"Being a consultant means never having to say you're unemployed." Someone told me that, dismissively, when I started my first business — consulting — 25 years ago. They were poking fun at me: The speaker believed most consultants were just people between jobs trying to pick up a few bucks.
I was insulted at the time, but, in fact, if you're unemployed and a permanent job doesn't seem to be around the corner, consulting can be a good way to make some money until the job market improves. Of course, consulting can also be a terrific option for making an ongoing living. After all, I was a self-employed consultant for 14 years!
There are all kinds of consultants: Marketing consultants, technology consultants, financial consultants, management consultants, human resource consultants, design consultants, health and wellness consultants, and on and on.
Consulting is a particularly good option if you've got some technical or business skills or knowledge. In a slowly recovering economy, large corporations, hesitant to hire full-time employees, instead hire consultants and independent contractors. If you're lucky enough to be one of those consultants, and you do a good job, when the companies you consult for start hiring, you'll have a foot in the door.
Start-up costs as a consultant are minimal: All you really need is a computer and an Internet connection. Add a phone, some business cards, then clear out some space at the dining room table, and voila! You're in business!
Most successful consultants approach being a consultant like running any other business. Sure, your business may have only one employee — and no clients yet — but it requires marketing, planning, financial management, and, especially, commitment.
First, develop a simple business plan for your consulting company:
1. Business concept:What kind of expertise can you offer? What skills, knowledge, or contacts have you developed through your work experience, education, hobbies? What can you do that others might need and pay for? Sit down and thoroughly analyze all you have to offer.
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