Andrea Coutu

Restaurant consultants get paid handsomely to solve problems for restaurant owners. The Restaurant Report has a fact sheet on how to hire a restaurant consultant . But how do you become a restaurant consultant and what does a restaurant consultant do? I’ve covered ideas for other kinds of consultants you can become, but what about […]

“Where are your consulting fee agreement forms and contracts? Can I see your contracts?” asks Shawn, an aspiring hospitality consultant. Well, Shawn, I don’t actually share my consultant fee agreements. Consulting Fees, my guide to setting and getting your rate, may be of some assistance when it comes to understanding your own fees, your  business

Google tricks can make searching for consulting work easier. Today, I discovered this nifty trick for Google. Say you want to do a search for everything related to consultant jobs. If you use a tilder (~) in front of a word, this trick makes Google do a fuzzy search, meaning it will search for words

How to become a 1099 contractor — a few people asked me to dig up my post on how to become a 1099 contractor. In addition to including the link, I wanted to mention that it really isn’t that difficult to become a 1099 contractor. If you can find a willing company and get a

Becoming a consultant in Canada is relatively straightforward. My becoming a consultant FAQ covers may of the steps. You may also be interested in the many articles on this site, which cover: how to discover the right consulting career for you how to find clients how to build your practice how to develop your sales

What’s a reasonable hourly wage for consulting? If you’ve read my post on how consultants go about setting consulting fee rates, you’ll have an idea of how to calculate the fees you charge. Still, many consultants wonder what sort of hourly wage would be reasonable. Well, for starters, calling your consulting fee an “hourly wage”

Cheap computer equipment is easier to find than you’d think. Here’s my list of tips for buying cheap computer equipment. Ask for a discount. Even when something isn’t on sale, many retailers — even big ones — will drop the price. If you’re dealing with an online retailer, try phoning. (Asking for a discount helps

Earlier this week, I mentioned prenatal/postnatal fitness consultant Melanie Osmack from Fit4Two prenatal and postnatal fitness. Melanie has been able to overcome a challenge many consultants face — by hiring instructors and franchising her company, she’s been able to expand her services beyond what she can do alone. This is a great example for anyone

Earlier today, I posted about getting lower home equity loan rates, since many consultants and small business owners tap into their home equity to finance their businesses. However, using a home equity loan means you’re risking your home. Would you ever do that? Would you risk your home to get your consulting business going? I’m

Lowering your home equity loan rate can free up cash flow for your business. With the recent run-up in real estate prices, a lot of business owners have used their home equity to secure loans that they then use to finance their consulting businesses.  In a previous post, I shared some thoughts about getting a