This question was posted recently on LinkedIn. Can’t help myself … I just had to jump in… marketing a consulting practice is a favorite topic! I am a CPA who would like to would like to own my own CPA firm, but clients have been hard to come by. Any ideas on a proven marketing […]
Thinking about consulting, but not ready to go full time? Then consider consulting as a side hustle. You will learn a lot, and it will be much easier if/when you make your full-time JumpToConsulting. First heard this phrase back in 2010 from fellow Arizona blogger Pam Slim at Escape From Cubicle Nation. I’ve sung her […]
In my last post, I discussed how consulting eventually led me to Financial Independence. The primary focus was prior to making my JumpToConsulting. In this post, I’ll elaborate on things done at and after my break for freedom. First, I put away a startup stash. This is key, as there is nothing worse than having […]
One of my favorite stories, I often share this with wanabee or newbie consultants. It goes like this: Pat and Mike are out in the woods hunting. They hear a lot of noise in the brush, and suddenly a bear appears fifty yards away. They decide to run. But after a few yards, Pat stops, […]
With apologies to David Letterman… 10 – MONEY – Can lead to Financial Independence. It ultimately did for me. 9 – PLACE – Choose your own work location. Worked out of my home for the past 30+ years, and must say I really enjoy the commute. The view from the patio is nice too. 8 […]
I’m living proof. No MBA, and in fact, I’m an MBA dropout. But more on that later. This post was precipitated by a post by Martin Zwilling at Startup Professional Musings, where Martin discusses the pros and cons of an MBA for entrepreneurs. His advice is right in the title – Don’t Delay Your First […]
This post was written in response to a troll. Did not post his comment, but he did inspire this little missive. Did you ever notice that there are no statues for critics? President have them. Statesmen have them. Military heroes have them. Even business leaders have them. But NOT critics. Hmmm… there must be a […]
I once posed that question to an attorney, about the time we were starting out in consulting. I knew this was not going to be an overnight success, but was curious about what to expect. The attorney had run his own small practice for many years, so I figured he was a good person to […]
When making several career changes (including my own Jump to Consulting), I often justified my actions with “Well, I don’t want to wake up one morning and discover that I am 60 years old, and I never did that…” Well, I’m now past 60, and guess what — I am damn glad I took those […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Here is a recent email exchange that I though some of you might find of interest. I’ve hidden the name for confidentiality, but I’m sure S will recognize himself. Hi Daryl, My name is S. I’m also a follower of your blog. How are you doing with that these days? I’ve noticed you’re an engineer […]
This is what 40 attendees of the recent “Start Your Business Workshop” in Chandler AZ are considering. As an aside, all 40 had recently lost their jobs. But rather than sulk or wait for the government to intervene, these 40 budding entrepreneurs were taking matters into their own hands. On a beautiful spring day in […]
Here is my reply to a recent IEEE article “Are Engineers Really in Demand?” The authors posed this question in response to a recent Washington Post story that discussed unemployment among engineers. Being a geek myself, I was intrigued. What disturbed me, however, were the comments that followed. Way too much griping about how the government, […]
Nor was it Bush’s, or Clinton’s, or anybody else’s. If your business failed, it was YOUR fault. But don’t sulk about it — figure out what you did wrong, fix it, and try again! This rant was precipitated by a recent comment on a business blog. The author whined that his new venture failed because […]
