- As you launch your consulting firm,
here are a few next steps I'd suggest.
Write your business plan.
Document the services you're selling, who you're selling to,
and how you'll price your work.
Define how you'll deliver your services
and how you'll run your business operations.
Forecast your economic results.
Get a good sense for how much money it'll take
to get up and running and where you're going
to get that money from.
Be sure to be conservative in your estimates
so you don't have any unpleasant surprises.
Set up your business with appropriate registrations,
licenses, and insurance.
Cover all these administrative tasks before
you start serving clients.
Secure funding to carry you through your initial
year of operations.
There are going to be challenging times.
Make sure you have enough cash to make it through.
Build your marketing presence and start selling.
Prospect for clients, then sell and deliver
your first consulting engagement.
The first engagement is the toughest to get,
but it's going to generate momentum and serve
as a reference case and a source of new business.
Good luck in your efforts to build
a wildly successful consulting career.