How To Start Your Own Consultancy

The dictionary defines a consultant as “an expert in a particular field who works as an advisor either to a company or to another individual.”

*Anyone can be a consultant, even without a degree. What you would need to review though is your state regulations for scope of practice for various social work levels to make sure the things you plan on “consulting” with would not be considered practicing outside of your practice scope

A consultant’s job is to consult. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s that simple. There’s no magic formula or secret that makes one consultant more successful than another one.

But what separates a good consultant from a bad consultant is a passion and drive for excellence. And–oh yes–a good consultant should be knowledgeable about the subject he or she is consulting in. That does make a difference.

You see, in this day and age, anyone can be a consultant. All you need to discover is what your particular gift is. For example, are you very comfortable working around computers? Do you keep up with the latest software and hardware information, which seems to be changing almost daily? And are you able to take that knowledge you have gained and turn it into a resource that someone would be willing to pay money for? Then you would have no trouble working as a computer consultant.

Things to Consider Before You Become a Consultant

• What certifications and special licensing will I need? Depending upon your profession, you may need special certification or a special license before you can begin operating as a consultant. For example, fund-raising consultants don’t need special certification, although you can become certified through the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. And in some states, you may need to register as a professional fund-raising consultant before starting your business.
• Am I qualified to become a consultant? Before you hang out your shingle and hope that clients begin beating your door down to hire you, make sure you have the qualifications necessary to get the job done. If you want to be a computer consultant, for example, make sure you are up to date in the knowledge department with all the trends and changes in the computer industry.
• Am I organized enough to become a consultant? Do I like to plan my day? Am I an expert when it comes to time management? You should have answered “yes” to all three of those questions!
• Do I like to network? Networking is critical to the success of any type of consultant today. Begin building your network of contacts immediately.
• Have I set long-term and short-term goals? And do they allow for me to become a consultant? If your goals do not match up with the time and energy it takes to open and successfully build a consulting business, then reconsider before making any move in this direction!

Top 20 Consulting Businesses Thriving Today
Although you can be a consultant in just about any field these days, the current top 20 consulting businesses include:

1. Accounting:
Accounting is something that every business needs, no matter how large or small. Accounting consultants can help a business with all of its financial needs.

2. Advertising:
This type of consultant is normally hired by a business to develop a good strategic advertising campaign.

3. Auditing:
From consultants who audit utility bills for small businesses to consultants who handle major work for telecommunications firms, auditing consultants are enjoying the fruits of their labor.

4. Business:
Know how to help a business turn a profit? If you have a good business sense, then you’ll do well as a business consultant. After computer consulting, people in this field are the next most sought after.

5. Business writing:
Everyone knows that most businesspeople have trouble when it comes to writing a report–or even a simple memo. Enter the business writing consultant, and everyone is happy!

6. Career counseling:
With more and more people finding themselves victims of a corporate downsizing, career counselors will always be in demand. Career counselors guide their clients into a profession or job that will help them be both happy and productive as an employee.

7. Communications:
Communications consultants specialize in helping employees in both large and small businesses better communicate with each other, which ultimately makes the business more efficient and operate smoothly.

8. Computer programmer:
From software to hardware, and everything in between, if you know computers, your biggest problem will be not having enough hours in the day to meet your clients’ demands!

9. Editorial services:
From producing newsletters to corporate annual reports, consultants who are experts in the editorial field will always be appreciated.

10. Executive search/headhunter firms:
While this is not for everyone, there are people who enjoy finding talent for employers.

11. Gardening:
In the past decade the demand for gardening consultants has blossomed (pun intended) into a $1 million-a-year business. Not only are businesses hiring gardening consultants; so are people who are too busy to take care of their gardens at home.

12. Grantsmanship: Once you learn how to write a grant proposal, you can name your price.

13. Human resources:
As long as businesses have people problems (and they always will), consultants in this field will enjoy a never-ending supply of corporate clients, both large and small. (People-problem prevention programs could include teaching employees to get along with others, respect and even violence prevention in the workplace.)

14. Insurance:
Everyone needs insurance, and everyone needs an insurance consultant to help them find the best plan and pricing for them.

15. Marketing:
Can you help a business write a marketing plan? Or do you have ideas that you feel will help promote a business? If so, why not try your hand as a marketing consultant?

16. Payroll management:
Everyone needs to get paid. By using your knowledge and expertise in payroll management, you can provide this service to many businesses, both large and small.

17. Public relations:
Getting good press coverage for any organization is a real art. When an organization finds a good PR consultant, they hang on to them for life!

18. Publishing:
If you’re interested in the publishing field, then learn everything you can and you, too, can be a publishing consultant. A publishing consultant usually helps new ventures when they are ready to launch a new newspaper, magazine, newsletter–and even websites and electronic newsletters.

19. Taxes:
With the right marketing and business plan (and a sincere interest in taxes), your career as a tax consultant can be very lucrative. A tax consultant advises businesses on the legal methods to pay the least amount of tax possible.

20. Writing services:
Anything related to the written word will always be in demand. Find your specialty in the writing field, and the sky will be the limit!

Target Market
Your idea may be the best one you have ever thought of, but there needs to be a market for your ideas. Someone must be willing and able to pay you for your expert advice.

In other words, who are your potential clients? Will you be marketing your consulting services to large corporations? Or will you offer a specialty that would only be of interest to smaller businesses? Perhaps your services will be sought after by nonprofit organizations. Whatever the case, before you go forward, make sure you spend time preparing both a business plan and a marketing plan. You won’t be disappointed with the results–especially when clients begin paying you!

Why an Organization Wants to Hire You
According to a recent survey, here are the top 10 reasons organizations hire consultants:

1. A consultant may be hired because of his or her expertise. This is where it pays to not only be really good in the field you have chosen to consult in, but to have some type of track record that speaks for itself. For example, when I mentioned earlier that I had become an expert as a fund-raising consultant, I knew that every client who hired me was doing so partly on the basis of my track record alone. After all, if you are a nonprofit organization that needs to raise $1 million, it makes sense to hire someone who has already raised millions for other organizations.

2. A consultant may be hired to identify problems. Sometimes employees are too close to a problem inside an organization to identify it. That’s when a consultant rides in on his or her white horse to save the day.

3. A consultant may be hired to supplement the staff. Sometimes a business discovers that it can save thousands of dollars a week by hiring consultants when they are needed, rather than hiring full-time employees. Businesses realize they save additional money by not having to pay benefits for consultants they hire. Even though a consultant’s fees are generally higher than an employee’s salary, over the long haul, it simply makes good economic sense to hire a consultant.

4. A consultant may be hired to act as a catalyst. Let’s face it. No one likes change, especially corporate America. But sometimes change is needed, and a consultant may be brought in to “get the ball rolling.” In other words, the consultant can do things without worrying about the corporate culture, employee morale or other issues that get in the way when an organization is trying to institute change.

5. A consultant may be hired to provide much-needed objectivity. Who else is more qualified to identify a problem than a consultant? A good consultant provides an objective, fresh viewpoint–without worrying about what people in the organization might think about the results and how they were achieved.

6. A consultant may be hired to teach. These days if you are a computer consultant who can show employees how to master a new program, then your telephone probably hasn’t stopped ringing for a while. A consultant may be asked to teach employees any number of different skills. However, a consultant must be willing to keep up with new discoveries in their field of expertise–and be ready to teach new clients what they need to stay competitive.

7. A consultant may be hired to do the “dirty work.” Let’s face it: No one wants to be the person who has to make cuts in the staff or to eliminate an entire division.

8. A consultant may be hired to bring new life to an organization. If you are good at coming up with new ideas that work, then you won’t have any trouble finding clients. At one time or another, most businesses need someone to administer “first aid” to get things rolling again.

9. A consultant may be hired to create a new business. There are consultants who have become experts in this field. Not everyone, though, has the ability to conceive an idea and develop a game plan.

10. A consultant may be hired to influence other people. Do you like to hang out with the rich and famous in your town? If so, you may be hired to do a consulting job simply based on who you know. Although most consultants in this field are working as lobbyists, there has been an increase in the number of people entering the entertainment consulting business.

Location and Employees
Your consulting business will probably not require a large capital investment at first. In fact, if you are able to, you should consider operating out of your home. (Certain deed restrictions and local laws may prohibit you from doing this; check with an attorney before you proceed.)

There are many advantages to having a home office. Among them are:

• Low overhead expenses. You don’t have to worry about paying rent or utilities for an office; you will appreciate this feature until you establish a regular client base.
• Flexibility. There is little doubt that operating as a consultant at home gives you a great deal of flexibility. You can set your own hours and take time off as you need it.
• No rush-hour nightmares. For anyone who has had to commute to and from a job during rush hour, this will be a welcome change of pace.
• Your home office space will most likely be tax-deductible. The IRS has relaxed the rules for people who work at home, but check with your account or income tax preparer to see if you qualify for this deduction.

Employees
When you first open the doors to your consulting practice, you may be able to handle all the operations by yourself. But as your consulting business begins to grow, you may need help handling administrative details or help completing the actual consulting assignments.

You need to make some important decisions. For example, do you have the time it will take to make labels and insert your brochure into 1,000 envelopes? Can you afford to spend time doing administrative tasks when you could be using that time effectively marketing your services–and signing up new clients?

There are many options when it comes time to decide if you need help with your paperwork. For example, a quick look through the Yellow Pages will reveal a number of small secretarial support firms. The rates will depend on a variety of factors, including how large or small an organization it is and what types of services it provides.

While it will pay you to shop around for these types of services, don’t select a secretarial service just because it happens to have the lowest prices in town. Instead, ask for references, preferably from other consultants who have used their services, or from small-business owners. A good, reliable support service is worth the price in the long run.

There will come a time, however, when you may find it more cost-effective to hire someone to work in the office with you. Hiring a good administrative support person can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure–between obtaining more clients or constantly losing clients. There are some benefits to having someone in the office with you. Among them are:

• You save time and money. By having someone concentrate on the more routine tasks (opening the mail, filing, answering phones, etc.) you can focus all your efforts on recruiting new clients. Think about this: Would you want to lose a $500-a-day client because you were too cheap to hire someone to stuff your brochures into envelopes?
• You don’t worry about being out of the office. If you are a one-person operation, it’s hard to be out on the road marketing your services if you’re worried about clients calling–and only getting your answering machine.
• You have someone to offer another perspective. Sometimes it can be pretty lonely trying to do everything yourself. Having someone around the office during the day who can offer another perspective can be worthwhile.

Income and Billing
Now that you have made the decision to open your consulting business, you need to get serious about how much money you will charge your clients. If you charge too little, you won’t succeed in business. If you charge too much, you won’t get any clients. So how do you find that middle ground that seems fair to everyone involved? One way to help you decide how much to charge is to find out what the competition’s rates are. A simple telephone call, asking for their brochure and rates, should do the trick. Then set your rates so that you are competitive with everyone else in the community.

Before setting your fees, make sure you have listed all of your expenses. There is nothing worse than setting your rates, having your client pay you on time and then finding out you failed to include several expenses that materialized. This brings up an important point to remember in every job you take from a client: Include a “miscellaneous” line item in your fee proposal. But don’t pad the miscellaneous figure to make additional income.

Most clients will understand that in every project, there will no doubt be additional expenses. Just be sure everyone knows upfront an approximate figure for those expenses.

Before you set your rates, find out what other consultants in your community are charging for their services. Sometimes a simple telephone call to another consultant’s office asking what their fees are will give you the answers you need. Or you may have to have a friend call and ask for their brochure, or any additional information they can collect regarding fees and pricing. If you live in a small town and there are no other consultants in your field, then rejoice and be glad, but set your fees at a reasonable level!

