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.
The New Consultant's Quick Start Guide: An Action Plan for Your First Year in Business| Elaine Biech (Author)| Wiley
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1. First Things First: Why Consulting?
Chapter Overview, Consulting: “What Is It?”, “Why a Consulting Career?”, Explore Your Experiences, Inventory Your Competencies, Assess Your Consulting Aptitude, Pull It Together: Your Initial Consulting Focus, Entrepreneur Attitude: “Do You Have What It Takes?”, Quick Start Action: Questions to Ask a Consultant, Quick Start Lists
Chapter 2. Planning Your Consulting Future
Chapter Overview, Your Preferred Future, “Will Consulting Lead You to Your Life Goals?”, Professional, Financial, Personal, and Health Considerations, Identify the Changes You Will Need to Make, Quick Start Action: Create Your Personal Expense Plan, Quick Start Lists.
Chapter 3. Dollars and Sense
Chapter Overview, Establish a Start-Up Budget, Put a Price on Your Head, Calculate Required Revenue, Fill Out Financial Forms, Quick Start Action: Setting Your Fee, So “What’s It Take to Get Off the Ground?”, Quick Start Lists.
Chapter 4. Taking Care of Business
Chapter Overview, Getting Started, “What’s in a Name?”, Hire the Best Accountant and Attorney, Quick Start Action: Find an Accountant and Attorney, Determine Your Business Structure, Explore Your Banking and Insurance Needs, Check Local Zoning Laws, Licenses, and Taxes, File Legal Documentation, Quick Start Action: Your First To-Do List, Quick Start Lists.
Chapter 5. Your Business Plan
Chapter Overview, “Are Business Plans Really Necessary?”, Write Your Plan, Plan to Use Your Business Plan, Quick Start Action: Plan a Review, Quick Start Lists, 6 Make the Switch Painlessly, Chapter Overview, Gain Consulting Experience Before Leaving Your Job, Determine Your Transition Plan, Quick Start Action: Plan with Your Family, Quick Start Lists.
Chapter 7. Setting Up Your Office—or Not
Chapter Overview, Office Location Options, Set Up Your Office, Paper, “Paper Everywhere!”, “What About a Website?”, Quick Start Action: The App Age, Quick Start Lists 150
Chapter 8. Finding Clients
Chapter Overview, Determine Your Market Niche, ”Quick Start Action: Is There a Client Base?”, “Who’s Your Competition?”, Identify Your First Clients, Land Your First Work, Quick Start Action: Make a Sale to Solve a Problem, Quick Start Lists 177
Chapter 9. Marketing
Chapter Overview, “What Is Marketing?”, The ABCs of Marketing, Create Your Marketing Plan, Build Your Marketing Plan, Marketing on a Shoestring Budget, Quick Start Action: Grab Attention with Your Headlines, Write Winning Proposals, Track Your Clients, Tips to Become a Better Marketer, Quick Start Lists.
Chapter 10. Surviving the First Year
Chapter Overview, Take Care of Your Health, Manage Your Time, Establish Good Business Habits, Delight Your Clients, Balance Your Life , Take Advantage of Being Your Own Boss, “Did You Hear the One About the Consultant . . . ?”,Quick Start Lists.
Chapter 11. So, Now What? Year Two and Beyond
Chapter Overview, Assess Your Progress, Quick Start Action: Review Your First Year with Your Family, Plan Your Next Steps, Bring It All Together, Quick Start Action: Review Your First Year with a Colleague, ebb’s 13 Truths to Ponder, Quick Start Lists, Electronic Resources, Reading List.
About the Author
Index
LINK FOR THE BOOK
