Consultants Are Not Business Owners

Starting and running a consulting business is not like working for a big consulting firm.

At a big consulting firm, you are given projects to complete.

When you run a consulting firm, you aren’t given projects to complete.

You have to go out and WIN these projects.

Going out and winning new business is called business development. It involves marketing, sales, proposals, pricing, etc.

And according to our 2021 How To Become A Consultant Study, these are among the biggest challenges that consultants face.

This is why it’s critical to adopt the mindset of a consulting business owner — or what we like to call it, the entrepreneurial consultant.

If you don’t want to go out and win projects, then you might be better off working as a consultant for a company or as a contractor. You won’t have to worry about marketing, sales, pricing, etc.

You can simply show up, do the work, and call it a day.

But if you want to build a 6 or 7-figure consulting practice, you can’t operate like your typical employed consultant. You’ll have more on your plate.

There will be much more work involved and you’ll have to wear many hats, but the rewards are far greater.

For example,I wanted to make the leap to a full-time consultant. However, he lacked the confidence to step out on his own.

Without a clear marketing strategy, he knew that he’d fall flat on his face if he quit his job to start a consulting business.

He joined our Clarity Coaching program where we helped him grow from contractor to consulting business owner; he left his full-time job, became fully independent, and his former employer became one of his first clients.

Going from consultant to consulting business owner can be a big step. But with the right mindset, strategies, and tactics — and the willingness to take action — you can grow into an entrepreneurial consultant.