When setting your rates, you have several options, including hourly rates, project fees and working on a retainer basis. Let’s examine each one closely.

Hourly Fees
You need to tread carefully when setting hourly fees, because two things could happen: A) Your hourly rate is so high that no one could ever afford you (therefore no client will ever knock on your door). B) Your hourly rate is so low that no one will take you seriously.

Keep one important rule in mind when establishing your fee, no matter which structure you decide on: The more money people pay for a product or service, the more they expect to get for their money. In other words, if a client agrees to your hourly rate of $400, then you had better give $400 worth of service to that client every hour you work for them.

Some clients prefer to be billed on an hourly basis, while others hate the idea of paying someone what they perceive to be too much per hour. Those clients usually prefer to pay per project.

Project Rates
When working on a project rate basis, a consultant normally gets a fixed amount of money for a predetermined period of time. A few of my fund-raising clients actually preferred to be charged this way, so it wasn’t unusual for me to charge $36,000 for a one-year project in which I consulted them on how they could raise money. Because of the amount of money involved, most agencies preferred to be billed on a monthly basis. This worked out fine until I realized that many agencies were late paying their monthly bills.

Because of this, I decided that all future clients who wished to be billed on a monthly basis would pay the first-month fee and the last-month fee at the signing of the contract, which meant that if the agreed-upon amount of the project was $36,000, to be paid on a monthly basis, I received a check in the amount of $6,000 before I began any work ($3,000 for the first month’s fee and $3,000 for the last month’s fee).

Retainer Basis
Working on a retainer basis gives you a set monthly fee in which you agree to be available for work for an agreed-upon number of hours for your client. While in the ideal world you would have a dozen or so clients who hire you and pay you a hefty sum each month (and never actually call you except for a few hours here and there), don’t get your hopes up. Most companies that hire a consultant on a retainer basis have a clause in their contract that prohibits you from working for their competitors.

Working and getting paid in this method certainly has its advantages. You are guaranteed income each month, and when you are starting out in your consulting business, cash flow can be a problem. Some consultants actually offer a percentage reduction in their fees if a client will agree to pay a monthly retainer fee. The average income when a consultant is paid on a retainer basis is $3,500 per month.

Marketing
If your consulting business has no clients, then you have no consulting business. But you must remember that selling your consulting services is not the same as selling a car or a house. In the case of the car or the house, the customer is probably already in the market for one or both of those products. Your job, then, becomes harder, because you are marketing your services to people who may not even be aware that they need those services.

There are a variety of methods you need to become both familiar and comfortable with in order to begin attracting and keeping clients. Let’s look at some of the more conventional ones that are being used by many consultants today.

Brochure Basics
There are five issues your brochure should address. They are:

1. It should clearly convey what your services are.
2. It should tell customers why you are the best.
3. It should give a few reasons why you should be hired.
4. It should include some brief biographical information.
5. It should include some information about who your other clients are.

That’s it. Keep it simple, but do it right. Remember, your brochure represents you in the marketplace, so make sure you polish it before you send it into action. Your entire consulting career depends on it!

Cold Calling
You must do whatever it takes to make cold-calling work and make it easier for yourself. There are a few tricks you can use to make cold-calling a little easier for you:

• Prepare a script ahead of time. Spell out word for word what you expect to say when you get someone on the telephone. Remember, though, that your goal is to get a face-to-face interview and, eventually, a new client. So before you end up stumbling over your sales presentation (either in person or over the telephone), write your script and practice it again and again.
• Be creative in your efforts to reach the decision maker. Most times you will encounter a secretary or administrative assistant who has years of experience turning away cold callers like yourself. But don’t give up! Don’t let any obstacle stand in your way! To avoid being screened by the secretary, try calling before she is on the job. Yes, you may have to call before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m., but at these times, chances are the decision maker you are trying to reach will answer their own telephone.
• Limit your cold calls to just several days each month. And look forward to those days, making sure you put your best effort into the process. That way, not only will it become easier to make those cold calls, but you will find yourself actually looking forward to making them!

Advertising
The limits you place on advertising your consulting services will be directly tied to your advertising budget. If you are lucky enough to have a very healthy advertising budget, remember that you don’t have to spend the money on ads just because you have it to spend. Advertising can be very expensive. Jeffery B., a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, consultant, advertises in his association’s publication. “They publish what is called the Green Book, which is a directory of research and marketing consulting businesses around the country. It has helped me generate new business,” he says.

Other consultants, such as Merrily S. in Newark, Delaware, depend on word-of-mouth. “The best form of advertising [for my business] has been word-of-mouth and recommendations from other people,” she says.

Depending upon the type of services you offer, it may be necessary to advertise in specialized trade journals or magazines. For example, as a fund-raising consultant, I have placed ads in such publications as The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Non-Profit Timesand Fund Raising Weekly.

Before you spend any money, start looking through professional journals and newspapers relative to the fields you specialize in. Take some time and examine ads that have been placed by other consultants, and then carefully determine how effective you think their ads may be. Then design one that suits you best.

Newsletters
Whatever your consulting field is you should have more than enough information to produce a newsletter as a means of attracting potential clients. If you don’t have the time, or don’t feel comfortable self-publishing your own newsletter, hire a local freelance writer and graphic designer to do the job for you. Again, you don’t have to make it an expensive, four-color, glossy publication. The simpler you keep it, the better. A good newsletter will sell itself based on the content rather than the splashy design.

Start collecting newsletters that are being published in your consulting field. If you think there are none being published, or if you think there are only a few in your field, guess again. A quick visit to the library will reveal several newsletter directories–Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters (Oxbridge Communications) and Hudson’s Newsletter Directory (The Newsletter ClearingHouse)–which list, by subject, newsletters that are published not only in the United States, but in other countries. Take some time and write for sample copies before you design and write the first issue of your own newsletter. You’ll be surprised at the quality of the newsletters that are being produced today.

Newsletters are an effective means of communication and, in my opinion, represent the best advertising media for a consultant to sell his or her services. Think about it the next time you receive a newsletter in the mail. Did you put it aside to read it later? And why did you do that? Probably because you wanted to make sure you weren’t missing any important news or information.

But what about that brochure you received in the mail the same day? Did you put it aside to read later? Or did it go directly into the trashcan? Think about this before you spend big bucks on a glitzy brochure that may not even be read.

Public Speaking
Public speaking is another excellent way to recruit new clients and to earn a reputation for excellence in your community. Unless you live in a town so small it doesn’t have a chamber of commerce or a Lion’s Club, Rotary Club or other similar service organization, you can begin offering your services as a speaker for luncheons, dinners or any other special occasion.

In addition to using the telephone directory, see if anyone has published a directory of service organizations in your community. You can visit the library and ask at the reference desk. Go through and make a list of organizations that hold monthly meetings and therefore may use guest speakers. Contact each group and offer your public speaking services.

Ask for Referrals
This often-overlooked method of finding new clients is such an easy marketing tool (which is why it’s usually not thought of), you’ll kick yourself for not thinking of it yourself. When you have finished your consulting assignment and your client is in seventh heaven (and is no doubt singing your praises), that is an excellent time to ask for a referral! Simply send a note or a short letter asking for the names of any colleagues, friends or business associates they feel might be good prospects for your consulting services. Ask their permission to mention their name when you write to the people whose names they pass on to you. Sometimes all it takes is having a mutual friend or respected business associate to get the potential client’s attention.

Most of these personal service businesses require little to no formal training or certification, and they can be offered on-site in people’s homes to avoid the high overhead of maintaining an office or retail shop.

You may need to acquire some basic supplies, but otherwise the only barrier to getting started is finding clients who are willing to pay for your work.

Personal Health & Wellness Services
Many of us set goals to become a bit healthier in some way, whether through our mental health, agility, or simple physical wellness—but without some form of assistance, guidance, or accountability, many people struggle to reach those goals. If you’re an avid runner, love cooking, or have training in alternative healing, one of these health and wellness service business ideas may be a perfect fit for you:

1. Personal Fitness Trainer
2. Meditation Instructor
3. Private Yoga Instructor
4. In-Home Masseuse
5. Acupuncturist
6. Chiropractor
7. Nutrition Consultant
8. Meal Delivery Service
9. Personal Chef

Personal Concierge Services
From buying groceries to doing laundry and keeping our spaces tidy, who among us has time to get all of our chores done without becoming overwhelmed in the process? If you’re not bothered by running errands and cleaning up, friends and neighbors may your ideal clientele for these personal concierge business ideas.

1. Grocery Shopping and Delivery
2. Errand Runner
3. Dry-Cleaning Delivery and Pick-Up
4. Seamstress or Tailor Services
5. Window Washing
6. Home Cleaning Service
7. Private Car Service

Beauty and Lifestyle Service Business Ideas
If you love all things beauty and personal style, your career options are no longer limited to traditional cosmetology school and hourly work in a salon. Consider whether these emerging lifestyle service business options—almost all of which you could provide in-home, or even virtually—might make a great gig for your interests.

1. Makeup Artist
2. In-Home Hair Stylist
3. Personal Wardrobe Stylist
4. Life Coach
5. Online Dating Consultant / Profile Editor

Serving Parents, Babies & Small Children
There is growing opportunity for service business ideas that meet the needs of new parents, particularly in major cities, where children are more likely to be born to older and more career-minded couples.

If you love the idea of working with small children and their parents, consider whether one of these unique service business ideas would be a good option for you.

1. Doula & Birth Coaching Services
2. Birth Photographer
3. Overnight Doula Service
4. Lactation Consultant
5. On-Demand Babysitter
6. Home Baby Proofing Consultant
7. Nanny & Au Pair Placement Service
8. Private Music Teacher
9. Children’s Party Planner
10. Birthday Party Character Appearances
11. Children’s Entertainment Services

Academic Consulting Services
As those babies and toddlers grow into young students, research has shown that their parents’ dollars are transitioning to an increased amount of spending on academic support services. In fact, the private tutoring market alone is expected to grow by at least 7% between 2018 and 2022, with much of those services provided by freelancers.Consider yourself academically inclined? Perhaps your perfect idea for a service business is among these listed here:

1. Private School Application Consultant
2. Homeschool Teacher
3. Academic Tutoring
4. Online English Tutor
5. SAT Tutoring & Preparation
6. GED Test Preparation
7. College Application Consultant
8. College Essay Editor
9. Cover Letter and Resume Writer

Elder Care Services
Population shifts are trending toward dramatic growth in our nation’s number of senior citizens, so you can expect demand for elder care services to skyrocket in the coming years.

Could the growing need for home health aides, drivers, and other care providers direct your new career?

1. Elder Companion & Care Provider
2. In-Home Physical Therapist
3. Private Nursing Service

Animal Care Services
Who doesn’t love spending time with furry (or feathery, or even scaly) friends? And with Americans expected to spend more than $70 billion on their pets in 2018, this market has ample room for your service business to prosper.

If you’ve always had a love of animals, consider channeling that passion into a full-time business in one of these popular specialties.

1. Pet Sitting
2. Dog Walking
3. Mobile Veterinary Services
4. Mobile Pet Grooming

Home Maintenance & Repair Services
Though you may be inclined to look to new, trendy, or virtual service business ideas for your next opportunity, don’t forget about traditional home maintenance and repair services, which are consistent needs among US populations.

Are you naturally talented at fixing things? Do you enjoy collecting tools and home maintenance equipment? One of these ideas for service businesses may be your perfect choice.

