Small and medium sized enterprises operate within environments characterized by persistent uncertainty, limited financial buffers, regulatory volatility, and accelerating technological transformation. In this context, the need for structured business consulting models that integrate risk management, governance, and organizational design has become not only desirable but existential. Contemporary scholarship has increasingly acknowledged that isolated consulting interventions, whether focused on finance, operations, or digital transformation, are insufficient to address the systemic vulnerabilities faced by SMEs. What remains underdeveloped in existing research, however, is a theoretically coherent and operationally viable framework that connects consulting practice with enterprise architecture, collaborative networks, and formalized risk management systems in a single complex model. This study addresses that gap by constructing and analytically elaborating a comprehensive framework grounded in the complex model of business consulting developed by Kovalchuk (2025) and extending it through the lenses of risk governance, organizational architecture, and institutional influence.

The research draws upon a broad interdisciplinary literature that spans risk management frameworks in African and European SMEs, enterprise architecture scholarship, collaborative network theory, and business process management. Rather than reducing complexity into simplified variables, the study embraces complexity as a defining characteristic of SME consulting ecosystems. Using a qualitative, theory driven research design rooted in methodological principles articulated by Kothari (2004), the study synthesizes empirical findings from African and European SME risk management studies with theoretical insights from enterprise architecture and collaborative systems research. This synthesis enables the development of a multi layer analytical model in which consulting interventions are understood as dynamic mediators between organizational structure, technological capability, and institutional risk environments.

The discussion advances the argument that the future of SME consulting lies in its ability to function as a meta organizational capability that structures how firms perceive risk, design processes, and engage with digital and collaborative infrastructures. By integrating insights from enterprise architecture scholars such as Hoogervorst (2004) and Bradley et al. (2011) with African and European SME risk studies, the article demonstrates that consulting effectiveness depends on its capacity to harmonize strategic intent with operational architecture. This research contributes a theoretically grounded and practically actionable framework for scholars, policymakers, and consultants seeking to enhance SME sustainability in increasingly complex economic environments.