Starting and Running a Successful Consultancy: How to Market and Build Your Own Consultancy Business is designed to help those new to consulting to build a successful career as a consultant, and to assist those already working as independent consultants to grow their business.

On the back cover of the book it claims that reading it will help you to:

• Gain a clear understanding of the consulting process and its requirements.
• Define and establish a clear strategic direction for your business.
• Understand how to raise finances and maintain financial control.
• Create and implement an effective marketing strategy.
• Balance ongoing business with attracting new clients.

… and become a successful consultant.

Most of which I agree with, but I’m not sure that a small (probably one man) consultancy can or should be raising finance. I certainly doubt that any venture capitalists would consider backing such a consultancy. On the other hand the marketing section is a good introduction to marketing that I’m sure will be a lot of use to most newly independent consultants or consultants looking to grow an established practice.

Starting And Running A Successful Consultancy is laid out in a workbook format, with a number of exercises for the reader to complete. Theses exercises are geared towards helping the reader to make their consultancy practice a profitable one.

Consulting has become an increasingly viable and growing working option for many people. If you’ve got an area of expertise and setting up your own consultancy sounds like a business opportunity that you would like to pursue then this is a book that should be on your reading list.

You can buy it from Amazon UK or Amazon USA.

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