When Mary (my bride of 40+ years) came into my office, she looked sad. “Whats wrong?” I asked. “Upon opening a Christmas card,” she replied, ” I just learned that an old high school friend died suddenly this past year. The one we meant to visit. ” Her friend lived in Las Vegas, and for […]
Monday, October 19, 1987… the day the stock market crashed… was also my first day as a full time consulting engineer with the company I confounded. The crash was scary, but we obviously survived. Now we just reminisce that the first day in business was the worst day in business. It has been better ever […]
Just finished reading this book. A great resource for anyone (including consultants and wannabe consultants) seeking financial freedom along with occupational freedom. This is the latest book by Dr. Thomas Stanley, author of the bestsellers The Millionaire Next Door and The Millionaire Mind. Unlike too many financial guides with their special formulas on getting rich, […]
Life is way to short and goes by way too fast. Or, as Bob Parson, the founder GoDaddy says, “We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time!” ” See Rule 16. Good advice from a very successful businessman (twice over) who also enjoys life! © 2012, https:. All rights reserved.
Teaching can be a great lead generator. It is how I got started in consulting over thirty years ago, and it continues to a nice source of business and income today. Here are five good reasons to consider teaching. 1 – You can begin right away. You don’t need to do extensive marketing or build […]
To be avoided at all costs! Your credibility and reputation depend on avoiding even the hint of a conflict of interest. Your primary responsibility is to your client. Period. No ifs — ands — or buts. Keep your mouth shut about their business, and protect their proprietary information. If something just doesn’t feel right, then […]
Been a while since I did a resource review. For this month, I’ve selected the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It seems appropriate, since happiness (as in job/career satisfaction )is a common goal for those making a JumpToConsulting. Recently picked this book up at the Omaha airport (Go Huskers…) Although vaguely aware of the book […]
Great advice! Saw this today at the gym where I work out. If you REALLY want to do something, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse. So how about it — do you REALLY want to start your own business? If it is a consulting practice, we’ll help you find the way. […]
When you finally make client contact (marketing becomes sales), you often need simple stuff you can hand out or mail – business cards, brochures, folders, letterhead, envelopes, labels, etc. Since these create first impressions of your business, they should be an integral part of your sales and marketing process. These items are often referred to […]
Not really… Who says you need to grow to be successful? Children grow, but then they stop growing (physically) when they are “grown up.” The question was posed by a fellow business owner in the mid 1990’s. Thanks to new government regulations, our business was booming. Our plates were filled, and other consultants were actually asking […]
This is a response to Jim, who commented on “Are Engineers Really in Demand.” Thought this deserved a blog post, rather than just a response from me. Of all the things that offer consulting opportunities Engineering, with the exception of Civil, is way down on the list. With all the non disclosure agreements and req […]
Today this Baby Boomer declares he is OFFICIALLY SEMI-RETIRED… For the past several years, I’ve been grappling with my occupational status. Thanks to the recession, consulting activities have been less than full time, meaning I had more free time. Discovered I rather enjoyed that. But when people assumed I was retired, I’d correct them. Guess […]
When people tell me they are thinking about consulting, I often share this story with them. It helped me on several occasions, including making my own personal JumpToConsulting. In high school, I worked as a “soda jerk” at the drugstore in our small town. Since we were next door to the town doctor, he often […]
Need some immediate exposure? Is your market primarily local? Do you serve a niche market that is tightly focused? Big trade shows – local or otherwise – too expensive? All good reasons to start your OWN local mini-trade show. We did this in 1986, just prior to launching our engineering consulting business. Like most startups, […]
From lunch this week at a favorite Chinese restaurant: Joy comes from the adventure today. Time to shake up the world. Really liked this fortune cookie quote. How about you? It captures my feelings about small consulting practices in particular — and micro-businesses in general. PS – Well, as of today our downsizing move is […]
We’ve often been told we’re lucky to have our own business. But luck really has very little to do with it. Here is a response made to a recent guest post at Man vs Debt, an inspiring blog by Adam Baker on his challenges of overcoming a big load of debt acquired at a relatively […]
Warning — Geek Story Ahead! My brother Jim is a retired civil engineer. When we get together, we often share war stories. This one has a good lesson for consultants. “It was Friday afternoon, and it was time to head into town for a cold beer and hot meal,” Jim began. He was working on […]
“Behind every successful man is a woman who is still amazed.” Or so the old joke goes. In reality, success as an entrepreneur is often highly dependent on a supporting spouse. If you don’t have that support, it may never happen. This post was inspired by a Mother’s Day e-mail from Perry Marshall of AdWords […]
Chris Guillebeau’s latest book (The $100 Startup) contains a wealth of information for anybody considering the jump to ANY small business (not just consulting.) It is a mix of inspiration and real-world examples backed up with proven business advice. This is Chris’s second book. The first, the Art of Nonconformity, encourages people to follow their […]
When asked about becoming an independent consultant, my business partner and I often share these two observations from our early days: We thought we would work 20 hours a week and get rich. Instead, it often seemed like we worked 20 hours a day just to make a living. We thought we’d find wealth and […]
