applying it all at work.
Practice on three business cases, each with a step-by-step walkthrough and example solutions
Help a services firm restructure its offerings using MECE
Sort a consulting firm's 11 services so nothing overlaps and nothing is missing.
Build Facebook's issue tree as it makes the shift to mobile
It's 2012 and the world is going mobile. You are Zuck and the board. Get the questions right.
Fix the slides for a food truck investment pitch
Write the missing titles and call-outs so the story flows.
Watch 13 lessons before you buy
No sign-up needed. Each one has the full video and transcript.
Mindset shift #1: Shifting from the “what” to the “how”
Introduction to MECE: Mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive
Three types of frameworks & how to build your own
- Meet Paul: My story & why I spent 250+ hours creating this course
- Overview of the five modules
- Welcome to the course & suggested course schedule
- Mindset shift #2: Learning mindset & the quest for better explanations
- Are most people saying “MECE” wrong? A word from Barbara Minto
- Walkthrough example #1: Label, Sort, Insight
- Plus four short module intros. See all 80 lessons
The course includes five AI skills that coach you through the same steps
They work in Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI tools. Walkthroughs for Claude Chat, Claude Code, and Codex show you how to use them to frame a problem, structure the answer, and build the slides.
- FrameDefine the problem and build the issue tree
- StructureTurn notes and data into a clear argument
- StorylineWrite the memo or email, or build the deck
1,500+ students have used it to get promoted and get to the point
“The course was 1000 times better than the multiple times I did this elsewhere in the past.”
Rob, who already knew the Pyramid Principle from working at a consultancy
“This course helped me get promoted! It provides a framework to communicate complex business problems in a clear and concise manner. I wish I knew about MECE sooner.”
Andrew K.Sales Strategy Consultant
“The StrategyU toolkit is one of the main reasons I have a job in consulting. … From understanding the Pyramid Principle to making sure my analysis is MECE, I have used these principles in my jobs in consulting and finance.”
JeffEx-Bain & Company Consultant
“It seemed I was not concise enough in my comms to the C-level, so this was a tremendous jump for me. I liked a lot the storytelling part and the presentation.”
Wanda“Full of relevant tools and case studies, this course is sure to help you create sharp, engaging and more persuasive presentations.”
AmitaDirector, United Nations
“I was able to apply the principles taught in this program immediately. As a General Manager, it assisted me also to help others understand their problems better without directly jumping into solution mode.”
JacquesGeneral Manager
“The course was a total game changer for me. I not only improved my understanding and the consultant approach to study cases but learned a more structured way to approach real problems effectively using the principles here explained.”
LinaSustainability Consultant
“I found the course to be a great resource which uses a self-paced approach to learning practical techniques & concepts consultants use. I am already applying what I've learned to create compelling analysis & recommendations to solve real business problems.”
Michael“Think Like A Strategy Consultant respects the principles taught in it: no fluff, straight to the point, impactful, exposing concrete and actionable tools, and conveying deep, meaningful messages.”
I built this course from 10+ years as a consultant, including McKinsey and BCG
I'm Paul Millerd. I created this course after 7+ years of running workshops for corporate clients and student consulting groups, and I've improved it over several years for 1,500+ people around the world.
The thinking tools I used every day as a consultant were useful far outside consulting. But they were locked inside firms, taught through apprenticeship, and buried in dense textbooks. This course teaches the frameworks I used on real engagements, in a format that works for people with full-time jobs.
I run StrategyU on my own. If you have questions before you sign up, send me a note and I'll get back to you.
Trusted by professionals at
One price includes every lesson, case, and AI skill, with a 30-day refund
Complete access
$797
One-time payment for full course access.
- 80 lessons, including interviews with former consultants
- 3 case assignments with example solutions
- 100+ slide templates and the course checklist
- Five AI skills for Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI tools, with walkthroughs for Claude Code and Codex
- Lifetime access and future updates
2 payments
$398 × 2
Same course, split over two monthly payments.
- Full access from day one
- Everything in the one-payment plan
30-day money-back guarantee. If the course isn't for you, email me within 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked. Read the refund policy
“The best value for money course out there for young professionals to learn how to structure their ideas for executive reviews!”
Also available: The Art of Strategic Freelancing ($347), or both courses as the Consultant's Bundle ($997).
Questions people ask before enrolling
Is this a case interview prep course?
No. It teaches the skills consultants use on the job at firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain: structured thinking, executive communication, and slide design. They help in interviews too, but if case practice is your main goal, this probably isn't the right course.
How long does the course take?
It's structured for four weeks, but you go at your own pace. Most people spend 1–3 hours a week, with more time in the weeks that have case assignments. Every lesson is open from day one.
Can I try it before I buy?
Yes. 13 lessons are free to watch with no sign-up, each with the full video and transcript.
Do I need consulting experience to take this course?
No. Most students have never worked at a consulting firm. It's for anyone who works with information and has to explain it, whether you're preparing to enter consulting, working in strategy or finance, or leading a team.
How long do I have access to the course?
For life. You can revisit any lesson at any time, and you get every future update at no extra cost.
What if the course isn't right for me?
Email me at [email protected] within 30 days of your purchase for a full refund. No questions asked. On the two-payment plan, I refund every payment you've made and cancel the rest. Read the refund policy
Is there a payment plan?
Yes. Pay $797 once, or split it into 2 monthly payments of $398. You get full access from day one either way.
How is this different from an MBA or other business courses?
MBA programs spend 2 years and $100k+ teaching broad business concepts. This course focuses on the practical frameworks and communication skills that make consultants effective. You can finish it in 4 weeks for a fraction of the cost.
I freelance. Which course should I take?
This course teaches the thinking behind the documents clients see. The Art of Strategic Freelancing covers the business around that work: pricing, proposals, and finding clients. If you already work with clients, the Consultant's Bundle has both for $997. See The Art of Strategic Freelancing
Start with a free lesson, or enroll today
30-day money-back guarantee · Lifetime access