A toolkit approach

One of the mistakes that many entrepreneurs (and nearly all IP attorneys) make is in treating IP as an end in itself. Instead, Intellectual Property should be viewed as a specialised set of tools that go into the more generalised toolkit of the successful business. More than that, the use that these tools get put to will differ based on the circumstances that the business finds itself in - a patent-heavy approach may be the best option for a large business looking to protect its market share from up-and-coming competitors, but will not work for most small businesses with limited cashflow.  

Here, the IP counsel/consultant is the skilled user of these specialised tools, and can advise on when the metaphorical hammer is a better fit than the chisel.