The great thing about starting a consulting business is there are no rules.
You choose your clients.
You decide which products and services you’ll offer.
You set your prices.
And you say when, where, and how you do business.
This sounds great in theory, but it’s a BIG shock for most people.
See, we’re used to being told what to do — by our parents, teachers, bosses, friends, family, and the government. (Have I missed anyone?)
It’s rare that we get a chance to sit down and really think about what it is we want, and how to go about getting it, without someone else butting in and giving their 2c about what’s best for us.
And because of this, when given almost unlimited choices…
Many people simply shut down –
unable to make a decision!
Sounds weird I know.
But I’ve seen it over and over again.
(Usually in the form of procrastination or chasing the next bright shiny object.)
Being free to setup your business — and create your lifestyle — exactly the way you want to, well… it’s something few people have ever given serious thought to.
And it can be hard to know which path is best for you without taking a few steps down it.
That’s why, in my humble opinion, having a mentor to guide you when starting your business is so important.
They can look at where you’re at — what you’ve got to work with and where you want to go — and help you determine which path will give you the best chances of success.
Anyway, one of the first decisions you need to make is which consulting model you will base your business on.
So far I’ve identified at least 8 different models used by our Consulting Tycoon members.
(Almost everyone is doing something slightly different, or putting their unique spin on things.)
Here they are:
The 8 Consulting Models
(Pick ‘n Mix As Desired)
Advice: Either in-person or phone consulting. You don’t do any “hands on” work or implementation, just give advice on what needs to be done and direct them to what they need.
Full Service: Basically an Internet marketing advertising agency, handling all aspects of online marketing.
Specific Service(s): Pick one or more service(s) — e.g. PPC, SEO, autoresponders, sales copy, websites — and specialize in it.
Product-Based: Sell reports, home study courses, tools, templates and coaching programs that teach what you would normally confer in your consulting sessions.
Lead-Gen: Create your own front-end lead acquisition campaigns and sell the leads directly to businesses.
Rental Sites: Create your own websites, get them ranked for local business search terms, then rent them out for a monthly fee to the highest bidder.
Licensing: Create (or acquire) complete marketing campaigns, salesletters, or process improvements and license their use to businesses all over the world.
Seminars: Hold your own seminars and teach business owners in groups. These can be free or low-cost seminars used as lead generators for other consulting work. Or they can be $1000+ paid seminars.
Each model has it’s own pluses and minuses and may or may not be suited to you.
The good news is you can pick the ones that appeal to you and design your business so that it suits the lifestyle you want to live.
For example:
- You might have an info product as your front end (product-based), phone consulting as an upsell (advice) and done-for-you service as your backend (full service.)
- You can write (or have written) a salesletter for a particular type of business and license it to small business owners all over the country.
- Or you might be a full-service consultant who outsources all the tasks, and simply collect a commission for referring your clients and managing the project.
- You could just do phone consulting, but setup deals with service providers so when you refer a client you get a commission from them.
- Or perhaps you’d rather work behind the scenes and never talk directly to clients, selling information products directly from a website.
There are literally hundreds of ways you can structure your business.
Which model fits you best?
Kyle Tully
P.S. One of the HUGE benefits you get (in my humble opinion) when you join the Consulting Tycoon program is the “20-Minute Fast Start Consultation”.
In a very short time we can create a step-by-step action plan for you based on your desired lifestyle and the model(s) that will work best for you. Just head over to:
www.ConsultingTycoon.com/indexn.php
