This post was inspired by a popular RV blog I’ve followed and enjoyed for several years. The author added this to a recent blog post: PRIVACY POLICY AT OUR CAMPS: NO VISITORS, NO DROP-INS, NO PHOTOS, NO EXCEPTIONS. THANK YOU. This accompanied a terse reply to an RV newbie who expressed hope in meeting her, […]
Here are five questions to ask yourself when starting a consulting practice — or any small business. This post was inspired by an answer to a business post on franchising vs independence. Good advice for new consultants too. (1) Is it interesting and motivating? There are consulting opportunities everywhere, but you will do much better […]
How much IS enough? The question still haunts me… Here are three stories. All three affected my thinking. Perhaps they will affect yours. Story 1… The question of enough was posed by a fellow consultant several years ago. His wife had just been diagnosed with cancer, and we were talking after a professional society meeting. […]
I was first introduced to the CBM Club in 2012. What a novel concept! In August 2011, we bought a small motorhome from Born Free in Humboldt, IA. At a rally in 2012, I met John Dodgen, the 85 years old founder of Born Free back in the 1960s. What a delightful man, with a […]
Like many others, I was enchanted by the Pope’s recent visit. And I even gleaned some consulting lessons. To wit: (1) Be likeable — Pope Francis radiates likeability. Nobody wants to listen to a jerk. As consultants, this means being genuinely interested in your clients. It means really liking them, and not being mean, snarky, […]
Want some quick insight and exposure into a market? Offer to buy a vendor lunch. After all, they spend their lives out in the marketplace. This is particularly effective in niche markets. You have identified your potential niches, right? If not, review this post. A new consulting colleague in Phoenix did this with good success. […]
Here is a reply I left recently at my favorite financial blog, Mr. Money Mustache. Pete, a fellow engineer, spent the last several years challenging and cajoling people to become financially independent. He “retired” at age 30, and now does what he wants with no financial worries. Lives a nice lifestyle in nice digs, too. […]
The short answer — NO! But you DO need to be able to help your clients. Time for a mini-rant. If you are like me, you are probably weary of hearing about how you MUST become a though leader to succeed in business. Unless, of course, you are pitching books or programs on thought leadership. […]
Here is a reply to a post by Michael Zipursky over at Consulting Success, where Michael discusses the pros and cons (mostly cons) of accepting equity or shares as payment for services. Either way, both Michael and I do NOT recommend this. I completely agree! Never took stock, nor did I ever agree to work […]
Received an email a while back from a fellow engineer whose consulting firm is struggling. The question was what to do now? First, a little background. To protect privacy, I’ll be purposefully vague. He started a consulting firm some years ago, but it recently began to slide. Rather than give up, he kept putting money […]
This dilemma is often faced by those considering a business of their own –– often at mid-career. Should I strike out on my own, or should I stay and climb the corporate ladder? There is no right answer. You must first seek to know yourself. It is YOUR decision — nobody else can make it […]
This post was inspired by Alan Weiss’s Monday Morning Memo (R), to which I have subscribed for many years. He succinctly addresses some pros and cons of going solo. Dr. Weiss is a leading advisor to consultants. While his focus is on management consulting, much of his advice also applies to technical consulting. * One […]
The first half of this year has been rough. It started out with plans to move back to our old house, followed by Mary breaking her arm which required surgery. Two weeks later, my good friend and business partner (Bill Kimmel) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. All this happened in January! It was painful watching […]
Last Wednesday, my good friend and business partner of 40 years passed away from pancreatic cancer. The end came sooner than expected, but at least he is no longer suffering. I will miss him terribly … hell, I already do! A future blog post will address partnerships. Most of the time I advise against them, […]
In February I shared the sad news that Bill Kimmel, my business partner and good friend of almost 40 years, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. That is the main reason the posts here have been few and far between. Here is an update. It has been a rough few months. The chemo failed, but it […]
Here is my reply to a question on LinkedIn about motivating professionals. The more I thought about the question, the more it festered. Is it motivation, or is it manipulation? You decide. How do you motivate your professional staff? … How do you motivate a surgeon to perform an operation? How do you motivate an […]
Time to celebrate for all my geeky friends! It is E-Week 2015 – February 22-28. Here are some links that may be of interest. Particularly good if you want to inspire some young person about our crazy profession. BeAnEngineer Discover Engineering NSPE – National Society of Professional Engineers So break out your favorite Dilbert cartoon, […]
A New Year’s Resolution for 2015 was to post here at least once a week. Next week I’ll break it. Here is why… Late last week my business partner (and very good friend of over 40 years) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. As many of you know, this is a very aggressive disease. The prognosis […]
Time for a rant. This was precipitated by an unsolicited phone call early one Sunday morning, from a so-called “marketing firm” run by a so-called “consultant.” Too bad he is giving consulting such a black eye. Normally I’d let the phone ring, but for some reason I decided to answer. Actually, I was kind of […]
Here is my reply to a post at Consulting Success regarding fees. Good info on this site — but with an emphasis on business/management consulting rather than on technical consulting. As consulting engineers, we’ve used “project fees” for years. When quoting, we provide a budget and a general estimate for time. We use an internal […]