1. Handyman Service
2. Pool Servicing and Maintenance
3. Lawn Care
4. Locksmith Services
5. Home Entertainment Installation
6. Home-Inspection Services
7. Interior Painting Service
8. Wallpaper Installation Service
9. Power Washing Service
10. Carpet Installation Service
11. Air Conditioning Installation and Maintenance
12. Plumbing Service
13. Appliance Repair
14. Porcelain Repair
15. Home Maintenance Equipment Rental

Automobile Maintenance & Repair
For much of America, owning a car is considered a necessary convenience for getting around from day to day. Even so, vehicle ownership can quickly become inconvenient when a need arises for cleaning, maintenance, or repair. With just a bit of skills training, you can choose one of these lucrative, new service business ideas to help your fellow drivers get back on the road.

1. Mobile Car-Wash and Detailing
2. Mobile Car Mechanic
3. Vehicle Inspection Service
4. Windshield Repair Service

Business Services
As more and more Americans become independent business owners, it should come as no surprise that demand for business-to-business services is also growing. Generally, modern businesses have taken a leaner approach to growth, relying on outside consultants or contractors to provide services and expertise to avoid the high overhead of having many employees.

Instead of working directly for another business as an employee, your future career could fall within one of these B2B service business ideas.

B2B Administrative Services
Though the range of “business services” can span almost every industry and niche, let’s start with some of the most traditional, purely administrative services that you can provide to fellow business clients. These services can be conducted in person at a client’s office or retail location, but in many cases they can also be offered remotely from anywhere with a reliable internet connection.

1. Virtual Assistant
2. Executive Headhunting
3. Language Translation
4. Project Manager
5. Bookkeeper
6. Certified Professional Accountant
7. Payroll Processing Service
8. Financial Auditor
9. Business Plan Consultant
10. Office Support Services
11. Data Analysis
12. Messenger Service
13. Online Course Consultant
14. Freelance Researcher
15. Online Business Coach
16. Customer Service Phone Operator
17. Live Chat Customer Support Service

Sales & Marketing
For any business to succeed, it needs two basic things: a product or service to sell, and customers willing to pay for it. The good news for small business owners is that the internet has made connecting with and attracting those customers a more accessible process than ever before.

The good news for you, however? The world of online marketing—and content marketing in particular—requires a huge amount of human capital to be done effectively. Could providing one of these marketing services be the right opportunity for you?

1. Graphic Designer
2. Website Designer
3. Marketing Copywriter
4. Content Writer
5. Editing & Proofreading Service
6. eBook Ghostwriter
7. Facebook Ads Strategist
8. Instagram Marketing Strategist
9. Social Media Manager
10. Content Marketing Strategist
11. SEO Strategist
12. Email Marketing Manager
13. Affiliate Sales and Marketing Consultant
14. Brand Photographer
15. Marketing Video Producer
16. Podcast Producer
17. Presentation and Proposal Designer
18. Public Relations Consultant
19. Brand Ambassado

Technology Maintenance and Repair Services
As businesses across every industry rely more and more heavily on technology for their daily operations, the need for knowledgeable service providers has grown steadily. Within larger corporations, these roles are often filled by in-house employees. Small businesses, however, very often cannot afford to maintain full-time IT managers, meaning they must rely on third-party services to address technology needs.

If you have previous training or a natural affinity for computer programming and information technology, your service business idea might be on this list.

1. IT Systems Consultant
2. Computer Repair Service
3. Printer and Copy Machine Maintenance
4. Software Installation Service
5. Mobile IT Support Service
6. App Developer
7. Online Network Installation and Maintenance
8. Online Security Consultant
9. Data Management Consultant

B2B Legal Services
From notarizing documents to reviewing contracts and investigating wrongdoing, a wide array of opportunities exist to create a service business in the law enforcement sector—even without a law degree. Here are a few examples worth considering.

1. Mobile Notary Public
2. Legal Process Server
3. Paralegal Services
4. Private Investigator
5. Contract Drafting & Review Service

Travel & Tourism Service Business Ideas
Have you recently traveled to a resort destination, only to discover that you never want to leave—or do you simply want to share with visitors the unique charms of your own hometown?

Though major airlines and hotel chains dominate much of the $370 billion US travel market, opportunities abound for the creation of unique cultural and adventurous experiences by small business service providers. Here are just a few of the many ways you can turn your passion for travel into a new opportunity.

1. Rental Property Management
2. Local Tour Guide
3. Adventure Tours
4. Travel Agent
5. Corporate Retreat Coordinator
6. Cruise Booking Agent
7. Travel Concierge Services
8. Ski or Snowboarding Instructor
9. SCUBA Diving Instructor
10. Beach Equipment Rentals

Event Service Business Ideas
From family celebrations to corporate conferences and everything in between, hosting an event almost always requires many hands on deck. And with business-to-business events alone representing a $30 billion industry, it should come as no surprise that so many opportunities exist for new service businesses in this sector.

Do you thrive on the adrenaline and social interaction of live events? If so, you could find your calling in one of these ideas for service businesses.

1. Corporate Event Planner
2. Fundraising Event Coordinator
3. Trade Show Producer
4. Wedding Planner
5. Conference Marketing Manager
6. Event Photographer
7. Event Videographer
8. Audio Visual Technician
9. Lighting Designer
10. Live Video Producer
11. Bartending Services
12. Event Catering Services
13. Custom Baking
14. Event DJ
15. Photo Booth Rental Service
16. Reunion Coordinator
17. Valet Parking Service
18. Event Furniture & Equipment Rental

Personal Services
1. Mobile Pet Grooming
Snip, clip and brush your way to success as a mobile pet groomer. Fido and his owner will both appreciate the convenience of a “doorstep” doggie-grooming service. With the proper training and experience, a van and some grooming tools, start barking up the right tree by marketing your business in your neighborhood and others.

Read This: Start Your Own Pet Business and More by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

2. Collectibles Search
Collectibles searchers, who carefully canvas swap meets, thrift stores and garage sales, can collect a bundle locating objets d’art for clients. Once you’ve found your niche–be it antique lunch boxes, dolls or grandfather clocks–advertise your services in hobbyist publications, at collectibles stores, in specialty forums on the internet, or on eBay. Soon you’ll be taking up a collection of your own.

Read This: eBay Business All-in-One For Dummies by Marsha Collier | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

3. Diaper Delivery
Whoever said cloth diapers couldn’t be convenient–and user-friendly? Velcro diaper “wraps” replace awkward pins, and pickup and delivery take the dirty work out of diapering. Equipped with a “clean,” propane-fueled delivery truck and some washing machines, you can provide an environmentally friendly alternative to disposables. Talk about a change for the better!

Related: The 15 Most Popular Online Payment Solutions

4. Dry-Cleaning Pickup & Delivery
Are you clothes-minded? Then try on the dry-cleaning pickup-and-delivery business for size. Provide pickup and drop-off at a place that’s convenient for busy professionals, then follow suit by arranging with a local dry cleaner to do the actual cleaning.

Read This: Start Your Own Transportation Service by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

5. Mobile Locksmith
You hold the keys to success as a mobile locksmith. For best results, be ready for 24-hour action with a cell phone and van. With some training and basic equipment, you’ll have this business mastered–lock, stock and barrel.

6. Graffiti Removal & Abatement
Equipped with some paint and other preventive treatments, you’re set to serve residential as well as commercial clients with your own graffiti-removal-and-abatement business. City governments and schools can also benefit from the removal of unsightly “tagging” in their districts.

Read This: Guide to How to Prevent and Remove Graffiti by Luca Manfredi

7. Golf-Club Cleaning
Take your best shot with a golf-club cleaning service. Not only will you be offering golfers a clean edge to improve their game, but you’ll be offering a way to protect their investment from the rusting, pitting and discoloration of dirty clubs.

8. Self-Defense Instructor
You can never feel too safe or secure. People of all ages and backgrounds can benefit from the self-defense skills you can teach them. Get your business jump-started by training others in the disciplines you’ve learned–Aikido, Karate, or simply basic safety-awareness skills.

Read This: How to Start a Business Online

9. Adventure Tours
Got a taste for adventure? Whether it’s exploring South American caves or touring English teahouses, you’re sure to find a fanatic following… so long as you do all the footwork first. Put your service on the road to success by coordinating transportation, food and lodging. Your clients only need to worry about one thing: having fun.

Read This: Start Your Own Travel Business by Entrepreneur Press and Rich Mintzer | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

10. Pet Sitting
When it comes to creature comforts, most canines would choose their own backyard over a kennel any day. Thanks to pet sitters–who take care of pets while their owners are out of town or busy–Fido can have his kibble at home. This business isn’t just for the dogs, however; gear your services toward all creatures great and small for maximum profits.

Read This: Start Your Own Pet Business and More by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

11. Court-Paper Serving
You can’t beat the legal system . . . as a great resource for business, that is. Private attorneys, who barely have time to do their own invoicing and none for serving summonses to elusive people, often turn to registered court-paper processors. Come judgment day, you’ll be courting success.

Related: 8 Great Time-Tracking Apps for Freelancers

12. Mobile Massage
Success is close at hand for mobile massage providers. Advertise your stress-relieving services at local workout clubs, spas and physical therapists’ offices. Then bring your trained hands–and a portable massage table–to clients’ homes or places of work.

Read This: Start Your Own Hair Salon and Day Spa by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

13. Mobile Mechanic
As a mobile mechanic, a good knowledge of automobile repair techniques and a list of referrals help you rev up sales. Put your business in the fast lane by bringing your service directly to clients’ homes or places of business.

Image credit: Getty Images | Portra Images
14. Personal Chef
Cook up tasty profits as a personal chef. Those with culinary competence can likely find a hungry clientele among the ranks of America’s busy working families. Or, market your business to clients for those special occasions when they prefer to dine in–complete with restaurant-quality food and service.

Read This: How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business by Carla Rowley and Lee Rowley | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

15. Seamstress/Tailor
As a seamstress or tailor, sew your way to success altering clothing and/or creating new apparel from scratch. Spread the word about your service at local boutiques and dry cleaners, plug in your sewing machine, and start stitching.

16. Porcelain Repair
Rub a dub, dub, a porcelain-repair entrepreneur in the tub: Fixing unsightly chips and cracks in tubs and other porcelain accessories puts entrepreneurs in business. With a porcelain-repair kit in hand, sinks and tubs are made like new again.

Related: The 15 Most Popular Online Payment Solutions

17. Cover Letter/Resume Service
Not everyone knows how to look good on paper. With your editing and basic layout skills, a laser printer, and some high-quality stationery, you’re set to start showing clients how to put their best foot forward in their resumes and cover letters–and how to get in the door of potential employers’ businesses for an interview.

Read This: Start Your Own Consulting Business by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

18. Mystery Shopping
Now, you can shop till you drop . . . and get paid for it! Just put on your shopping shoes and put service personnel to the test as a “mystery” shopper. Rate local retail stores’ employees on attitude, friendliness, and overall quality of service, then report back to your store-owner clients, helping them to ensure their service really is number one.

19. Tax-Form Preparer
One thing is certain: There will always be a need for tax preparers. Come tax season, businesses and individuals alike need help preparing numerous tax forms and understanding the latest tax regulations. Equipped with some specialized computer software, start scheduling your career as a tax preparer this fiscal year-and get ready for some returns on your time and investment.

Read This: What Your CPA Isn’t Telling You: Life-Changing Tax Strategies by Mark J. Kohler | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

20. Wedding-Guide Publishing
For photographers, bakers, caterers and florists, wedding bells mean big business. Help them get a piece of the action by publishing a wedding guide with space for local advertisers. Include some basic wedding-planning articles, and you’ll find June brides aren’t the only ones to benefit from your premarital publication.

21. Mobile Car-Wash and Detailing
Take your business on the road, and clean up on profits as a mobile car-wash and detailing pro. Let a little soap and water do wonders… along with a few rags, brushes, and elbow grease; then drive home sales by marketing your services to car dealers, rental fleet owners, and corporations.

