The New Business of Consulting

The New Business of Consulting

by Elaine Biech
Released May 2019
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781119556909

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Book description

Everything you ever wanted to know about consulting—a practical roadmap for aspiring entrepreneurs

Seismic changes occurring in the workforce are leading to more and more people entering the world of contract, freelance, and contingency work. Rapid changes in demographics and advances in technology have led companies and talent to engage in profoundly new ways and consulting is one of the keys to success.

The New Business of Consulting is authentic and practical, and shares the knowledge and skills required to start and grow a successful consulting business. From how to make a smooth career transition, to how to determine a consulting fee, to how consultants inadvertently create a bad reputation, it covers everything you need to know to thrive and flourish in this competitive field.

  • Covers contemporary topics, such as how to achieve success in the gig economy
  • Discloses a reliable technique to land the clients you want
  • Presents options to help you balance your life and your business
  • Prepares you for naming your business, managing critical financial issues, and building a client relationship
  • Shows you how to take your income and impact beyond working as a solopreneur

The crucial start-up days of a consulting business may be frenetic and fraught with questions. This new edition provides sanity and answers all the questions. It includes practical tools, templates, and checklists that you can download and implement immediately.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Exhibits and the Companion Website
  3. Foreword
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Introduction
    1. The Timing Is Right
    2. Logical Content Flow
    3. Helpful and Practical Content
    4. Beyond the Content
  6. 1 So You Want to Be a Consultant
    1. What Is Consulting?
    2. Why Consulting Now?
    3. Four Ways to Get Started
    4. Myths About Consulting
    5. Realities and Rewards of Consulting
    6. Just What Are You Getting Yourself Into?
  7. 2 Talents and Tolerance
    1. Your Skills for Success
    2. Roles You May Play
    3. Signs of a Mediocre Consultant
    4. Your Personal Situation
    5. Caution: Business Owner Ahead
    6. Entrepreneurial Characteristics
  8. 3 Dollars and Sense
    1. How Much Income Do You Require?
    2. How Much Should You Charge?
    3. Selecting a Pricing Structure
    4. Other Pricing Decisions
    5. Other Charges
    6. Fee Increases
    7. Ethics of Pricing
    8. Money Discussions
    9. Value of a Guarantee
  9. 4 Starting . . .
    1. Why Some Start-Ups Succeed and So Many Fail
    2. What’s in a Name?
    3. Selecting an Accountant
    4. Selecting a Legal Entity
    5. A Business Plan to Guide You
    6. Plan to Use Your Business Plan
    7. Start-Up Costs
    8. Finding Your Niche
    9. Your Image Is Everything
    10. Experiencing the Experience Maze
  10. 5 … And Staying in Business
    1. Marketing from Day One
    2. Creating Your Marketing Plan
    3. Using the Internet
    4. Surprising but Practical Thoughts on Marketing
    5. Tactics for Low-Budget Marketing
    6. Contacting Potential Clients
    7. Proposals Lead to Contracts
    8. Why Would You Refuse an Assignment?
  11. 6 The Cost of Doing Business
    1. Keeping Records for Your Consulting Business
    2. Watch Your Cash Flow
    3. Track Your Expenses
    4. Set Aside Petty Cash
    5. Charge Your Client
    6. Project Revenues
    7. Deal with Bad Debts
    8. Keep an Eye on Your Numbers
  12. 7 Building a Client Relationship
    1. Relationships: It’s Why You’re in Business
    2. The First Meeting
    3. Four Phases of Building a Client-Consultant Partnership
    4. Adding More Value
    5. How Many Clients Do You Need?
    6. How to Improve the Relationship Continuously
    7. It’s the People
    8. Maintain the Relationship After the Project
    9. Ensure Success
  13. 8 Growing Pains
    1. Adding People
    2. Growing without Adding People
    3. Expand Your Geographical Market
    4. Doing Everything You Can to Grow Your Current Business
  14. 9 The Ethics of the Business
    1. Consultant to Client
    2. Consultant to Consultant
    3. Client to Consultant
    4. Parting Ethics Shots
  15. 10 Exude Professionalism
    1. Competencies to Boost Your Consulting Success
    2. Continuing to Learn
    3. Balancing Your Life and Your Business
    4. Managing Your Time
    5. Giving Back
  16. 11 Do You Still Want to Be a Consultant?
    1. A Week in a Consultant’s Life
    2. Visualizing Success
    3. Taking Action
    4. Get Ready, Get Set …
  17. Appendix
  18. Reading List
  19. About the Author
  20. Index
  21. END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

Product information

  • Title: The New Business of Consulting
  • Author(s): Elaine Biech
  • Release date: May 2019
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119556909