Back to Consulting
After my post:10 Reasons You Should Not Get a Job - Steve Pavlina, I started my consulting business back up. My old clients are happy that I have decided to pursue this career path anew. I am concerned as to whether I will be able to consult enough in order to make a living; however, am going to give this a shot. My goal is to learn to better promote myself while still looking out after my clients’ best interests.
I love consulting as it is a very rewarding career. It is unlike any of the “traditional” jobs that I have held thus far. The job seems more real and important. I know that I am making a difference as the results of my work are right in front of me. I can clearly see the value that I provide.
There are some downsides to consulting. One is that pay depends upon time spent. Clients pay an hourly rate for your time. To get around this I plan to bill some business clients by projects. This would entail speaking with the business owner in detail about what needs to be done, and then coming up with a formal proposal. I have not used this technique yet; however, feel that doing it this way may prove both beneficial to myself and to my client.
The client will know exactly how much the project will cost up front. This makes it easier to budget for the project. It will be beneficial to me as I may have completed the groundwork for lots of these projects previously, taking less time completing the project for the client. They are still receiving the same value.
The second problem is that of finding enough clients. There is a great need for consultants. The difficulty is finding those in need of my services and providing them value. I intend to try to first find clients through my established base of contacts. Hopefully that will provide me with enough business to make it.
If you have been successful as a consultant or would like to offer some advice, please post it here as a comment.