Just as Great British Bake Off judges are always on the look out for a “soggy bottom”, management consultants like nothing better than identifying another “squeezed middle”.
It has become almost a cliché among business strategists to argue that small is beautiful and big is beautiful but anything in between is a problem. Big gives you a broad spread and lower unit costs. Small allows you to be focused and nimble. Get stuck in the middle and you risk being squeezed to a mush.
