New Consultant''s Quick Start Guide - An Action Plan for Your First Year in Business

An action plan for working as a consultant
 
Management consulting is a $250 billion industry and growing at a rate of over four percent annually. Many predict that more than 40 percent of the U.S. workforce will soon be contingent, freelance, or consulting members of the workforce--making this book more relevant than ever.
 
Individuals become independent consultants out of necessity or preference: necessity because they lost their job or the company offered an attractive exit package; preference because they want a career change, more control over their time, or an enriched, varied work situation. Consulting also appeals to the Millennial workforce who are searching for careers that offer a good salary as well as meaningful work. The New Consultant's Quick Start Guide:
 
* Serves as a companion to The New Business of Consulting
 
* Provides you with a place to plan your transition into consulting
 
* Helps you identify your niche, develop a business plan, charge what you're worth, and create a marketing strategy to ensure a steady stream of clients
 
* Prepares you for changes you will encounter beyond your professional life, including social, family, and financial aspects
 
The New Consultant's Quick Start Guide helps you work through the challenges of consulting such as working alone, deciding on necessary insurance coverage, finding your first clients, struggling with cash flow, and understanding market trends.

List of contents

Acknowledgments xv
 
Introduction xvii
 
1 First Things First: Why Consulting? 1
 
Chapter Overview 1
 
Consulting: What Is It? 1
 
Why a Consulting Career? 3
 
Explore Your Experiences 4
 
Inventory Your Competencies 6
 
Assess Your Consulting Aptitude 9
 
Pull It Together: Your Initial Consulting Focus 11
 
Entrepreneur Attitude: Do You Have What It Takes? 13
 
Quick Start Action: Questions to Ask a Consultant 17
 
Quick Start Lists 19
 
2 Planning Your Consulting Future 21
 
Chapter Overview 21
 
Your Preferred Future 21
 
Will Consulting Lead You to Your Life Goals? 26
 
Professional, Financial, Personal, and Health Considerations 31
 
Identify the Changes You Will Need to Make 35
 
Quick Start Action: Create Your Personal Expense Plan 38
 
Quick Start Lists 40
 
3 Dollars and Sense 41
 
Chapter Overview 41
 
Establish a Start-Up Budget 41
 
Put a Price on Your Head 47
 
Calculate Required Revenue 50
 
Fill Out Financial Forms 57
 
Quick Start Action: Setting Your Fee 58
 
So What's It Take to Get Off the Ground? 62
 
Quick Start Lists 63
 
4 Taking Care of Business 65
 
Chapter Overview 65
 
Getting Started 65
 
What's in a Name? 66
 
Hire the Best Accountant and Attorney 70
 
Quick Start Action: Find an Accountant and Attorney 72
 
Determine Your Business Structure 73
 
Explore Your Banking and Insurance Needs 82
 
Check Local Zoning Laws, Licenses, and Taxes 87
 
File Legal Documentation 88
 
Quick Start Action: Your First To-Do List 89
 
Quick Start Lists 91
 
5 Your Business Plan 93
 
Chapter Overview 93
 
Are Business Plans Really Necessary? 93
 
Write Your Plan 101
 
Plan to Use Your Business Plan 109
 
Quick Start Action: Plan a Review 111
 
Quick Start Lists 112
 
6 Make the Switch Painlessly 113
 
Chapter Overview 113
 
Gain Consulting Experience Before Leaving Your Job 113
 
Determine Your Transition Plan 118
 
Quick Start Action: Plan with Your Family 124
 
Quick Start Lists 126
 
7 Setting Up Your Office--or Not 127
 
Chapter Overview 127
 
Office Location Options 127
 
Set Up Your Office 131
 
Paper, Paper Everywhere! 135
 
What About a Website? 146
 
Quick Start Action: The App Age 148
 
Quick Start Lists 150
 
8 Finding Clients 151
 
Chapter Overview 151
 
Determine Your Market Niche 151
 
Quick Start Action: Is There a Client Base? 156
 
Who's Your Competition? 158
 
Identify Your First Clients 164
 
Land Your First Work 167
 
Quick Start Action: Make a Sale to Solve a Problem 176
 
Quick Start Lists 177
 
9 Marketing 179
 
Chapter Overview 179
 
What Is Marketing? 179
 
The ABCs of Marketing 180
 
Create Your Marketing Plan 181
 
Build Your Marketing Plan 185
 
Marketing on a Shoestring Budget 196
 
Quick Start Action: Grab Attention with Your Headlines 199
 
Write Winning Proposals 200
 
Track Your Clients 204
 
Tips to Become a Better Marketer 206
 
Quick Start Lists 208
 
10 Surviving the First Year 209
 
Chapter Overview 209
 
Take Care of Your Health 209
 
Manage Your Time 211
 
Establish Good Business Habits 215
 
Delight Your Clients 217<

About the author

ELAINE BIECH is president of ebb associates inc, a strategic implementation, leadership development, and experiential learning consulting firm. Elaine has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Management Update, Investor's Business Daily, and Fortune. She is the author and editor of more than 85 books, including Training and Development for Dummies, and The New Business of Consulting.

Product details

• Authors: Elaine Biech, Elaine (Ebb Associates Inc.) Biech, Biech Elaine
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 21.05.2019
• EAN: 9781119556930
• ISBN: 978-1-119-55693-0
• No. of pages: 288
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Business > Management; Consulting, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Management, Business & management, Wirtschaft u. Management, Consultancy