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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

I usually pride myself on updating Consultant Journal regularly. In fact, I often have a stash of posts written well in advance – I just most more spontaneous ones as they occur to me. Well, that all ground to a halt recently. You see, I decided to sell my home. That meant getting ready to

The past two months have been a blur. Between selling my home, taking on a new client, taking care of sick kids, managing volunteer commitments, buying a home and just the regular routine of parenting and having a life, I’ve felt stretched in all directions.  And I’ve never felt more fortunate to work for myself.

Is a business plan necessary? Maybe if you’re looking for investors or lenders or hoping to reassure a spouse or yourself. But creating a plan opens doors.

If you want to charge higher fees, you can’t be a run of the mill consultant. When people really value what you have to offer, it’s because of scarcity.

Now, economists talk about scarcity all the time. You’re heard of the supply and demand curve. And prices emerge where the two lines cross. Where there’s a supply of services and a corresponding demand. If there is a scarcity of supply and demand is strong, then prices will be higher.