Read This: Car Wash Business 101: The #1 Car Wash Start-Up Guide by Buzz Glover

22. Used-Car Inspection
Sometimes, it takes a little more than a kick of the tires to evaluate a used car. With some basic diagnostic equipment and mechanical know-how, however, used-car inspectors can help steer clients away from “lemons.” Developing a roster of appreciative customers puts you on the road to referrals–and success.

23. Professional Organizer
Neatniks need apply: If you’re got a knack for neatness, why not help the organizationally challenged? Messy closets, home offices and commercial offices alike could benefit from a more efficient setup. Put some order into others’ lives, and arrange yourself some pretty profits.

24. Tutoring
Thought your proficiency in high school algebra was all for naught? Think again: As a tutor, you could help others bone up on their studies. Whether it’s reading, writing or arithmetic, help your students reach the top of their class with a little experienced guidance and support.

Read This: Start Your Own Tutoring and Test Prep Business by Entrepreneur Press and Rich Mintzer | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

25. Power Washing
Oily driveways, mud-caked semi trucks, or barnacle-ridden boats… you name it, and entrepreneurs equipped with specialized power-washing equipment can probably clean it. For spotless results, target commercial as well as residential customers.

26. Windshield Repair
To find potential clients for your windshield-repair business, simply canvas local parking and used-car lots for cars with cracked, chipped windshields. A basic repair kit enables you to offer clients what is clearly a better alternative to costly glass replacement.

27. Private Investigation
Blaze your own entrepreneurial trail while following others’ footsteps-literally. As a private investigator, make your mark in the industry by keeping a keen “eye” on other people’s activities. Clients include attorneys gathering evidence for a case or to collect payment, or individuals seeking information about a significant other.

Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

28. Business-Plan Consulting
Not only is a business plan crucial in obtaining bank financing, but it’s an invaluable tool for anticipating–and tackling–a business’s inevitable ups and downs. With your writing skills, spreadsheet know-how, and general business savvy, show clients how to present their best-laid plans… while accomplishing your own.

Read This: Write Your Business Plan by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

Image credit: Getty Images | Hero Images
29. Packing and Unpacking Service
Packing up to move to a new home or office–not to mention unpacking on the other end–is enough to leave one feeling upended. Thank goodness for packing and unpacking entrepreneurs who, with their hassle- and time-saving services, make moving seem like magic.

30. Business-Travel Management
Make the skies even friendlier for business travelers–and less costly for business owners–as a business–travel manager. Help book low-price tickets, keep expense records, manage frequent-flier miles… and reap the high-flying rewards.

Read This: Start Your Own Travel Business by Entrepreneur Press and Rich Mintzer | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

31. Carpet Dyeing
For a fraction of the cost of replacing unsightly or stained carpeting, carpet-dyeing professionals provide hotels, community centers, nursing homes and other businesses an attractive alternative. So go ahead, lay the options at your clients’ feet… and start making wall-to-wall profits.

32. Hospital-Bill Auditing
There’s nothing worse than being laid up in the hospital for a few days… except maybe the pile of often confusing bills that follow. The remedy: hospital-bill auditors, who–thanks to their billing savvy and attention to detail–make way for their clients’ smooth recovery.

Read This: Start Your Own Medical Claims Billing Service by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Charlene Davis | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

33. Specialized Staffing
Helping clients meet their workforce needs is a matter of finding a niche and filling it–and keeping up with human resources trends. Work your way up in the industry by developing a roster of specially skilled workers, then use your “people skills” to build your business.

34. Bookkeeping
Though today’s software makes keeping your own books easier, it doesn’t make it much less time-consuming. That’s why, for business owners with little time to spare, a bookkeeping service is not only a time-saver, but an asset.

Read This: How to Open Your Own In-Home Bookkeeping Service 3rd Edition by Julie A Mucha-Aydlott CFE | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

35. Computer Repair
In today’s computer-based society, computer “downtime” can be both costly and aggravating. As a repair professional–equipped with some basic diagnostic equipment and technological savvy–you can get clients’ computers back up and humming again.

36. Referral Service
For referral-service entrepreneurs–who act as a “welcome wagon” to newcomers–getting to know new as well as existing businesses pays off in more ways than one. Local companies pay to get their services introduced to newcomers, while these new customers pay for a little friendly advice.

37. Freight Brokerage
One sack of flour for a dozen eggs… Gone are the days of such no-frills, local trade. In their place: a sophisticated global commerce system requiring a thorough knowledge of land, sea, air and rail shipping rates and regulations. Knowledgeable freight brokers are indispensable to this burgeoning scene.

Read This: Start Your Own Freight Brokerage Business by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

38. Video Brochure
Make record profits taping corporate video brochures. Just get your video recorder handy, and zoom in on the action. Video-editing skills and special-effects techniques help you pull together the big picture–and reel in the profits.

39. Executive Search
Take your business to a “hire” level: As an executive-search specialist, help busy clients find the right man–or woman–for the job. Your job involves placing ads and conducting interviews to screen potential employees for clients. Put on your best interviewing suit, and get down to business.

40. Computer Consulting
Tap into a surging market as a computer consultant. Whether you’re an expert at Linux, putting together hardware components, or networking, a growing number of computer “newbies” will surely benefit from your services.

Read This: Start Your Own Consulting Business by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

41. Long-Distance Reselling
By buying time in bulk from wholesalers, long-distance resellers ring up sales by servicing long-distance consumers–often at significant savings. You make the call: Either purchase the telecommunications equipment you’ll need now, or rent it and simply focus on the marketing of your service.

42. Limousine Service
With a limo and some insurance, you could be the driving force behind a new business venture. Stretch your market by adding more drivers and cars to your fleet. Then, once you’ve established a reliable reputation, start driving home your limousine-service sales.

Read This: Start Your Own Transportation Service by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

43. Office-Relocation Service
Helping businesses get plugged in to a new neighborhood comes easy for office-relocation-service entrepreneurs who, as “locals,” know who’s who in providing such services as printing, restaurant delivery and equipment repair.

Image credit: Getty Images | LiudmylaSupynska
44. Language Translation
Falling foreign-trade barriers and improved communication technology translate into success for language translators and interpreters. An ear for multiple languages puts you at the forefront of this global movement.

Read This: The Entrepreneurial Linguist: The Business-School Approach to Freelance Translation by Judy and Dagmar Jenner | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

45. Office Plant Maintenance
Set your roots in a growing business as an office-plant-maintenance entrepreneur. Regular watering, light pruning, and fertilizing are all in a day’s work. Though a green thumb is helpful, some clients may also request maintenance of their silk plants. Either way, your business is sure to grow.

46. Professional Office Consultant
It’s one thing to spend a day at the office, and another altogether to run the office. As a professional office consultant, you’ll oversee such responsibilities as marketing, insurance and daily operations for professional lawyers, doctors or other specialists–while leaving the rest to the “pros.”

Read This: Start Your Own Consulting Business by Entrepreneur Press and Eileen F. Sandlin | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

47. Office-Support Service
Typing, filing, sorting mail, entering data, and answering phones are just a few tasks an office-support service can perform to help out harried business owners. Hand out business cards to every businessperson you know–and get ready to spend a productive day at the office!

48. Miniblind Cleaning
Put an end to dusty miniblinds in offices, homes and other buildings with your miniblind-cleaning service. Immerse blinds in tanks of gentle, yet effective, cleansing solution… and give clients a squeaky-clean new perspective on the world outside their windows.

Read This: Cleaning Service: Step-by-Step Startup Guide by Entrepreneur Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

49. Apartment-Prepping
Move in on the housing market with some basic plumbing, painting, caulking and scrubbing skills. Busy landlords and leasing offices can both benefit from your handyman skills, while you, in turn, make some handy profits repairing vacated units for clients’ new tenants.

50. Debt-Collection Service
Money makes the world go ’round: You get paid when your clients get paid by the people who you get to pay them. Sound complicated? It doesn’t have to be: As a debt collector, it pays in more ways than one to have some persistence in tracking down clients’ delinquent debtors.

51. Catering
A caterer’s place is in the kitchen . . . cooking up hot profits, that is. So long as your kitchen is commercially approved–and you’ve got a knack for stirring up some “dough”–you’ve got the makings for savory success. Service weddings, holiday parties, and other festive gatherings; if you’re lucky, clients will have your cake and eat it, too!

Read This: Start Your Own Restaurant and More by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Rich Mintzer | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

52. Restaurant Delivery Service
When “Let’s do lunch” means eating at the office, an ordinary sack lunch doesn’t have to suffice. Thanks to restaurant deliverers, busy professionals can order their meals from local restaurants. By collecting a delivery charge and tip, operators get a good taste of entrepreneurial success.

53. Seminar Promotion
If there’s one thing consumers can never seem to get enough of, it’s information. Give ’em an earful by planning and promoting informational seminars. You don’t need to be an expert yourself; just schedule the speakers, reserve a location, promote the event, and get ready to collect the profits at the door.

Read This: Start Your Own Event Planning Business by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

54. Window Washing
Business has never been clearer for window washers. Grab your bucket, squeegee, and glass-cleaning solution, and rap at the dirty windows of local businesses and residences alike. Add repeat customers, and you’ll soon be on a winning streak.

Read This: Start Your Own Cleaning Service by Entrepreneur Press and Jacquelyn Lynn | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

55. Valet Parking
Drive right up to entrepreneurship as the owner of a valet-parking service. Restaurants, hotels and convention centers can all use the services of a well-dressed, bonded parking staff. The key is having your own team of drivers to keep clients’ customers–and their cars–on the move.

56. Professional Organizer
Neatniks need apply: If you’ve got a knack for neatness, why not help the organizationally challenged? Messy closets, home offices and commercial offices alike could benefit from a more efficient setup. Put some order into others’ lives, and arrange yourself some pretty profits.

Read This: Born to Organize: Everything You Need to Know About a Career As a Professional Organizer by Sara Pedersen | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

57. Power Washing
Oily driveways, mud-caked semi trucks, or barnacle-ridden boats . . . You name it, and entrepreneurs equipped with specialized power-washing equipment can probably clean it. For spotless results, target commercial as well as residential customers.Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

60. Copywriting and Proofreading Service
Wanted: creative writer with a knack for finding typos and misteaks… er, mistakes. Writers who help ensure clients’ advertising copy is both catchy and fault-free may not win a Pulitzer, but they will have some profits to write home about.

61. Direct Mail/Coupon
Cash in on consumers’ coupon-cutting craze with a direct-mail coupon service. Get started by selling ad space in a direct-mail coupon package to local businesses. When you mail coupons to local residents, your clients will benefit from the exposure and you’ll benefit from a first-class business of your own.

Read This: The Direct Mail Solution: A Business Owner’s Guide to Building a Lead-Generating, Sales-Driving, Money-Making Direct-Mail Campaign by Craig Simpson and Dan S. Kennedy | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

62. Public-Relations Agency
A way with words, enthusiasm and persistence are all necessary in this competitive business. Networking–by developing contacts with reporters and other media–is also crucial to helping your clients go public with press releases and more.

63. Mailing Services
Post record profits fulfilling clients’ envelope-stuffing and bulk-mail-processing needs. Advertise in the business section of your local newspaper, and start looking for your check in the mail.

64. Sales Training
Don’t sell yourself short: With some self-promotion and marketing know-how, you could have what it takes to build your own business as a sales trainer. By sharing your sales savvy with other busy business owners, you not only help boost clients’ bottom line, but yours, too.

Read This: Success Secrets of Sales Superstars by Robert L. Shook and Barry Farber | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

65. Welcoming Service
Welcoming-service entrepreneurs–who greet newcomers to town with a package of coupons, samples from local businesses, and other community information–not only provide a welcome service to newcomers, but to local businesses, as well.Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

68. Home-Entertainment Installation
Just watch a novice attempt to connect the wires, cables and other components of their new or relocated stereo and television equipment, and you’re likely to view consumer impatience at its finest. But with your sound electrical and wiring expertise, you’ll have all systems buzzing in no time.

