There are several reasons why a professional decides to become a consultant/advisor. Being independent, earning more money, working less time, or at least having a little more flexibility (and not having to send a memo to the Pope to take half a day to go to the doctor), are some of them. If you are a consultant/advisor or are considering it, surely others will occur to you.
But honestly, there is another “force majeure” reason why many professionals have decided to go down that path: their experience is no longer valued in the company where they currently work. Is it your case? You are not alone…
In times of crisis, where the economy is tightening and companies are reluctant to disappear and/or lower their profit margins, it is very common for one of their extreme resources to be thinking about restructuring and with them, many times come dismissals. or professionals with a high level of experience are left out(This friendly resource – in case you don’t understand it, I’m being ironic – is ideal for companies that are not willing to cut someone off, so they place them somewhere like a decorative vase.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand that this can be better than “Patitas ya al called” but if you put yourself in the place of someone with 20 years of experience (sometimes a life dedicated to the company), I don’t think that ending your career being a decorative plant is what you had in mind in your plan of career.
Paragraph aside (because being a sensitive topic it is better to clarify everything) this does not mean that anyone who has 20 years of experience simply has their place bought and must wait for the company to do everything for them (which is a company, not a charitable society).
The world changes, and you have to adapt, enhance, be at the forefront, and push every daytime. This does not only happen to employees, it is also 100% necessary for independents, just in case.
Going back to it, many collaborators are considering, based on this forced situation or anticipating it, making a more strategic decision and not looking for a job in another company but opening their own business.
Is it your case? Have you recently been separated and have decided (or are you seriously considering) deciding to become independent and take a step forward in the world of professional business?
Haven’t you been separated but feel that you have been working for others for too many years and that it is time to take a step toward your own business?
Are you thinking “all these years of experience and my knowledge must be worth a lot” but have no idea where to start to make it count?
Especially when you have a long history, a lot of experience in the field, or in providing certain types of services, this idea becomes a real opportunity not only to become independent and start your project but also often to cover needs in the market that are neglected. by big companies.
Here is the main key, then: what to do to start a professional business based on your experience and your track record. Here are the top 6 strategies you should consider:
1. Assess Your Skills And Strengths To Choose your Niche
The first step is always an important decision, although it is often omitted. But this is where an entrepreneur’s greatest specialization will be, and it will become a competitive advantage compared to what large companies may be offering.
Some questions that will help you define your niche market are:
- Who benefits most from me (from my services, my knowledge, my experience)?
- Who more urgently needs what I have to give?
- What kind of people/clients do I have the most experience with and who will I best service based on this?
2. Analyze Your Market Needs And Pain Points
This step is essential for the business to exist and be profitable. If you offer a great service but it’s not what your customer or market requirements, no one is going to buy from you, and therefore you don’t have a business.
Some questions that will help you detect the needs of your market are:
- What is the biggest problem or headache your market has?
- What have other competitors and even larger companies not been able to solve?
- What are the main challenges facing your market and with which you could provide a practical and valuable solution?
3. Develop Your Brand, Website, And Service Offerings
The importance of this step lies in forgetting about generic solutions and customizing the services as much as possible, based on what you have achieved in step #1 (choosing and knowing your niche market) and in step #2 (knowing their need is more important). I encourage you to read more about this blog here: How To Create A Newsletter For Your Business
Some questions that will help you define an ideal solution for your market are:
- What results or benefits does your market need to obtain to solve its biggest problem, its biggest headache?
- What is the most efficient way to help your market achieve that problem?
- What is the most necessary thing for your customer to succeed in this instance?
This is the foremost step you should take if you are considering evolving as an advisor/consultant. Define these three keys to the “cornerstone” of your business to become independent and succeed in your professional business.
But before you go, do me a turn and tell me! What did you consider this article? Are you considering becoming an advisor/consultant? Which of these 3 keys have you already defined and which have you not thought of yet? I hope you write your comment.
4. Open your Business
Develop each of the steps that you would take with your client, and work on your business model design.
Things to consider: what legal format you will use, what your mission and vision statements are, what your offerings are, and your pricing and benefit models. Include the resources you will need to be successful such as money, time, skills/knowledge, equipment, and human resources.
Set plans and milestones for the next 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years. I recommend the following reading about what should be in your business plan.
5. Market Your Business To Attract New Clients
Some consultants are more like advisors, working with the owner to do the planning and strategy work together.
Other consultants are more like mentors or business coaches who provide them with a guide based on their experience, but where the client is the one who must respond to their concerns and carry out the actions themselves.
You would be there to guide and supervise him, but never to do his job.
6. Stay Organized And Scale
It is rare for a small business owner to empower their business to a consultant who has never had a business before, or to a consultant who does not have a high grade of knowledge in a straightforward topic. An expert can be defined in general when he already has 10,000 hours of experience with the subject that he says he has experience with.
If you use a standard 40-hour workweek as a rule of thumb, it means you have at least 5 years of full-time experience protecting all small business issues to call yourself a specialist.
Benefits Of Strategic Business Consulting
When talking about all the benefits that can be achieved, it is important to keep in mind that for a Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MiPyME) to achieve it correctly, 3 factors must be aligned:
Therefore, the development of a well-focused strategic consultancy will have as its objective :
- With the development of the business strategy, you manage to have control of the business with clarity of the growth path.
- Increase sales
- Off and On marketing strategies that position, and capture new markets profitably.
- Strategic consulting strengthens the key areas of your organization and gives the company the tools to manage internal processes efficiently, with motivation and productivity.
- Development of the Strategic Plan and the organizational drivers, purpose, and values, which allows defining actions to create sustainable value.
- Alignment of culture, managing to project a solid, sustainable, and committed image to the market.
- Promotes in workers a sense of belonging, commitment to the company, and the necessary motivation to achieve the objectives.
- Provides the company with the tools to manage change processes efficiently, thinking of a long-term sustainable future.
- Improve management by defining the use of management by objectives.
- Puts the company in value, building the pyramid of “people – talent – values “
- Solutions to the problems that the day-to-day does not allow to solve.
- Finally, it is necessary to note that the more integrated the organization is with the operation, the fewer response times, and the less appearance of usefulness will be.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Is A Strategic Business Consultant?
To give you a clear idea of the definition of strategic business consulting, I will begin by explaining that consulting is a service that you can get through independent professionals called consultants, consulting companies, or so-called consulting agencies.
Which Is Better Advisor Or a Consultant?
If we were to make a quick summary of the difference between advice and consultancy for companies, we would say that advice is used for long-term permanent issues, serving as support to the company for a period of time, while consulting is more indicated for specific issues. and specific.
Now, What Is A Strategic Business Consultant?
A strategic consultant is an ally that helps the businessman to generate the correct strategies for the good operational performance of the company.
The objective of A Strategic Consultant
The main objective is: to teach, guide and help in the design and execution of actions that allow the company to position itself strategically in the markets, adapt to the environment, develop its internal capacities, and profitably join the new digital era.
Thus, this objective is achieved with 3 work premises that make up strategic business consulting:
- Develop market/customer-focused management
- Strengthen the organization, the group of people, and the resources
- Use tools that ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the Company’s processes
Learn More About 6 Strategic Steps To Start A Professional Business As A Consultant Or Advisor Which Is Better From businessjohn
