online learning

Posts Tagged ‘7 tips’

My twitter mate Sarah Stewart has asked me for some tips for setting up a consultancy business and I have been asked the same question from a few of my colleagues. These are not the only or even the most important but for me they have meant I have been able to go it alone and still keep the family fed. So without any further ado, here are my 7 tips for starting a consultancy business in no particular order:

1. 

   Anyone For Coffee?

   Self Promote.

   Shameless self promotion is essential, especially in the early days. Do it online, do it at parties and do it as often as you can. Let’s face it, you need to get food on the table and if you don’t love your own work how can you expect your clients to.

2. Network Face to Face.

   Meet with everyone and their dog. Go to every event you get invited to and invite yourself to those that you don’t. Have coffees with everyone and pay for them whenever you can.

3. Network Online

   Use twitter. Use it wisely and use it often. Get onto Facebook and link to your site, who knows which of your friends may need your services. Join LinkedIn. Network network network (but be sensible, balance your networking and your self promotion…. you know what I am talking about)

4. Borrow Money

   It takes time to invoice and it takes time for clients to pay (thankfully mine have all been great, touch wood). This aint no salaried job. You need to have cash and you need an income. Bankroll your business however you can but make sure you have at least six months worth up your sleeve.

5. Ask for Help

   If you don’t ask you don’t get and you will be surprised at the sort of assistance available to new businesses. Go to seminars, learn new things, look for government funded business assistance. I went to the North West Business Development Centre to get some advice and now they are one of my clients! So this links in with point 2.

6. Update Your Website

   I say “update because” if you are reading this you have a website….right? If you don’t then you need one, NOW. Even if it is a static page with a phone number on it on a free hosted blog you need to have a website. It is dirt cheap to get your own domain and hosting. My hosting provider Just Host has been great and I recommend it to my clients because I have experienced value, ease and access. Potential clients will look for you online and if they don’t find a website there will be questions raised. But updating it regularly is essential too. You want people going back to it so they remember you and what you do.

7. Share

   Use YouTube, Slideshare, Scribd and Google Docs or whatever to share your knowledge. It gives you great traffic to your website, credibility to your brand and is good fun to boot. What’s more getting your brand on other people’s sites is hard to achieve but by sharing your knowledge using these social tools you might be surprised and find your knowledge and content turning up in all sorts of places.