Getting your independent business off the ground
There are three levels to growing a consultancy:
Beginning
Intermediate
Advanced
Today I’m going to outline the beginning steps of how to get off the ground and build revenue to a consistent $12,500 / month (that’s $150,000 / year). This is the beginning level of growing your business.
First - let me clarify who I’m talking to. This message is for:
White collar professionals
With 5+ years of work experience
Who are considering going independent
From any industry or function
Who can take what they do and turn it into a professional services consultancy
Professional services is a fancy word that basically means you sell plans, strategies, recommendations, and other deliverables to clients.
Do you know how to create documents, spreadsheets, and/or presentations? Congratulations! You can start a professional services consultancy.
If you check all four of those boxes, you can start a business RIGHT NOW – no additional training or certification required.
When you are first starting out you do NOT need to have a website, social media profile, professional branding, fancy videos / graphics, or well defined offers.
Instead, focus on 3 things:
Meet people
Listen deeply
Solve their problems
If you can meet people, listen deeply, and solve their problems you will be successful.
The challenge is that each of these steps requires additional skills and refinement.
And rather than practice these three skills, most people get distracted with things that don’t matter at all when you’re first starting out – like fancy websites, over the top marketing, and constantly refining their pricing and offerings.
You will not know your offerings or pricing until you’ve gone on the market and had tons of conversations with potential clients.
They are going to tell you what to offer, not the other way around.
This is a shift in focus away from yourself and what you think you’re good at and toward listening to others and meeting their needs.
It requires you to get great at:
Curiosity - asking questions to learn more about their situation
Restraint - learning everything you can without offering trite strategies / solutions
Executive presence - being authentically you in front of anyone, no matter who they are
Value - serving others without expectation of return
You have to learn how to create comfort inside of one to one conversations.
Stop focusing on yourself and your offer. This is a distraction.
Focus on meeting people and uncovering their needs. Truly GET THEM. Get their situation. Show that you understand where they’re at.
Take what you learn, and package THAT into a proposal.
The reality is that you do not need pitch decks or offerings until you have potential opportunities in front of you.
This is a hard reality for people to grasp. They think they need to PROVE that they’re in business by creating assets / marketing collateral / thought pieces.
I’m not saying these things are wrong or that you shouldn’t have them at all. I’m simply suggesting that they should take up about 5% of your time in the beginning. The other 95% of your time must be focused on meeting people, listening deeply, and solving their problems.
You can either waste your time and energy making it look like you’re in business with lots of marketing and social media posts OR you can go out and actually drum up opportunities that lead to revenue.
The first option leads to burnout and the demise of your business.
The second leads to opportunities, revenue, and a thriving business.
If you’re thinking about going independent or have recently taken the leap and are trying to get off the ground, reply to this email and let me know you’d like to chat.
I’m happy to offer a complimentary consultation to support you at this stage of your growth.
After working with hundreds of professionals and generating over $2.5M in my own business, lets’ just say I’ve got a knack for listening deeply and helping folks solve problems.
Can’t wait to chat,
Chris
Thanks For Reading!
I am on a mission to help driven people find clarity in the fast lane – making great money doing work they love, on their own terms.
Not sure what you want? Or feel stuck? Get clear on your life and career in 3 steps >> Download the Career Clarity Map for FREE.
If you’re looking to change jobs, grow in your career, or start your own business, here are some more resources to help you on your way:
Subscribe to my podcast on Apple or Spotify.
I believe that sharing resources and connections is the best way to grow in our careers, together. If you know someone who could benefit from free weekly career coaching, straight to their inbox, send this blog to them and encourage them to subscribe to the newsletter!