Andrea Coutu

Wondering how to become a consultant and succeed? It starts with focus and confidence – and you may find that figuring out your path helps with the latter.

Finding new clients – read on for tips. In the next few weeks you can look forward to another series of articles on finding new clients for your consulting business. I will cover traditional approaches as well as not-so-traditional. Some of these ideas will be familiar to you. But I hope you also learn some

So you’re working for somebody else but you dream of becoming a full-time self-employed consultant. The good news is: you don’t have to up and quit your current job! A great way to achieve your goal is to start consulting part-time. Why should you do this? Finances – your current job is your ‘safety net.’

You think you want to become a consultant, but you’re not sure what direction to take. A good starting-point is to do a personal inventory for yourself. This involves taking stock of your unique skills, attributes and experiences. (Refer to Discover Your Inner Consultant for help in carrying out an inventory.) You probably have a

Like other professionals, consultants can suffer from boredom or stress or isolation. Often your productivity declines as a result, which can lead to frustration or apathy. Does this sound like you? Via Elephant Magazine, here are 3 surprising things that will increase your work productivity: Take your work to a cafe. Take your dog to

How many times have you had to reference something and not been able to find what you’re looking for? How about the phone number of a prospect you met yesterday in the coffee shop? Exactly what did you tell your client on the phone two weeks ago? There is nothing more frustrating than not being

As a consultant, you want to leave your clients more than satisfied with your services. But how do you know how happy they are after the job is done? You might think you’ve done a fantastic job, but the client may not agree. Learning what you’ve done right, and wrong, is an important step in becoming

It’s your worst nightmare: the client phones and says that you’ve made a big mistake. What do you do? Whatever you do, don’t have a nervous breakdown. Stay calm and analyze the situation. As an independent consultant, remember that it’s up to you to remedy the situation quickly and with a minimum of fuss. Listen

Are you thinking of becoming a consultant but you’re not sure where to start? What is a consultant, anyway, and how do you become a consultant? To help turn your dream of becoming a consultant into reality, read on… 8 Steps to Becoming a Consultant 1. Find your niche – What are your interests and

A long, long time ago in a suburb far, far away, Rhona-Mae Arca and I worked for a mid-sized software company. We spent lunch times and occasional Friday nights discussing our plans for growing our fledgling side businesses. Rhona-Mae went on to found Musespeak Consulting – and she’s just received major recognition from Roland Music for