The Consultant's Quick Start Guide, 2nd Edition

The Consultant's Quick Start Guide, 2nd Edition

by Elaine Biech
Released December 2008
Publisher(s): Pfeiffer
ISBN: 9780470372319

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Book description

The Consultant's Quick Start Guide offers a practical approach to setting up a consulting business. Throughout the guide, Elaine Biech--author of the best-selling The Business of Consulting--shares both her own secrets as well as those of numerous other successful consultants. With a focus on the business side of consulting, Biech takes you through a painless, fill-in-the-blanks, step-by-step process for setting up your consulting firm. New sections include:
  • Why A Consulting Career—Five Reasons Why You May Be a Good Investment
  • How Much Will Clients Pay?
  • Your first "To Do" List
  • What to call your business
  • Creating and writing Business Plans
  • Office Location Options
  • Setting up your office, including Furnishing Your Office and planning your Technical Needs
  • Electronic Records, including Monthly Expense Records, Revenue Projections, and Invoicing
  • Staying Organized, including a Session Planner
  • Determining your market niche
  • Creating your marketing plan
  • Developing your website
  • Reviewing your first year with your family
  • Electronic resource list, available online
  • Skills And Knowledge Required of Consultants

Table of contents

  1. Praise
  2. Title Page
  3. About Pfeiffer
  4. Dedication
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Preface to the Second Edition
    1. Why This Guide?
    2. Who Will Find This Guide Useful?
    3. How to Use This Guide
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. Chapter 1 - First Things First: Why Consulting?
    1. Consulting: What Is It?
    2. Why a Consulting Career?
    3. Explore Your Experiences
    4. Inventory Your Competencies
    5. Assess Your Consulting Aptitude
    6. Pull It Together: Your Initial Consulting Focus
    7. Entrepreneur Attitude: Do You Have What It Takes?
  9. Chapter 2 - Planning Your Consulting Future
    1. Your Preferred Future
    2. Will Consulting Lead You to Your Life Goals?
    3. Professional, Financial, and Personal Considerations
    4. Identify the Changes You Will Need to Make
  10. Chapter 3 - Dollars and Sense
    1. Establish a Start-Up Budget
    2. Put a Price on Your Head
    3. Calculate Required Revenue
    4. Fill Out Financial Forms
    5. So What’s It Take to Get off the Ground?
  11. Chapter 4 - Taking Care of Business
    1. Getting Started
    2. What’s in a Name?
    3. Find the Best Accountant and Attorney
    4. Determine Your Business Structure
    5. Explore Your Banking and Insurance Needs
    6. Check Local Zoning Laws, Licenses, and Taxes
    7. File Legal Documentation
  12. Chapter 5 - Your Business Plan
    1. Are Business Plans Really Necessary?
    2. Write Your Plan
    3. Plan to Use Your Business Plan
  13. Chapter 6 - Make the Switch Painlessly
    1. Gain Consulting Experience Before Leaving Your Job
    2. Determine Your Transition Plan
  14. Chapter 7 - Setting Up Your Office
    1. Office Location Options
    2. Set Up Your Office
    3. Paper, Paper Everywhere!
  15. Chapter 8 - Finding Clients
    1. Determine Your Market Niche
    2. Who’s Your Competition?
    3. Identify Your First Clients
    4. Land Your First Work
  16. Chapter 9 - Marketing
    1. What Marketing Is
    2. The ABCs of Marketing
    3. Create Your Marketing Plan
    4. Build Your Marketing Plan
    5. Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
    6. Write Winning Proposals
    7. Track Your Clients
    8. Tips to Become a Better Marketer
  17. Chapter 10 - Surviving the First Year
    1. Take Care of Your Health
    2. Manage Your Time
    3. Establish Good Habits
    4. Balance Your Life
    5. Did You Hear the One About the Consultant . . . ? Developing a Personal Ethics Statement
  18. Chapter 11 - So, Now What? Year Two and Beyond
    1. Assess Your Progress
    2. Plan Your Next Steps
    3. Bring It All Together
  19. Reading List
  20. Electronic Resources
  21. Call for Ideas
  22. Call for Papers
  23. About the Author
  24. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Consultant's Quick Start Guide, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Elaine Biech
  • Release date: December 2008
  • Publisher(s): Pfeiffer
  • ISBN: 9780470372319