Quick Tips for Starting Your Consulting Business

www.smallbusinessbc.ca Thinking of starting a consulting business? Dave Schulte and Ian Marshall, Consulting experts for Small Business BC give you their tips and tricks for starting a consulting business. Tip #1 Pick your niche and know your market Don’t try and be all things to all people. Focus on your discipline, understand what you truly do and what you can offer your clients. Many people start a business based on all of their skill sets; however to their clients they appear a “jack of all trades and a master of none” and when someone is looking to hire a consultant they are looking to hire a master. Tip #2: You are the CEO of your consulting business and your clients are looking to hire a professional, and that is what you need to project. Tip #3: Get a set of good general business skills. People have the skills they need when they are delivering their consulting but often lack the basic general knowledge business skill sets. Attend some business courses so that you can learn how to run and operate a business. You already know your subject really well but do you know how to run a business well? Tip #4: Understand what your customer wants to buy. The skill sets which you are offering may not be what your customers are looking to buy. It may take some market research to really truly understand what your client wants. The services you present should have more to do with what your customers want and not how you define your skills sets. Need more consulting insight …