Starting a consulting business can be extremely daunting, especially when you are trying to figure out things like your niche, target customers, and what services to offer. First, consider your skills and passions. What are you good at? What do you enjoy working on?…
Don't Let Your Consulting Business Fail at the Start Consulting startups fare far worse than any other professional entrepreneurship, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, with around 80% of new consulting companies folding within their first two years of...
Do your management consulting clients actually need to like you?…
Self-confidence, or rather, the lack of it, can be a considerable hurdle for anyone wishing to set up shop as an independent consultant. However, confidence is a trait that you can build…
A few months ago, a visitor to my blog asked me, in a comment, about the value of having a website in the early stages of a consulting business. Specifically, the reader asked if a new independent consultant would be disadvantaged by starting up without the immediate support of a website…
ARTICLE SUMMARY The lines have become blurred between the respective roles of business coaches and management consultants. But there are distinct differences between the two. A coach, to my mind, generally works one-on-one with someone and tries to improve that...
Whatever you think of email, as an independent consultant you will use it a lot, because your clients will use it a lot. The problem with this is that your emails will always be vying with hundreds of others for the attention of your recipient. To make matters...
In a blog post a long time ago, I promised to share some secrets for perfecting your elevator pitch; that all-important branding message which every management consultant should be able to deliver at a moment’s notice. In this post I’ll...
Did you ever lead meetings in your career, prior to your decision to enter the independent consultant’s profession? If not, you will need to get used to leading them, and even if you are experienced in running successful meetings, things will be a little different in...
Love them or hate them (most consultants hate them); consulting proposals will become a regular feature in your career as an independent consultant. If you can get away with winning a project without a proposal, consider it a significant achievement. A letter...