How to go it alone & Establish your own Consultancy
By xavier7034, 11th Jun 2010 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutBusinessStarting A Business
There is abundant proof that the worldwide recession has dramatically accelerated change in the modern workplace, and many management-level staff are relinquishing their once-safe careers to join the new breed of consultants, coaches and mentors. All allude to their need to pursue their own dream or lifetime passion, working for nobody except themselves and their maker.
Many people are too scared to break out of their Corporate Job Comfort Zone
There is abundant proof that the worldwide recession has dramatically accelerated change in the modern workplace, and many management-level staff are relinquishing their once-safe careers to join the new breed of consultants, coaches and mentors. All allude to their need to pursue their own dream or lifetime passion, working for nobody except themselves and their maker.
Do you identify your experiences with this type of scenario: Many people find that working in the faceless modern corporate environment not only carries the burden of an uncertain future, but also a lack of REAL recognition and clear-cut path to career success.
Given the foregoing, if you are currently, or perhaps in the future, are into weighing up your options, here are some guidelines you may want to follow:
1. Identify a target niche or opportunity
The hallmark of any profit-making business is one that fills an essential need, and is one for which people are more than willing to part with their hard-earned cash. The trick is however, to put a different spin on your specific offering. Often, the opportunity is right on your own doorstep, within your current work experience, and expertise.
With all that in mind, you may even get an idea of the real, marketplace demand if you have your potential clients lined up before your break away from the perceived security of your current salaried employment. This has the benefit of allowing you the luxury, depending on the circumstances, of being able to discreetly confide in your future clients regarding your plans, and then secure their support. This serves as a form of “Income Insurance” and reduces the scare factor.....especially of financial uncertainty, thus allowing you to focus on your modus operandi.
2. Multi-Level Contacts on tap
How many potential clients have you got in mind? Whatever the number, never forget the number of OTHER people each of them know that you have not even spoken to – let alone knowing their name. So use your existing clients as a bridge to making new contacts on the road forward.
Visit Trade Shows, exhibitions and conventions, making it your business to collect as many business cards as possible. Here though, you must be circumspect, and make it a rule to never take a business card without exchanging it with one of your own, and then making yourself PERSONALLY known to the individual concerned.
Here again, it is important to make this introduction memorable in some way. Here you may want to take a leaf out of the more successful Realtor’s: a simple on this, but unique, attaching a coffee-flavoured sweet to your business card. NOBODY that I know ever throws that particular flavour away – and they usually remember you for something as elementary as that!
Establishing a connection with the features editor of your local newspaper is a way to open doors by writing content-rich, targeted articles, with stories woven from your own life experience – this also works with some trade journals.
Offer to speak in public at ever opportunity, and wherever and whenever you can, including business breakfasts, seminars, workshops and service organisations.
Then, instead of the common and garden e-mail newsletter, it can be very productive to start a ONE-page newsletter. It can be very productive to start a 1 page knock and drop, free local newsletter, targeted at your local community interests.
3. Get a Confidante
A confidante should, ideally, be someone who knows a lot about the type of operation you have in mind. Many people have burnt their fingers trusting somebody outside of their normal work experience. Why don't you be different.....and ask your wife/husband/partner if you have one, to fulfil this role. This approach, depending on the nature of your business, has often proven to be highly successful.
In the same vein, you may want to consider a parent fulfilling this role. Your objective in this case is that your “confidante” is your role model, or a shoulder to privately cry on if the going gets really tough.
A confidante differs in one major respect to taking on a business partner, in that you can focus, together with that person, asking for confidential advice on a specific, identified problem. This sort of person may allow you the launching pad for improving your public presentation practice, and then hone your skills, so that you can build up toward a professional approach when the time comes for speaking at conferences and workshops.
4. A Rose by any other Name
Never underestimate the importance of tags and titles – otherwise known as logos, business names, your title, and then professional (or other relevant) qualifications. You will want a name that contributes toward making you stand out from your competition. Beware though, of being TOO quirky because this could put a question mark against your credibility.
5. Lay a Foundation of Support
Your working relationships within certain key aspects of your operation can be critical to your future success:
When deciding on the correct way to go about keeping tabs with your cash flow, and the accounting operation, many smaller businesses have found that working with an experienced, professional, one person accountant is far more satisfactory, and preferable to that of doing business with a large concern – one where you are small-cheese, and therefore not important in their scheme of things.
Then, your choice of banking institution, legal advice and income protection (normally only available to degreed professionals – but check for this in your area). Other considerations should include a graphic designer to design your logo, and then documents, reports, invoices and tenders in a professional-looking, and attractive format. If you are going for your own web site, there are many affordable software programs on the market which cater for you to do do this job yourself. I have personally used Serif, CLICK HERE ( and taught myself to use it via the easy to understand tutorials online forums they offer.
Next, consider an office supplier which can provide for both your furniture and stationery needs. Finally, it is not a bad idea to seek the services of a professional fashion consultant to guide you sensibly toward looking great in the part.
Comments
23rd Oct 2011 (#)
Great work Xavier, I am in a similar situation, having had to end my H.R. career in 1991 due to a leg amputation, which had me ending my official salaried career. I have been doing some consulting work and motivational talks. I am 60 and working online only these days.
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