Read This: Practical Home Theater: A Guide to Video and Audio Systems by Mark Fleischmann | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

69. Mortgage/Debt-Reduction Service
By explaining alternative payment structures to clients (which can result in a smaller total payment in a shorter period of time), mortgage and debt-reduction-service professionals are helping to relieve America’s debt–one citizen at a time.

70. Pool Services
Make a splash in the pool-services business with little more than some cleaning equipment and a water-test kit. Just load up your tools in your car and make the rounds in your neighborhood. Then dive right into business by marketing your service to homeowners’ associations, apartment complexes and individual residences.

Read This: The Ultimate Guide to Pool Maintenance by Terry Tamminen | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

71. Lawn Care
When push comes to shove, you’ve probably got what it takes to make some “green.” Just roll up your sleeves and start mowing, clipping and fertilizing lawns for office complexes and residential clients alike.

Image credit: Getty Images | Mark Edward Atkinson
72. Home-Inspection Service
A keen eye for structural detail paves the way to success in your home-inspection service. Start by assessing clients’ homes for problems such as structural damage and foundation abnormalities, then refer customers to contractors who can ensure their homes are in good repair.

Read This: The Complete Guide to Home Inspection by Roger C. Robinson, Michael Litchfield, Sara Linda Amaden | Amazon | Indigo.ca | Barnes & Noble

73. House Painting
Brush up on your painting skills, and get ready to paint the town red–or white, blue or beige, for that matter. Just load up your truck with brushes, rollers and ladders, and get primed for business!

74. Local Moving Service
Be a mover and shaker with your own local moving service. This is no business for the faint of heart, however: Make sure you’re equipped with some upstanding leveraging techniques… as well as brawn.

75. House-Sitting
Is there a sitter in the house? If so, homeowners can rest assured that, while they’re away, their plants and pets will be tended to. Don’t wait for opportunity to come knocking; a reliable set of references get you in the door.

Read This: International House Sitting: How To Travel The World And Stay Anywhere, For FREE by Nat Smith and Jodie Thompson

76. Home Decorating
Home in on the decorating business with your flair for design. Work with local furniture and accessory stores, paint shops, and carpet and drapery outlets to coordinate clients’ interiors. And remember: The key to getting in the door of this business is decorating your own home, first.

Read This: Styled: Secrets for Arranging Rooms, from Tabletops to Bookshelves by Emily Henderson and Angelin Borsics | Amazon | Indigo.ca | Barnes & Noble

77. Miniblind Cleaning
Put an end to dusty miniblinds in offices, homes and other buildings with your miniblind-cleaning service. Immerse blinds in tanks of gentle, yet effective, cleansing solution… and give clients a squeaky-clean new perspective on the world outside their windows.

78. Pet-Food and Supplies Home Delivery
Lugging pounds of pet food and supplies from the store each week or so can be a burden on pet owners, but it’s certainly not too much for pet-delivery entrepreneurs. Once you’ve sniffed out some leads, start serving up success by delivering pet supplies directly to customers’ doors.

Read This: Start Your Own Transportation Service by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

79. Custom Closet Systems
Calling all closet-organizing fanatics: It’s time to come out and show your stuff! With a few hooks and shelves, and a lot of creativity (but checking any fear of small spaces at the door), you’ve got the makings of a custom closet-systems pro . . . with plenty of room to grow. New homeowners and long-time closet accumulators alike make up your potential clientele.

80. Window Washing
Business has never been clearer for window washers. Grab your bucket, squeegee, and glass-cleaning solution, and rap at the dirty windows of local businesses and residences alike. Add repeat customers, and you’ll soon be on a winning streak.

Read This: Start Your Own Cleaning Service by Entrepreneur Press and Jacquelyn Lynn | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

81. Residential Cleaning
Not only is residential cleaning a good way to keep a body busy, but it’s also a way to clean up some profits while you’re at it. Start on the ground floor by mopping, sweeping and dusting one house, and work your way up from there!Amazon | Barnes & Noble

83. Computer Consulting
Tap into a surging market as a computer consultant. Whether you’re an expert at Windows 95, putting together hardware components, or networking, a growing number of computer “newbies” will surely benefit from your services.

84. Internet Research
Practice makes perfect when it comes to surfing the internet. With some search-engine and self-marketing savvy, put information at clients’ fingertips–and “net” profits at yours.

Read This: Start & Run an Internet Research Business by Gergard W. Kautz | Amazon | Indigo.ca | eCampus

85. Website Designer
With specialized software, creating websites comes easy, so long as you have some basic technical and graphic savvy. Home in on business by helping businesses establish a site; existing clients will need help keeping their websites up-to-date, as well.Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

88. Child-Identification Program
Safety first: When it comes to keeping tabs on children, there’s no excuse for kidding around. By offering parents a complete child-identification program, including information files, fingerprinting, identification tags and photos, you not only set parents’ minds more at ease, but provide a safety net for our next generation.

Image credit: Getty Images | BraunS
89. Children’s Fitness
If there’s one thing that never seems to run out, it’s a kid’s supply of energy. Tap into that vast resource with a children’s fitness program. Put your knowledge of children’s education and physical fitness to the test by renting a location, then coordinate activities such as tumbling, dance, gymnastics and karate. And hop to it!

Read This: Start Your Own Personal Training Business by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | Indigo.ca | Barnes & Noble

90. Children’s Transportation Service
For working and nonworking parents alike, transporting junior to and from school (as well as to after-school activities) can become, well, taxi-ing. By providing a reliable children’s transportation service, you give busy parents a break-and keep their busy kids on schedule.

91. Baby-Proofing
Stairs, cabinets, electrical cords and outlets-they’re all potential baby hazards. New parents, grandparents, and even baby sitters could all benefit from a more kid-friendly house. So grab your tools and be prepared to get down on your hands and knees (it helps to view things from a baby’s perspective).

Read This: How To Baby Proof Your Home: Create a Safe Haven for Your Newbornby Greg Howard

92. Computer Training for Kids
Reading, writing, arithmetic… and computers. Though it seems like kids today are born speaking computerese, they’ve got to start learning somewhere. Teaching them the basics early on is sure to put kids at the head of their class — and you at the head of your own business.

93. Nanny Placement
For busy parents, finding a good nanny isn’t child’s play. Nanny-placement agents-who screen applicants, check references, match personalities, and set schedules-provide clients an invaluable service by saving them considerable time and worry.

Read This: Pick The Perfect Nanny by Natalie Akpele

94. New Mother/Infant Home Care
Make new babies’ homecomings from the hospital less tiresome for parents by providing the in-home care and support they need. Preparing meals, diapering the baby, and providing light housekeeping are all a great relief to proud-but occasionally exhausted-new parents.

95. Tutoring
Thought your proficiency in high school algebra was all for naught? Think again: As a tutor, you could help others bone up on their studies. Whether it’s reading, writing or arithmetic, help your students reach the top of their class with a little experienced guidance and support.

Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

Event Services
96. Photography
With your eye for photo opportunities-at weddings, parties, special events and more-you could be zooming in on profits as a freelance photographer. Be prepared to work weekends and evenings (when many clients will need your services) and to hire an assistant to help you juggle your photo paraphernalia.

Read This: Start Your Own Photography Business by Entrepreneur Press and Charlene Davis | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

97. Errand Runner/Personal Shopper
Calling all shopaholics: Here’s one business where you can truly shop till you drop… without spending a penny of your own! Personal shoppers-who may also perform other errands, such as picking up prescriptions or buying groceries-can never complain about a lack of things to do.

Read This: Start Your Own Personal Concierge Service by Entrepreneur Press and Ciree Linsenmann | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

98. Family-History Video
Money can grow on trees… family trees, that is. Family-history videographers are hitting home by filming personalized accounts of weddings, births and other memorable occasions. Should a customer’s other family members give the film a thumbs up, you may be looking at future generations of customers.

Image credit: Getty Images | Robert Daly
99. Mobile Disc Jockey
As a mobile disc jockey, weddings, parties and other events are all music to your ears. Start jammin’ with a collection of compact discs, a CD player, and a speaker system, then pass on the word about your services to wedding and event planners.

Read This: The Mobile DJ Handbook: How to Start & Run a Profitable Mobile Disc Jockey Service by Stacy Zemon | Amazon | eCampus | Barnes & Noble

100. Wedding-Planning Service
Getting married isn’t always as simple as saying, “I do.” There’s a caterer to be contracted, a location to be rented, and flowers to be ordered. So when it comes to making matrimony a more harmonious event for the new couple and their families, wedding planners take the cake.

101. Event Planning
If your life has been, well, uneventful until now, we have a solution: Be an event planner! Whether it’s a party, wedding or convention, you’re sure to be at the center of all the action when you coordinate everything from room rentals and speakers to decorations and food.

Read This: Start Your Own Event Planning Business by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

102. Limousine Service
With a limo and some insurance, you could be the driving force behind a new business venture. Stretch your market by adding more drivers and cars to your fleet. Then, once you’ve established a reliable reputation, start-driving home your limousine-service sales.

Read This: Start Your Own Transportation Service by The Staff at Entrepreneur Media and Cheryl Kimball | Amazon | eBooks.com | Barnes & Noble

103. Photo Birth Announcements
For birth-announcement producers, business is booming as fast as the population! Some basic desktop-publishing software, scanning equipment, and the names of new parents put you in the starting blocks; from there, create fanciful photo-cards, including those all-important details: name, birth date, time and weight.

104. Videotaping Service
You may not win a producer-of-the-year award, but you’ll win the appreciation of your clients when you capture their weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthdays and more on videotape. Keep the film rolling at special events, then edit a final version for clients’ own special screenings.

Buy This: Get aerial footage on your camera with a Parrot® Bebop Drone Quadricopter from Brookstone

105. Reunion Organizing
Reunite ’em ’cause it pays so good: Whether it’s one big happy family or one big high school class, reunions can be a joyful-and lucrative-occasion for reunion organizers. Schedule the accommodations, coordinate the catering and entertainment, send out the invitations, then sit back and let it all “come together.”

Things to Consider Before You Become a Consultant

• What certifications and special licensing will I need? Depending upon your profession, you may need special certification or a special license before you can begin operating as a consultant. For example, fund-raising consultants don’t need special certification, although you can become certified through the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. And in some states, you may need to register as a professional fund-raising consultant before starting your business.
• Am I qualified to become a consultant? Before you hang out your shingle and hope that clients begin beating your door down to hire you, make sure you have the qualifications necessary to get the job done. If you want to be a computer consultant, for example, make sure you are up to date in the knowledge department with all the trends and changes in the computer industry.
• Am I organized enough to become a consultant? Do I like to plan my day? Am I an expert when it comes to time management? You should have answered “yes” to all three of those questions!
• Do I like to network? Networking is critical to the success of any type of consultant today. Begin building your network of contacts immediately.
• Have I set long-term and short-term goals? And do they allow for me to become a consultant? If your goals do not match up with the time and energy it takes to open and successfully build a consulting business, then reconsider before making any move in this direction!

Top 20 Consulting Businesses Thriving Today
Although you can be a consultant in just about any field these days, the current top 20 consulting businesses include:

1. Accounting: Accounting is something that every business needs, no matter how large or small. Accounting consultants can help a business with all of its financial needs.

2. Advertising: This type of consultant is normally hired by a business to develop a good strategic advertising campaign.

3. Auditing: From consultants who audit utility bills for small businesses to consultants who handle major work for telecommunications firms, auditing consultants are enjoying the fruits of their labor.

