From the C-Suite to Digital and AI Advisory: Carlos Guzman’s Consulting Journey

Decision-making takes on a different meaning at the executive level. Over time, Carlos Guzman learned that leadership is shaped by judgment, timing, and choosing directions that hold up beyond immediate results.

His career unfolded inside complex organizations across multiple markets, where responsibility extended beyond teams into long-term outcomes. As a C-suite executive, Carlos led growth and operations at scale, developing a grounded understanding of how strategy, technology, and people intersect inside real businesses.

When Carlos stepped away from corporate leadership, the decision marked a shift toward ownership. WSI provided a proven consulting model within the world’s largest digital and AI consulting network, giving him the foundation to build a business backed by three decades of digital strategy leadership and a structured, strategy-first advisory framework. The model allowed him to operate as a trusted advisor, working directly with leadership teams on digital direction, organizational readiness, and enterprise-level business decisions.

Building a Consulting Business with Intention

Based in Mexico City, Carlos Guzman has spent more than two decades as part of WSI’s global consulting network, working closely with organizations facing complex business decisions.

Earlier in his career, Carlos held senior executive roles within multi-market organizations, where leadership required balancing competing priorities and making choices that carried lasting consequences. Those years reinforced a practical mindset around focus, trade-offs, and committing to direction rather than pursuing every available option.

That way of thinking carried into ownership. As he built his business with WSI, Carlos applied the same clarity to how he worked with clients, the challenges he took on, and the relationships he chose to deepen. The result is an advisory practice shaped by experience, judgment, and intentional decision-making.

In the video below, from WSI’s 30th anniversary reflections, Carlos shares how his executive background shaped the way he built his business and continues to inform his work as an advisor.

Choosing a Model Built for Informed Decisions

When Carlos began shaping his advisory business, digital was starting to move into the center of executive decision-making. Organizations were exploring new capabilities and technologies, often without clear signals around what would create lasting value.

Carlos was already working closely with leadership teams at that point, and questions around digital direction surfaced repeatedly. The challenge was not identifying opportunities, but deciding where to focus and how to move forward with confidence as a business owner.

“I knew digital was growing, but I didn’t know what to pursue. There were many options, and I didn’t have the luxury of guessing.”

What distinguished WSI was its measured, framework-driven approach to digital and AI. Rather than rushing toward every emerging trend, the network emphasized assessment, validation, and timing, helping consultants and clients focus on what creates sustained business value. That discipline mirrored how Carlos had approached leadership decisions throughout his career and gave him confidence in the paths he chose to pursue.

“They don’t just follow every fad. They assess the market, validate the technology, and only then say, ‘This is where you can have success.’”

Over time, that structure becomes central to how Carlos operates his business. In his experience, WSI acts as a strategic lens for research and evaluation, allowing him to stay focused on client relationships, decision-making, and advisory depth. The model supports independence while reinforcing focus, consistency, and disciplined decision-making.

What Experienced Professionals Should Know Before Taking the Leap

When asked to describe WSI in a single word, Carlos chose compañía. In Spanish, it speaks to more than partnership. It suggests presence, continuity, and the sense that you are not building alone along the way.

That idea connects closely to how Carlos thinks about commitment. Opportunity is rarely the challenge. What defines the path is what happens after the decision is made. For him, committing to the long game is what transforms growth from a target into a way of operating.

“When you commit to the long game, growth becomes more than an outcome. It becomes part of who you are.”

In Carlos’s experience, the value comes from having a model that supports thoughtful judgment, helps test direction as conditions change, and gives him the confidence to adjust without losing focus.

For professionals considering this step, his experience offers a grounded perspective. Longevity does not come from chasing momentum. It comes from commitment, supported by a model designed to adapt with you as markets and opportunities evolve.

Experience Becomes the Advantage in the Next Chapter

Carlos’s journey in digital and AI Consulting reflects a way of working shaped by commitment and clarity. What stands out is the consistency behind it. Building something meaningful came from choosing a model that allowed experience to strengthen over time, adapting as technology and markets evolved while staying grounded in sound judgment.

If you’re evaluating how to turn experience into a structured digital and AI advisory practice, a conversation with WSI is a natural next step. Discover how WSI supports experienced professionals in building strategy-led consulting practices designed for longevity, relevance, and growth.