By Andréa Coutu

ConsultingWant to become a consultant?

Andréa CoutuConsultant Journal

GettingSTARTED• Ready to start your own business and become a consultant?• You’ve made it past the first hurdle – choosing a business.• Now, to make your dream come true and become a consultant,

you need to set up shop.

Got the consultingSPIRIT?• Before becoming a independent consultant,

consider whether you’re really suited to it.• Think about whether you’d enjoy working

from home — or whether you should rent a desk or office.

• Doing a personal inventory is a great way to assess your consulting potential. (We have one called Discover Your Inner Consultant.)

Choose your consultingFIELD

Identify what kind of consultant you

want to be

Take inspiration from your job

and work history

Look onlineand in books

for ideas

Doing a personalINVENTORY

Profile your those points in depth

Review your job history

Determine what stands out as an option

List your skills & experience

Think about hobbies, interests, work history, knowledge, volunteer and work experience. Group together common themes.

Finding a recurringTHEME• Look at your skills, experience and your local

industry and market – does anything stand out?• Consider existing businesses – can you fill a

market gap, specialize or go global?• Could you deliver better, more responsive or

higher value consulting than others?• Can you add value by bundling products, adding

extras or cross-selling?

Building yourBUSINESS PLAN• Once you've figured out what kind of

consultant you want to be, you need to figure out how to turn your idea into a profitable business.

Key business planCONTENT

Business Setup

Business Environment

Marketing

Operations

Finance

Key business planCONTENT

Business Setup

Business setup – how you'll operate – as a sole proprietor, partnership, corporation…

Key business planCONTENT

Business EnvironmentBusiness environment – the laws, competitors, trends and other influences you face

Key business planCONTENT

Marketing

Marketing – how you’ll attract and keep clients

Key business planCONTENT

Operations

Operations – how you’ll run your business

Key business planCONTENT

Finance Finance – how much money you’ll need to start, run and grow your business

Making the nextMOVE• Made it through all these steps?• Completed some basic research?• Done your homework?• You’re ready to launch your consulting business

– and start working from home or an office!

FREE HELPfor your consulting business• Get help on the way!• Visit ConsultantJournal.com for free tips, tools

and articles – whether you want to become a consultant or grow an existing business