4. Business: Know how to help a business turn a profit? If you have a good business sense, then you’ll do well as a business consultant. After computer consulting, people in this field are the next most sought after.

5. Business writing: Everyone knows that most business people have trouble when it comes to writing a report–or even a simple memo. Enter the business writing consultant, and everyone is happy!

6. Career counseling: With more and more people finding themselves victims of a corporate downsizing, career counselors will always be in demand. Career counselors guide their clients into a profession or job that will help them be both happy and productive as an employee.

7. Communications: Communications consultants specialize in helping employees in both large and small businesses better communicate with each other, which ultimately makes the business more efficient and operate smoothly.

8. Computer programmer: From software to hardware, and everything in between, if you know computers, your biggest problem will be not having enough hours in the day to meet your clients’ demands!

9. Editorial services: From producing newsletters to corporate annual reports, consultants who are experts in the editorial field will always be appreciated.

10. Executive search/headhunter firms: While this is not for everyone, there are people who enjoy finding talent for employers.

11. Gardening: In the past decade the demand for gardening consultants has blossomed (pun intended) into a $1 million-a-year business. Not only are businesses hiring gardening consultants; so are people who are too busy to take care of their gardens at home.

12. Grantsmanship: Once you learn how to write a grant proposal, you can name your price.

13. Human resources: As long as businesses have people problems (and they always will), consultants in this field will enjoy a never-ending supply of corporate clients, both large and small. (People-problem prevention programs could include teaching employees to get along with others, respect and even violence prevention in the workplace.)

14. Insurance: Everyone needs insurance, and everyone needs an insurance consultant to help them find the best plan and pricing for them.

15. Marketing: Can you help a business write a marketing plan? Or do you have ideas that you feel will help promote a business? If so, why not try your hand as a marketing consultant?

16. Payroll management: Everyone needs to get paid. By using your knowledge and expertise in payroll management, you can provide this service to many businesses, both large and small.

17. Public relations: Getting good press coverage for any organization is a real art. When an organization finds a good PR consultant, they hang on to them for life!

18. Publishing: If you’re interested in the publishing field, then learn everything you can and you, too, can be a publishing consultant. A publishing consultant usually helps new ventures when they are ready to launch a new newspaper, magazine, newsletter–and even websites and electronic newsletters.

19. Taxes: With the right marketing and business plan (and a sincere interest in taxes), your career as a tax consultant can be very lucrative. A tax consultant advises businesses on the legal methods to pay the least amount of tax possible.

20. Writing services: Anything related to the written word will always be in demand. Find your specialty in the writing field, and the sky will be the limit!

Target Market
Your idea may be the best one you have ever thought of, but there needs to be a market for your ideas. Someone must be willing and able to pay you for your expert advice.

In other words, who are your potential clients? Will you be marketing your consulting services to large corporations? Or will you offer a specialty that would only be of interest to smaller businesses? Perhaps your services will be sought after by nonprofit organizations. Whatever the case, before you go forward, make sure you spend time preparing both a business plan and a marketing plan. You won’t be disappointed with the results–especially when clients begin paying you!

Why an Organization Wants to Hire You
According to a recent survey, here are the top 10 reasons organizations hire consultants:

1. A consultant may be hired because of his or her expertise. This is where it pays to not only be really good in the field you have chosen to consult in, but to have some type of track record that speaks for itself. For example, when I mentioned earlier that I had become an expert as a fund-raising consultant, I knew that every client who hired me was doing so partly on the basis of my track record alone. After all, if you are a nonprofit organization that needs to raise $1 million, it makes sense to hire someone who has already raised millions for other organizations.

2. A consultant may be hired to identify problems. Sometimes employees are too close to a problem inside an organization to identify it. That’s when a consultant rides in on his or her white horse to save the day.

3. A consultant may be hired to supplement the staff. Sometimes a business discovers that it can save thousands of dollars a week by hiring consultants when they are needed, rather than hiring full-time employees. Businesses realize they save additional money by not having to pay benefits for consultants they hire. Even though a consultant’s fees are generally higher than an employee’s salary, over the long haul, it simply makes good economic sense to hire a consultant.

4. A consultant may be hired to act as a catalyst. Let’s face it. No one likes change, especially corporate America. But sometimes change is needed, and a consultant may be brought in to “get the ball rolling.” In other words, the consultant can do things without worrying about the corporate culture, employee morale or other issues that get in the way when an organization is trying to institute change.

5. A consultant may be hired to provide much-needed objectivity. Who else is more qualified to identify a problem than a consultant? A good consultant provides an objective, fresh viewpoint–without worrying about what people in the organization might think about the results and how they were achieved.

6. A consultant may be hired to teach. These days if you are a computer consultant who can show employees how to master a new program, then your telephone probably hasn’t stopped ringing for a while. A consultant may be asked to teach employees any number of different skills. However, a consultant must be willing to keep up with new discoveries in their field of expertise–and be ready to teach new clients what they need to stay competitive.

7. A consultant may be hired to do the “dirty work.” Let’s face it: No one wants to be the person who has to make cuts in the staff or to eliminate an entire division.

8. A consultant may be hired to bring new life to an organization. If you are good at coming up with new ideas that work, then you won’t have any trouble finding clients. At one time or another, most businesses need someone to administer “first aid” to get things rolling again.

9. A consultant may be hired to create a new business. There are consultants who have become experts in this field. Not everyone, though, has the ability to conceive an idea and develop a game plan.

10. A consultant may be hired to influence other people. Do you like to hang out with the rich and famous in your town? If so, you may be hired to do a consulting job simply based on who you know. Although most consultants in this field are working as lobbyists, there has been an increase in the number of people entering the entertainment consulting business.

Location and Employees
Your consulting business will probably not require a large capital investment at first. In fact, if you are able to, you should consider operating out of your home. (Certain deed restrictions and local laws may prohibit you from doing this; check with an attorney before you proceed.)

There are many advantages to having a home office. Among them are:

• Low overhead expenses. You don’t have to worry about paying rent or utilities for an office; you will appreciate this feature until you establish a regular client base.
• Flexibility. There is little doubt that operating as a consultant at home gives you a great deal of flexibility. You can set your own hours and take time off as you need it.
• No rush-hour nightmares. For anyone who has had to commute to and from a job during rush hour, this will be a welcome change of pace.
• Your home office space will most likely be tax-deductible. The IRS has relaxed the rules for people who work at home, but check with your account or income tax preparer to see if you qualify for this deduction.

Employees
When you first open the doors to your consulting practice, you may be able to handle all the operations by yourself. But as your consulting business begins to grow, you may need help handling administrative details or help completing the actual consulting assignments.

You need to make some important decisions. For example, do you have the time it will take to make labels and insert your brochure into 1,000 envelopes? Can you afford to spend time doing administrative tasks when you could be using that time effectively marketing your services–and signing up new clients?

There are many options when it comes time to decide if you need help with your paperwork. For example, a quick look through the Yellow Pages will reveal a number of small secretarial support firms. The rates will depend on a variety of factors, including how large or small an organization it is and what types of services it provides.

While it will pay you to shop around for these types of services, don’t select a secretarial service just because it happens to have the lowest prices in town. Instead, ask for references, preferably from other consultants who have used their services, or from small-business owners. A good, reliable support service is worth the price in the long run.

There will come a time, however, when you may find it more cost-effective to hire someone to work in the office with you. Hiring a good administrative support person can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure–between obtaining more clients or constantly losing clients. There are some benefits to having someone in the office with you. Among them are:

• You save time and money. By having someone concentrate on the more routine tasks (opening the mail, filing, answering phones, etc.) you can focus all your efforts on recruiting new clients. Think about this: Would you want to lose a $500-a-day client because you were too cheap to hire someone to stuff your brochures into envelopes?
• You don’t worry about being out of the office. If you are a one-person operation, it’s hard to be out on the road marketing your services if you’re worried about clients calling–and only getting your answering machine.
• You have someone to offer another perspective. Sometimes it can be pretty lonely trying to do everything yourself. Having someone around the office during the day who can offer another perspective can be worthwhile.

Income and Billing
Now that you have made the decision to open your consulting business, you need to get serious about how much money you will charge your clients. If you charge too little, you won’t succeed in business. If you charge too much, you won’t get any clients. So how do you find that middle ground that seems fair to everyone involved? One way to help you decide how much to charge is to find out what the competition’s rates are. A simple telephone call, asking for their brochure and rates, should do the trick. Then set your rates so that you are competitive with everyone else in the community.

Before setting your fees, make sure you have listed all of your expenses. There is nothing worse than setting your rates, having your client pay you on time and then finding out you failed to include several expenses that materialized. This brings up an important point to remember in every job you take from a client: Include a “miscellaneous” line item in your fee proposal. But don’t pad the miscellaneous figure to make additional income.

Most clients will understand that in every project, there will no doubt be additional expenses. Just be sure everyone knows upfront an approximate figure for those expenses.

Before you set your rates, find out what other consultants in your community are charging for their services. Sometimes a simple telephone call to another consultant’s office asking what their fees are will give you the answers you need. Or you may have to have a friend call and ask for their brochure, or any additional information they can collect regarding fees and pricing. If you live in a small town and there are no other consultants in your field, then rejoice and be glad, but set your fees at a reasonable level!

When setting your rates, you have several options, including hourly rates, project fees and working on a retainer basis. Let’s examine each one closely.

Hourly Fees
You need to tread carefully when setting hourly fees, because two things could happen: A) Your hourly rate is so high that no one could ever afford you (therefore no client will ever knock on your door). B) Your hourly rate is so low that no one will take you seriously.

Keep one important rule in mind when establishing your fee, no matter which structure you decide on: The more money people pay for a product or service, the more they expect to get for their money. In other words, if a client agrees to your hourly rate of $400, then you had better give $400 worth of service to that client every hour you work for them.

Some clients prefer to be billed on an hourly basis, while others hate the idea of paying someone what they perceive to be too much per hour. Those clients usually prefer to pay per project.

Project Rates
When working on a project rate basis, a consultant normally gets a fixed amount of money for a predetermined period of time. A few of my fund-raising clients actually preferred to be charged this way, so it wasn’t unusual for me to charge $36,000 for a one-year project in which I consulted them on how they could raise money. Because of the amount of money involved, most agencies preferred to be billed on a monthly basis. This worked out fine until I realized that many agencies were late paying their monthly bills.

Because of this, I decided that all future clients who wished to be billed on a monthly basis would pay the first-month fee and the last-month fee at the signing of the contract, which meant that if the agreed-upon amount of the project was $36,000, to be paid on a monthly basis, I received a check in the amount of $6,000 before I began any work ($3,000 for the first month’s fee and $3,000 for the last month’s fee).

Retainer Basis
Working on a retainer basis gives you a set monthly fee in which you agree to be available for work for an agreed-upon number of hours for your client. While in the ideal world you would have a dozen or so clients who hire you and pay you a hefty sum each month (and never actually call you except for a few hours here and there), don’t get your hopes up. Most companies that hire a consultant on a retainer basis have a clause in their contract that prohibits you from working for their competitors.

Working and getting paid in this method certainly has its advantages. You are guaranteed income each month, and when you are starting out in your consulting business, cash flow can be a problem. Some consultants actually offer a percentage reduction in their fees if a client will agree to pay a monthly retainer fee. The average income when a consultant is paid on a retainer basis is $3,500 per month.

Marketing
If your consulting business has no clients, then you have no consulting business. But you must remember that selling your consulting services is not the same as selling a car or a house. In the case of the car or the house, the customer is probably already in the market for one or both of those products. Your job, then, becomes harder, because you are marketing your services to people who may not even be aware that they need those services.

