Start Your Own Consulting Business Third Edition

Turn Your Knowledge and Experience Into Big Bucks! Whether you’re a computer whiz, a business expert, or a fundraising dynamo, your special skills are in high demand. Let the experts at Entrepreneur show you how to capitalize on your talents and help others achieve their business goals! No matter what your area of expertise, this hands-on guide will tell you everything you need to know to start your own successful consulting business. Discover how to get your business off the ground, position yourself as an expert, attract clients, operate day to day, and build revenue. Plus, gain powerful insight from interviews with practicing consultants, answers to frequently asked questions and an invaluable list of the top 20 consulting businesses! Learn how to: Set up your business with minimal startup investment Define your market Build a business brand that gets noticed Capture clients by showing them you’re worth their money Price your service Advertise and publicize to attract more clients Hire a support staff And more You already have the knowledge—this guide shows you how to share it with others and make a profit!

Leading entrepreneurs into the multi-billion dollar consulting industry, the experts at Entrepreneur show you how to capitalize on your talents to help others achieve their business goals. Coached by experts, learn to define your market, find and keep clients, obtain licenses, set rates, monitor cash flow, hire staff, prepare contracts, agreements, and reports, and more. Includes new interviews with successful consultants, updated answers to frequently asked questions, and a completely refreshed list of the top 20 consulting businesses.

Get Paid for Your Experience Want to strike out on your own and take control of your job security? Become a consultant-it could be a lucrative move. Whether you're a computer whiz, a business expert or a fundraising dynamo, your special skills are in demand. Learn everything you need to know to turn your expertise into a profitable business. Learn how to: Assess your skills Define your market Find and keep clients Obtain licenses Set rates Monitor cash flow Hire staff Use the internet to boost business Prepare contracts, agreements and reports And more! With answers to frequently asked questions, an appendix of additional resources, and a valuable list of the top 20 consulting businesses thriving today, this guide puts you on the road to success. Interviews with successful consultants offer valuable insight into how they have taken their careers into their own hands-and how you can, too!

Laid out in a workbook format, this books contains a wide variety of exercises, ultimately geared towards making consultancy an increasingly profitable enterprise. Reading this book will help you to: gain a clear understanding of the consulting process and its requirements; define and establish a clear strategic direction for your business; understand how to raise finances and maintain financial control; create and implement an effective marketing strategy; and, balance ongoing business with attracting new clients. Contents: Section One: Getting started; 1. Setting the scene; 2. Evaluating your fit; 3. What type of consulting business are you running?; 4. Establishing your business direction; Section Two: Getting customers; 5. Marketing your business; 6. Selling your service; Section Three: Getting money; 7. Financing Your Business; Section Four: Getting organised; 8. Organising your business; 9. Running your business: doing the work!; 10. Moving into Action.

Join the thousands of professionals who have already gotten Insidethe Technical Consulting Business -- and discover how to channelyour technical know-how into an exciting career as an independentconsultant. This Third Edition of Harvey Kaye's bestselling guidegives you the focused, no-nonsense help you need to start and runyour own consulting practice in today's ultracompetitiveenvironment. What's inside: Setting up your consulting business.The lowdown on finances, record-keeping, office space, taxes, andchoosing the form of business organization that's right foryou. Insider's guide to proposals and contracts. Gives plenty ofexamples to use in your own consulting practice. Marketing secrets your boss never told you. Tips on creating demandfor your services and keeping your clients coming back for repeatbusiness. PLUS ALL-NEW MATERIAL ON: * Creating your personal strategic marketing plan. A step-by-stepguide to developing and maintaining your competitive edge. * Learn from the pros. "Meet the Pros" interviews show howsuccessful consultants handled some of the very problems you'relikely to encounter. * Building successful client relationships. The inside scoop onkeeping clients happy while protecting your own professionalinterests. * The technical challenges of consulting. A consultant's primer onproblem-solving, coping with the information explosion, andorganizing for maximum productivity.

Say “I Do” to Success From wedding bells to wedding bills, gain an inside look at the billion dollar wedding industry and learn how to earn your next pay check coordinating the “big” day of today’s brides and grooms. Discover the newest wedding trends, such as destination weddings, tapas-style catering, disposable video cameras, wedding logos and more. Plus, learn everything else you need to know to start and run a successful wedding consultant business, including: How to market your services and find customers Using social media to attract and communicate with clients Tips from the pros for handling the unexpected What licenses and permits you need How to avoid common mistakes How to negotiate with vendors and suppliers to get the best prices The most important contacts to make And more! You don’t need an office or a lot of startup money. With your creativity and help from our experts, you’ll be well on your way to success!

THE UNBEATABLE, UPDATED, COMPREHENSIVE GUIDEBOOK FOR FIRST-TIME CONSULTANTS GETTING STARTED IN CONSULTING More people than ever are making the jump from corporate offices to home offices, taking control of their futures, being their own bosses, and starting their own consultancies. Consulting is a bigger business than ever and growing every day. For almost a decade, Alan Weiss's Getting Started in Consulting has been an indispensable resource for anyone who wants to strike out on his own and start a new consulting business. It provides a rich source of expert advice and practical guidance, and it shows you how you can combine low overhead and a high degree of organization to add up to a six- or even seven-figure income. You'll learn everything you need to know about financing your business, marketing your services, writing winning proposals, meeting legal requirements, setting fees, keeping the books, and much more. This new Third Edition of Getting Started in Consulting is more comprehensive, up to date, and practical than ever. In addition to the nuts-and-bolts basics, you'll also get a wealth of new information and resources: How to leverage new technologies to lower your business costs and increase your profits A budget sampler that shows you how best to maximize an initial start-up investment of $5,000, $10,000, or $20,000 Free downloadable tools and forms to help you design and start your business quickly and easily New interviews with consultants who achieved rapid success, including their personal stories and most effective techniques Brand-new references, examples, and appendices If your dream in life is to get out of the office and out on your own, consulting is a great way to make it happen. Make sure you do it right—and do it profitably—with Getting Started in Consulting, Third Edition.

Consultants work in all fields. They operate from offices and from home, work for investment firms and as personal trainers, or have expertise as accountants and wedding planners. The independence, flexibility, and potential income it brings make for an exciting and satisfying career. And it’s an increasingly popular one for highly skilled, motivated professionals who’ve been laid off in this unstable economy. This guide features tips and tricks to help beat the competition, including how to: Set—and keep—personal and financial goals Organize important paperwork Price and market specific services Create advertising and publicity plans Grow a business, from finding a partner to managing employees Minimize and eliminate business risks Consultants are paid well for their advice—if they know how to operate a successful business. With advice from experts in a variety of areas, this valuable guide helps you create the business of your dreams!