The Consultant's Quick Start Guide

by Elaine Biech (Ebb Associates)

• ISBN13: 9780787956677
• ISBN10: 0787956678
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-05-01
• Publisher: Pfeiffer & Co

Summary

Your complete blueprint for starting out in the consulting world! Consulting can be a most rewarding career--but being good at consulting is not always enough to keep your business profitable. 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. The book includes information on how to: * Develop a dynamic business plan * Market consulting services * Establish a professional office * Meet critical legal requirements * Change for services * Build client relationships * Grow the business * Ensure continued professional growth * Make money in the business Learn the skills you need to be a successful consultant with this indispensable guide!

Author Biography

ELAINE BIECH Elaine Biech is president and managing partner of ebb associates, a strategic implementation, leadership development and experiential learning consulting firm. The consulting firm assists large organizations to work through large-scale change and serves clients in both the private and public sector. Her clients include the American Society for Training and Development, Hershey Chocolate, the IRS, Johnson Wax, the U.S. Navy, McDonald's Corporation, Land's End, Marathon Oil, PricewaterhouseCoopers. Elaine is the author of over two dozen books and articles.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
Acknowledgments	xvii
First Things First: Why Consulting?	1	(20)
In This Chapter You Will	1	(1)
Consulting: What Is It?	1	(2)
Why a Consulting Career?	3	(1)
Explore Your Experiences	3	(2)
Inventory Your Competencies	5	(4)
Assess Your Consulting Aptitude	9	(2)
Pull It Together: Your Initial Consulting Focus	11	(2)
Entrepreneur Attitude: Do You Have What It Takes?	13	(5)
Quick Start Action: A Dozen Questions to Ask a Consultant	18	(2)
Quick Start Lists	20	(1)
Planning Your Consulting Future	21	(22)
In This Chapter You Will	21	(1)
Your Preferred Future	21	(6)
Will Consulting Lead You to Your Life Goals?	27	(5)
Professional, Financial, and Personal Considerations	32	(5)
Identify the Changes You Will Have to Make	37	(2)
Quick Start Action: Create Your Personal Expense Plan	39	(3)
Quick Start Lists	42	(1)
Dollars and Sense	43	(22)
In This Chapter You Will	43	(1)
Establish a Start-Up Budget	43	(6)
Put a Price on Your Head	49	(3)
Calculate Required Revenue	52	(6)
Quick Start Action: Setting Your Fee	58	(1)
Fill Out Financial Forms	59	(3)
So What's It Take to Get off the Ground?	62	(2)
Quick Start Lists	64	(1)
Taking Care of Business	65	(26)
In This Chapter You Will	65	(1)
Getting Started	65	(1)
What's in a Name?	66	(3)
Find the Best Accountant and Attorney	69	(2)
Quick Start Action: Find an Accountant and Attorney	71	(1)
Determine Your Business Structure	72	(11)
Explore Your Banking and Insurance Needs	83	(5)
Check Local Zoning Laws, Licenses, and Taxes	88	(1)
File Legal Documentation	89	(1)
Quick Start Lists	90	(1)
Your Business Plan	91	(20)
In This Chapter You Will	91	(1)
Are Business Plans Really Necessary?	91	(8)
Write Your Plan	99	(8)
Plan to Use Your Business Plan	107	(1)
Quick Start Action: Plan a Review	108	(1)
Quick Start Lists	109	(2)
Make the Switch Painlessly	111	(12)
In This Chapter You Will	111	(1)
Gain Consulting Experience Before Leaving Your Job	111	(2)
Determine Your Transition Plan	113	(7)
Quick Start Action: Plan with Your Family	120	(2)
Quick Start Lists	122	(1)
Setting Up Your Office	123	(24)
In This Chapter You Will	123	(1)
Office Location Options	123	(3)
Set Up Your Office	126	(4)
Paper, Paper Everywhere!	130	(15)
Quick Start Action: Preparing Forms	145	(1)
Quick Start Lists	146	(1)
Finding Clients	147	(24)
In This Chapter You Will	147	(1)
Determine Your Market Niche	147	(4)
Quick Start Action: Is There a Client Base?	151	(2)
Who's Your Competition?	153	(3)
Quick Start Action: Use Your Network	156	(3)
Identify Your First Clients	159	(2)
Land Your First Work	161	(8)
Quick Start Lists	169	(2)
Marketing	171	(26)
In This Chapter You Will	171	(1)
What Marketing Is	171	(1)
Create Your Marketing Plan	172	(4)
Build Your Marketing Plan	176	(9)
Marketing on a Shoestring Budget	185	(1)
Write Winning Proposals	186	(6)
Track Your Clients	192	(4)
Quick Start Lists	196	(1)
Surviving the First Year	197	(16)
In This Chapter You Will	197	(1)
Take Care of Your Health	197	(2)
Manage Your Time	199	(4)
Establish Good Habits	203	(2)
Balance Your Life	205	(5)
Did You Hear the One About the Consultant...? Developing a Personal Ethics Statement	210	(1)
Quick Start Lists	211	(2)
So, Now What? Year Two and Beyond	213	(16)
In This Chapter You Will	213	(1)
Assess Your Progress	213	(3)
Quick Start Action: Review Your First Year with Your Family	216	(1)
Plan Your Next Steps	216	(6)
Bring It All Together	222	(5)
Quick Start Action: Review Your First Year with a Colleague	227	(1)
Quick Start Lists	228	(1)
Reading List	229	(2)
Call for Ideas	231	(2)
Call for Papers	233	(2)
About the Author	235	(2)
Index	237