There are a variety of methods you need to become both familiar and comfortable with in order to begin attracting and keeping clients. Let’s look at some of the more conventional ones that are being used by many consultants today.

Brochure Basics
There are five issues your brochure should address. They are:

1. It should clearly convey what your services are.
2. It should tell customers why you are the best.
3. It should give a few reasons why you should be hired.
4. It should include some brief biographical information.
5. It should include some information about who your other clients are.

That’s it. Keep it simple, but do it right. Remember, your brochure represents you in the marketplace, so make sure you polish it before you send it into action. Your entire consulting career depends on it!

Cold Calling
You must do whatever it takes to make cold-calling work and make it easier for yourself. There are a few tricks you can use to make cold-calling a little easier for you:

• Prepare a script ahead of time. Spell out word for word what you expect to say when you get someone on the telephone. Remember, though, that your goal is to get a face-to-face interview and, eventually, a new client. So before you end up stumbling over your sales presentation (either in person or over the telephone), write your script and practice it again and again.
• Be creative in your efforts to reach the decision maker. Most times you will encounter a secretary or administrative assistant who has years of experience turning away cold callers like yourself. But don’t give up! Don’t let any obstacle stand in your way! To avoid being screened by the secretary, try calling before she is on the job. Yes, you may have to call before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m., but at these times, chances are the decision maker you are trying to reach will answer their own telephone.
• Limit your cold calls to just several days each month. And look forward to those days, making sure you put your best effort into the process. That way, not only will it become easier to make those cold calls, but you will find yourself actually looking forward to making them!

Advertising
The limits you place on advertising your consulting services will be directly tied to your advertising budget. If you are lucky enough to have a very healthy advertising budget, remember that you don’t have to spend the money on ads just because you have it to spend. Advertising can be very expensive. Jeffery B., a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, consultant, advertises in his association’s publication. “They publish what is called the Green Book, which is a directory of research and marketing consulting businesses around the country. It has helped me generate new business,” he says.

Other consultants, such as Merrily S. in Newark, Delaware, depend on word-of-mouth. “The best form of advertising [for my business] has been word-of-mouth and recommendations from other people,” she says.

Depending upon the type of services you offer, it may be necessary to advertise in specialized trade journals or magazines. For example, as a fund-raising consultant, I have placed ads in such publications as The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Non-Profit Timesand Fund Raising Weekly.

Before you spend any money, start looking through professional journals and newspapers relative to the fields you specialize in. Take some time and examine ads that have been placed by other consultants, and then carefully determine how effective you think their ads may be. Then design one that suits you best.

Newsletters
Whatever your consulting field is you should have more than enough information to produce a newsletter as a means of attracting potential clients. If you don’t have the time, or don’t feel comfortable self-publishing your own newsletter, hire a local freelance writer and graphic designer to do the job for you. Again, you don’t have to make it an expensive, four-color, glossy publication. The simpler you keep it, the better. A good newsletter will sell itself based on the content rather than the splashy design.

Start collecting newsletters that are being published in your consulting field. If you think there are none being published, or if you think there are only a few in your field, guess again. A quick visit to the library will reveal several newsletter directories–Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters (Oxbridge Communications) and Hudson’s Newsletter Directory (The Newsletter ClearingHouse)–which list, by subject, newsletters that are published not only in the United States, but in other countries. Take some time and write for sample copies before you design and write the first issue of your own newsletter. You’ll be surprised at the quality of the newsletters that are being produced today.

Newsletters are an effective means of communication and, in my opinion, represent the best advertising media for a consultant to sell his or her services. Think about it the next time you receive a newsletter in the mail. Did you put it aside to read it later? And why did you do that? Probably because you wanted to make sure you weren’t missing any important news or information.

But what about that brochure you received in the mail the same day? Did you put it aside to read later? Or did it go directly into the trashcan? Think about this before you spend big bucks on a glitzy brochure that may not even be read.

Public Speaking
Public speaking is another excellent way to recruit new clients and to earn a reputation for excellence in your community. Unless you live in a town so small it doesn’t have a chamber of commerce or a Lion’s Club, Rotary Club or other similar service organization, you can begin offering your services as a speaker for luncheons, dinners or any other special occasion.

In addition to using the telephone directory, see if anyone has published a directory of service organizations in your community. You can visit the library and ask at the reference desk. Go through and make a list of organizations that hold monthly meetings and therefore may use guest speakers. Contact each group and offer your public speaking services.

Ask for Referrals
This often-overlooked method of finding new clients is such an easy marketing tool (which is why it’s usually not thought of), you’ll kick yourself for not thinking of it yourself. When you have finished your consulting assignment and your client is in seventh heaven (and is no doubt singing your praises), that is an excellent time to ask for a referral! Simply send a note or a short letter asking for the names of any colleagues, friends or business associates they feel might be good prospects for your consulting services. Ask their permission to mention their name when you write to the people whose names they pass on to you. Sometimes all it takes is having a mutual friend or respected business associate to get the potential client’s attention.

Resources
Associations

• Airport Consultants Council
• Association of Professional Consultants
• Association of Professional Communications Consultants
• Consultants Mall
• Institute of Management Consultants USA
• National Association of Business Consultants
• National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses
• Professional & Technical Consultants Association
• Public Relations Society of America

Things to Consider Before You Become a Consultant

• What certifications and special licensing will I need? Depending upon your profession, you may need special certification or a special license before you can begin operating as a consultant. For example, fund-raising consultants don’t need special certification, although you can become certified through the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. And in some states, you may need to register as a professional fund-raising consultant before starting your business.
• Am I qualified to become a consultant? Before you hang out your shingle and hope that clients begin beating your door down to hire you, make sure you have the qualifications necessary to get the job done. If you want to be a computer consultant, for example, make sure you are up to date in the knowledge department with all the trends and changes in the computer industry.
• Am I organized enough to become a consultant? Do I like to plan my day? Am I an expert when it comes to time management? You should have answered “yes” to all three of those questions!
• Do I like to network? Networking is critical to the success of any type of consultant today. Begin building your network of contacts immediately.
• Have I set long-term and short-term goals? And do they allow for me to become a consultant? If your goals do not match up with the time and energy it takes to open and successfully build a consulting business, then reconsider before making any move in this direction!

Top 20 Consulting Businesses Thriving Today
Although you can be a consultant in just about any field these days, the current top 20 consulting businesses include:

1. Accounting: Accounting is something that every business needs, no matter how large or small. Accounting consultants can help a business with all of its financial needs.

2. Advertising: This type of consultant is normally hired by a business to develop a good strategic advertising campaign.

3. Auditing: From consultants who audit utility bills for small businesses to consultants who handle major work for telecommunications firms, auditing consultants are enjoying the fruits of their labor.

4. Business: Know how to help a business turn a profit? If you have a good business sense, then you’ll do well as a business consultant. After computer consulting, people in this field are the next most sought after.

5. Business writing: Everyone knows that most business people have trouble when it comes to writing a report–or even a simple memo. Enter the business writing consultant, and everyone is happy!

6. Career counseling: With more and more people finding themselves victims of a corporate downsizing, career counselors will always be in demand. Career counselors guide their clients into a profession or job that will help them be both happy and productive as an employee.

7. Communications: Communications consultants specialize in helping employees in both large and small businesses better communicate with each other, which ultimately makes the business more efficient and operate smoothly.

8. Computer programmer: From software to hardware, and everything in between, if you know computers, your biggest problem will be not having enough hours in the day to meet your clients’ demands!

9. Editorial services: From producing newsletters to corporate annual reports, consultants who are experts in the editorial field will always be appreciated.

10. Executive search/headhunter firms: While this is not for everyone, there are people who enjoy finding talent for employers.

11. Gardening: In the past decade the demand for gardening consultants has blossomed (pun intended) into a $1 million-a-year business. Not only are businesses hiring gardening consultants; so are people who are too busy to take care of their gardens at home.

12. Grantsmanship: Once you learn how to write a grant proposal, you can name your price.

13. Human resources: As long as businesses have people problems (and they always will), consultants in this field will enjoy a never-ending supply of corporate clients, both large and small. (People-problem prevention programs could include teaching employees to get along with others, respect and even violence prevention in the workplace.)

14. Insurance: Everyone needs insurance, and everyone needs an insurance consultant to help them find the best plan and pricing for them.

15. Marketing: Can you help a business write a marketing plan? Or do you have ideas that you feel will help promote a business? If so, why not try your hand as a marketing consultant?

16. Payroll management: Everyone needs to get paid. By using your knowledge and expertise in payroll management, you can provide this service to many businesses, both large and small.

17. Public relations: Getting good press coverage for any organization is a real art. When an organization finds a good PR consultant, they hang on to them for life!

18. Publishing: If you’re interested in the publishing field, then learn everything you can and you, too, can be a publishing consultant. A publishing consultant usually helps new ventures when they are ready to launch a new newspaper, magazine, newsletter–and even websites and electronic newsletters.

19. Taxes: With the right marketing and business plan (and a sincere interest in taxes), your career as a tax consultant can be very lucrative. A tax consultant advises businesses on the legal methods to pay the least amount of tax possible.

20. Writing services: Anything related to the written word will always be in demand. Find your specialty in the writing field, and the sky will be the limit!

Target Market
Your idea may be the best one you have ever thought of, but there needs to be a market for your ideas. Someone must be willing and able to pay you for your expert advice.

In other words, who are your potential clients? Will you be marketing your consulting services to large corporations? Or will you offer a specialty that would only be of interest to smaller businesses? Perhaps your services will be sought after by nonprofit organizations. Whatever the case, before you go forward, make sure you spend time preparing both a business plan and a marketing plan. You won’t be disappointed with the results–especially when clients begin paying you!

Why an Organization Wants to Hire You
According to a recent survey, here are the top 10 reasons organizations hire consultants:

1. A consultant may be hired because of his or her expertise. This is where it pays to not only be really good in the field you have chosen to consult in, but to have some type of track record that speaks for itself. For example, when I mentioned earlier that I had become an expert as a fund-raising consultant, I knew that every client who hired me was doing so partly on the basis of my track record alone. After all, if you are a nonprofit organization that needs to raise $1 million, it makes sense to hire someone who has already raised millions for other organizations.

2. A consultant may be hired to identify problems. Sometimes employees are too close to a problem inside an organization to identify it. That’s when a consultant rides in on his or her white horse to save the day.

3. A consultant may be hired to supplement the staff. Sometimes a business discovers that it can save thousands of dollars a week by hiring consultants when they are needed, rather than hiring full-time employees. Businesses realize they save additional money by not having to pay benefits for consultants they hire. Even though a consultant’s fees are generally higher than an employee’s salary, over the long haul, it simply makes good economic sense to hire a consultant.

4. A consultant may be hired to act as a catalyst. Let’s face it. No one likes change, especially corporate America. But sometimes change is needed, and a consultant may be brought in to “get the ball rolling.” In other words, the consultant can do things without worrying about the corporate culture, employee morale or other issues that get in the way when an organization is trying to institute change.

5. A consultant may be hired to provide much-needed objectivity. Who else is more qualified to identify a problem than a consultant? A good consultant provides an objective, fresh viewpoint–without worrying about what people in the organization might think about the results and how they were achieved.

6. A consultant may be hired to teach. These days if you are a computer consultant who can show employees how to master a new program, then your telephone probably hasn’t stopped ringing for a while. A consultant may be asked to teach employees any number of different skills. However, a consultant must be willing to keep up with new discoveries in their field of expertise–and be ready to teach new clients what they need to stay competitive.

7. A consultant may be hired to do the “dirty work.” Let’s face it: No one wants to be the person who has to make cuts in the staff or to eliminate an entire division.

