Anecdote: I interviewed at Booz Allen Hamilton when I was in school and got a bad taste in my mouth from the place. They talked about how you could work your way up but you could only get past a certain level by bringing in business. To get to partner, you need to be bringing in at least $x million a year for the company. They told us that no one is hired directly in at partner level except for a 3-star general they just hired in last month because of the connections he had.
This is commonplace in other business situations as well, including law firms. Partners at many large law firms can make $1.5M a year in profits (not salaries, because they're part-owners). You need to bring in far more than that to cover your take.
