At almost every SMB—and even at larger businesses I’ve consulted with—everyone wears multiple hats, especially senior staff and SMEs. We see it all the time: one person becomes the de facto expert for software, workflows, or industry standards, often by virtue of being the first one in the door or simply the most experienced. And while mentoring and tribal knowledge sharing sound great in theory, they come with a cost—one that too many small teams quietly absorb until it impacts project delivery, billability, and team morale.
The Hidden Drain: 20–30 Hours a Month, Just in "Quick Help"
Imagine this: a senior team member spends 20–30 hours a month walking colleagues through everything from file setup in Revit or AutoCAD to BIM coordination tips and company workflows. At an average billable rate of $200/hr, that's $4,000 to $6,000 worth of lost opportunity—every month for that one employee. Now multiply that by the number of employees you would consider SME's or senior employees. Your lost billable revenue is really starting to stack up, isn't it?
Let’s be clear: mentoring is valuable. But when it’s happening without a structured plan or any scalable process, it becomes an unbudgeted role. That’s time that could have been spent serving clients, delivering projects, or scaling operations, or even allow your senior employees and SME's to have a better work life balance.
And yet, the need is real.
What's Missing?
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No formal onboarding strategy
New hires learn by shadowing or asking questions—if someone has time. -
No method to screen technical capabilities
Resumes say “proficient,” but who really knows how deep that goes? -
No consistent documentation or standards reinforcement
Even the experts may deliver different “versions” of the company standard. -
No structured training
It’s all ad hoc, organic, and varies wildly by who’s teaching (and their mood that day).
We Covered This: When the SME Becomes the Problem
In our earlier blog post, we explored how Subject Matter Experts often become bottlenecks when they are the only consistent training resource. They're not just teaching—they're patching holes in the system. And they burn out.
This is exactly where Cedar Rock Consulting LLC and our partnership with Global eTraining and its AI-powered assistant Gia step in.
A Better Way: Structured, Scalable, Expert-Level Training
Cedar Rock Consulting LLC offers consulting services tailored to small teams in AEC, tech, and engineering. We help document your workflows, define your standards, and—most importantly—implement a repeatable, scalable training process.
Global eTraining (GeT) complements this with an expansive library of certified courses for AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks, BIM, Civil 3D, Inventor, and more. And Gia, the embedded AI mentor, gives your team answers within the application, as they work.
Together, we provide:
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Application Skills Assessments
Screen applicants or current team members on the software they say they know—with real data. -
On-demand Training Libraries
Let staff learn at their own pace, with content aligned to industry standards. -
Gia: The AI-powered Workflow Assistant
Need to know how to tag a room in Revit or export a COBie spreadsheet in Navisworks? Ask Gia. -
Custom Workflows and SOP Development
Cedar Rock can help define, refine, and publish your internal standards, so training aligns with how you work.
The ROI Is Clear
If you're currently spending 20–30 hours/month in informal mentoring, you’re already paying for training—you’re just not getting the scale, structure, or sustainability.
Let us help turn that hidden cost into strategic value.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to choose between growth and efficiency. Cedar Rock Consulting and Global eTraining provide a path to both—one where your team levels up, your SME gets time back, and your clients see the results.
Ready to stop flying blind on training?
Let’s talk.
Contact us to schedule a quick discovery session.