8. A consultant may be hired to bring new life to an organization. If you are good at coming up with new ideas that work, then you won’t have any trouble finding clients. At one time or another, most businesses need someone to administer “first aid” to get things rolling again.

9. A consultant may be hired to create a new business. There are consultants who have become experts in this field. Not everyone, though, has the ability to conceive an idea and develop a game plan.

10. A consultant may be hired to influence other people. Do you like to hang out with the rich and famous in your town? If so, you may be hired to do a consulting job simply based on who you know. Although most consultants in this field are working as lobbyists, there has been an increase in the number of people entering the entertainment consulting business.

Location and Employees
Your consulting business will probably not require a large capital investment at first. In fact, if you are able to, you should consider operating out of your home. (Certain deed restrictions and local laws may prohibit you from doing this; check with an attorney before you proceed.)

There are many advantages to having a home office. Among them are:

• Low overhead expenses. You don’t have to worry about paying rent or utilities for an office; you will appreciate this feature until you establish a regular client base.
• Flexibility. There is little doubt that operating as a consultant at home gives you a great deal of flexibility. You can set your own hours and take time off as you need it.
• No rush-hour nightmares. For anyone who has had to commute to and from a job during rush hour, this will be a welcome change of pace.
• Your home office space will most likely be tax-deductible. The IRS has relaxed the rules for people who work at home, but check with your account or income tax preparer to see if you qualify for this deduction.

Employees
When you first open the doors to your consulting practice, you may be able to handle all the operations by yourself. But as your consulting business begins to grow, you may need help handling administrative details or help completing the actual consulting assignments.

You need to make some important decisions. For example, do you have the time it will take to make labels and insert your brochure into 1,000 envelopes? Can you afford to spend time doing administrative tasks when you could be using that time effectively marketing your services–and signing up new clients?

There are many options when it comes time to decide if you need help with your paperwork. For example, a quick look through the Yellow Pages will reveal a number of small secretarial support firms. The rates will depend on a variety of factors, including how large or small an organization it is and what types of services it provides.

While it will pay you to shop around for these types of services, don’t select a secretarial service just because it happens to have the lowest prices in town. Instead, ask for references, preferably from other consultants who have used their services, or from small-business owners. A good, reliable support service is worth the price in the long run.

There will come a time, however, when you may find it more cost-effective to hire someone to work in the office with you. Hiring a good administrative support person can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure–between obtaining more clients or constantly losing clients. There are some benefits to having someone in the office with you. Among them are:

• You save time and money. By having someone concentrate on the more routine tasks (opening the mail, filing, answering phones, etc.) you can focus all your efforts on recruiting new clients. Think about this: Would you want to lose a $500-a-day client because you were too cheap to hire someone to stuff your brochures into envelopes?
• You don’t worry about being out of the office. If you are a one-person operation, it’s hard to be out on the road marketing your services if you’re worried about clients calling–and only getting your answering machine.
• You have someone to offer another perspective. Sometimes it can be pretty lonely trying to do everything yourself. Having someone around the office during the day who can offer another perspective can be worthwhile.

Income and Billing
Now that you have made the decision to open your consulting business, you need to get serious about how much money you will charge your clients. If you charge too little, you won’t succeed in business. If you charge too much, you won’t get any clients. So how do you find that middle ground that seems fair to everyone involved? One way to help you decide how much to charge is to find out what the competition’s rates are. A simple telephone call, asking for their brochure and rates, should do the trick. Then set your rates so that you are competitive with everyone else in the community.

Before setting your fees, make sure you have listed all of your expenses. There is nothing worse than setting your rates, having your client pay you on time and then finding out you failed to include several expenses that materialized. This brings up an important point to remember in every job you take from a client: Include a “miscellaneous” line item in your fee proposal. But don’t pad the miscellaneous figure to make additional income.

Most clients will understand that in every project, there will no doubt be additional expenses. Just be sure everyone knows upfront an approximate figure for those expenses.

Before you set your rates, find out what other consultants in your community are charging for their services. Sometimes a simple telephone call to another consultant’s office asking what their fees are will give you the answers you need. Or you may have to have a friend call and ask for their brochure, or any additional information they can collect regarding fees and pricing. If you live in a small town and there are no other consultants in your field, then rejoice and be glad, but set your fees at a reasonable level!

When setting your rates, you have several options, including hourly rates, project fees and working on a retainer basis. Let’s examine each one closely.

Hourly Fees
You need to tread carefully when setting hourly fees, because two things could happen: A) Your hourly rate is so high that no one could ever afford you (therefore no client will ever knock on your door). B) Your hourly rate is so low that no one will take you seriously.

Keep one important rule in mind when establishing your fee, no matter which structure you decide on: The more money people pay for a product or service, the more they expect to get for their money. In other words, if a client agrees to your hourly rate of $400, then you had better give $400 worth of service to that client every hour you work for them.

Some clients prefer to be billed on an hourly basis, while others hate the idea of paying someone what they perceive to be too much per hour. Those clients usually prefer to pay per project.

Project Rates
When working on a project rate basis, a consultant normally gets a fixed amount of money for a predetermined period of time. A few of my fund-raising clients actually preferred to be charged this way, so it wasn’t unusual for me to charge $36,000 for a one-year project in which I consulted them on how they could raise money. Because of the amount of money involved, most agencies preferred to be billed on a monthly basis. This worked out fine until I realized that many agencies were late paying their monthly bills.

Because of this, I decided that all future clients who wished to be billed on a monthly basis would pay the first-month fee and the last-month fee at the signing of the contract, which meant that if the agreed-upon amount of the project was $36,000, to be paid on a monthly basis, I received a check in the amount of $6,000 before I began any work ($3,000 for the first month’s fee and $3,000 for the last month’s fee).

Retainer Basis
Working on a retainer basis gives you a set monthly fee in which you agree to be available for work for an agreed-upon number of hours for your client. While in the ideal world you would have a dozen or so clients who hire you and pay you a hefty sum each month (and never actually call you except for a few hours here and there), don’t get your hopes up. Most companies that hire a consultant on a retainer basis have a clause in their contract that prohibits you from working for their competitors.

Working and getting paid in this method certainly has its advantages. You are guaranteed income each month, and when you are starting out in your consulting business, cash flow can be a problem. Some consultants actually offer a percentage reduction in their fees if a client will agree to pay a monthly retainer fee. The average income when a consultant is paid on a retainer basis is $3,500 per month.

Marketing
If your consulting business has no clients, then you have no consulting business. But you must remember that selling your consulting services is not the same as selling a car or a house. In the case of the car or the house, the customer is probably already in the market for one or both of those products. Your job, then, becomes harder, because you are marketing your services to people who may not even be aware that they need those services.

There are a variety of methods you need to become both familiar and comfortable with in order to begin attracting and keeping clients. Let’s look at some of the more conventional ones that are being used by many consultants today.

Brochure Basics
There are five issues your brochure should address. They are:

1. It should clearly convey what your services are.
2. It should tell customers why you are the best.
3. It should give a few reasons why you should be hired.
4. It should include some brief biographical information.
5. It should include some information about who your other clients are.

That’s it. Keep it simple, but do it right. Remember, your brochure represents you in the marketplace, so make sure you polish it before you send it into action. Your entire consulting career depends on it!

Cold Calling
You must do whatever it takes to make cold-calling work and make it easier for yourself. There are a few tricks you can use to make cold-calling a little easier for you:

• Prepare a script ahead of time. Spell out word for word what you expect to say when you get someone on the telephone. Remember, though, that your goal is to get a face-to-face interview and, eventually, a new client. So before you end up stumbling over your sales presentation (either in person or over the telephone), write your script and practice it again and again.
• Be creative in your efforts to reach the decision maker. Most times you will encounter a secretary or administrative assistant who has years of experience turning away cold callers like yourself. But don’t give up! Don’t let any obstacle stand in your way! To avoid being screened by the secretary, try calling before she is on the job. Yes, you may have to call before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m., but at these times, chances are the decision maker you are trying to reach will answer their own telephone.
• Limit your cold calls to just several days each month. And look forward to those days, making sure you put your best effort into the process. That way, not only will it become easier to make those cold calls, but you will find yourself actually looking forward to making them!

Advertising
The limits you place on advertising your consulting services will be directly tied to your advertising budget. If you are lucky enough to have a very healthy advertising budget, remember that you don’t have to spend the money on ads just because you have it to spend. Advertising can be very expensive. Jeffery B., a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, consultant, advertises in his association’s publication. “They publish what is called the Green Book, which is a directory of research and marketing consulting businesses around the country. It has helped me generate new business,” he says.

Other consultants, such as Merrily S. in Newark, Delaware, depend on word-of-mouth. “The best form of advertising [for my business] has been word-of-mouth and recommendations from other people,” she says.

Depending upon the type of services you offer, it may be necessary to advertise in specialized trade journals or magazines. For example, as a fund-raising consultant, I have placed ads in such publications as The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Non-Profit Timesand Fund Raising Weekly.

Before you spend any money, start looking through professional journals and newspapers relative to the fields you specialize in. Take some time and examine ads that have been placed by other consultants, and then carefully determine how effective you think their ads may be. Then design one that suits you best.

Newsletters
Whatever your consulting field is you should have more than enough information to produce a newsletter as a means of attracting potential clients. If you don’t have the time, or don’t feel comfortable self-publishing your own newsletter, hire a local freelance writer and graphic designer to do the job for you. Again, you don’t have to make it an expensive, four-color, glossy publication. The simpler you keep it, the better. A good newsletter will sell itself based on the content rather than the splashy design.

Start collecting newsletters that are being published in your consulting field. If you think there are none being published, or if you think there are only a few in your field, guess again. A quick visit to the library will reveal several newsletter directories–Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters (Oxbridge Communications) and Hudson’s Newsletter Directory (The Newsletter ClearingHouse)–which list, by subject, newsletters that are published not only in the United States, but in other countries. Take some time and write for sample copies before you design and write the first issue of your own newsletter. You’ll be surprised at the quality of the newsletters that are being produced today.

Newsletters are an effective means of communication and, in my opinion, represent the best advertising media for a consultant to sell his or her services. Think about it the next time you receive a newsletter in the mail. Did you put it aside to read it later? And why did you do that? Probably because you wanted to make sure you weren’t missing any important news or information.

But what about that brochure you received in the mail the same day? Did you put it aside to read later? Or did it go directly into the trashcan? Think about this before you spend big bucks on a glitzy brochure that may not even be read.

Public Speaking
Public speaking is another excellent way to recruit new clients and to earn a reputation for excellence in your community. Unless you live in a town so small it doesn’t have a chamber of commerce or a Lion’s Club, Rotary Club or other similar service organization, you can begin offering your services as a speaker for luncheons, dinners or any other special occasion.

In addition to using the telephone directory, see if anyone has published a directory of service organizations in your community. You can visit the library and ask at the reference desk. Go through and make a list of organizations that hold monthly meetings and therefore may use guest speakers. Contact each group and offer your public speaking services.

Ask for Referrals
This often-overlooked method of finding new clients is such an easy marketing tool (which is why it’s usually not thought of), you’ll kick yourself for not thinking of it yourself. When you have finished your consulting assignment and your client is in seventh heaven (and is no doubt singing your praises), that is an excellent time to ask for a referral! Simply send a note or a short letter asking for the names of any colleagues, friends or business associates they feel might be good prospects for your consulting services. Ask their permission to mention their name when you write to the people whose names they pass on to you. Sometimes all it takes is having a mutual friend or respected business associate to get the potential client’s attention.

Resources
Associations

• Airport Consultants Council
• Association of Professional Consultants
• Association of Professional Communications Consultants
• Consultants Mall
• Institute of Management Consultants USA
• National Association of Business Consultants
• National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses
• Professional & Technical Consultants Association
• Public Relations Society of America